Inversion Therapy & Scoliosis

Inversion Therapy Scoliosis

Inversion therapy entails hanging upside down or lying on a tilted surface, which applies gentle traction to the spine. Inversion therapy can help relieve back pain, which is often associated with scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.

Inversion Therapy

Inversion therapy relieves gravitational pressure on the nerve roots and disks in your spine and expands the space between the vertebrae. One type of inversion therapy suspends the whole body with the head first. The apparatus is in a horizontal bar in a stabilizing frame. A second type uses the same type inversion frame with supports that bend your knees and flex your hips. In another type, you lie on an inversion table that ever so slowly tips your body into a head-first position. Inversion therapy is a kind of spinal traction

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is the horizontal curvature of the spine. One of the major symptoms of scoliosis is pain in the middle or lower back. This pain can be quite debilitating depending on the amount the spine is curved. Because of the curve in the spine, the pressure on the spine is uneven. When the disks in that area of the spine are loaded unevenly, they wear out unevenly and at a faster rate than normal. Eventually this causes pain. When this type of pain occurs, it is called a scoliotic back pain. This pain does not generally appear until you are in your 40s or 50s.

Inversion Therapy for Scoliosis

Inversion therapy for scoliosis is a good choice because it involves no drugs or surgery; it is an alternative treatment for back pain. Only 20 percent of all back surgeries are successful after 2 years, according to the Johns Hopkins White Papers of 2003.

Warnings

Using blood thinners put you at risk for circulatory problems, which means you should not partake in inversion therapy without consulting your doctor. Inversion may make bone weakness and recent fractures worse. You should not invert if you have eye problems such as pink eye, glaucoma or a detached retina, or circulation problems, hernias, high blood pressure or ear infections. If you are obese, pregnant or have a spinal injury, consult your doctor before inverting.

Starting Inversion Therapy

The best way to start your inversion therapy program is increasing the degree of inversion slowly. Most people do not exceed a 60-degree inversion. Make sure to listen to your body. If you feel too uncomfortable inverting, stop. Always follow the guidance of your doctor or physical therapist about how often you can invert.

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