For you and your doctor. A message to healthcare providers

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1 For you and your doctor A message to healthcare providers Inversion therapy is a natural treatment method that has complemented health care since the age of Hippocrates. While inversion has the potential to help many people temporarily relieve back pain, this form of therapy may not be for everyone. We encourage every new user of inversion to first consult with their doctor to see if inversion is right for them. In this document, you ll find information about the benefits, applications and contraindications of inversion, as well as summaries from recent medical studies and information about backproofs products. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact us at backproof to learn more about inversion therapy. What is inversion and what are its benefits? Inversion is a passive fitness activity that utilizes gravity and the user s body weight to create natural traction, elongating the body to decompress the weight-bearing joints and stretch and relax muscles. Inversion can be accomplished conveniently and securely with various types of equipment, but this document will focus specifically on the inversion table. Inversion tables are precision-balanced for easeof-use, ensuring a secure and comfortable inversion experience. With regular use, benefits may include: Reduced Back Pain: Inversion helps to elongate the spine, increasing the intervertebral separation and opening the passageway for the nerve roots to temporarily relieve pressure. Rehydrated Intervertebral Discs: Inversion increases the disc space and reduces the load on the discs, allowing them to hydrate for expedited repair. Regular use helps allow for increased fluid retention within the discs for improved shock absorption and flexibility. Relaxed Muscles: Inverting to as little as 25 for a few minutes can help relax muscles. One study showed that EMG activity declined over 35% within ten seconds of inversion. Realignment of the Spine: In order to decompress, the spine needs a traction force of at least 60% of your body weight, roughly equivalent to inverting at an angle of 60 on an inversion table. This type of progressive decompression naturally re-aligns the weight-bearing skeleton, promoting good posture. 1

2 Recovery from Activity: Inversion can stimulate circulation and lymph movement. Inversion is a natural, non-invasive solution that requires just a few minutes a day. Your patient can use the equipment as-needed, in the comfort of their own home. Inversion equipment is designed with ease-of-use and security in mind. Inversion tables are UL Classified , a medical equipment standard, ensuring quality and longevity of use. Are there any studies to support inversion? A wide range of studies have been published over the past few decades, several of which are summarized below. Inversion Therapy in Patients with Pure Single Level Discogenic Disease: a pilot randomized trial. Manjunath Prasad KS, Gregson BA, Hargreaves G, Byrnes T, Medelow AD. Regional Neurosciences Centre, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. Patients who were told they needed sciatic operations were divided into two groups. One group regularly practiced inversion therapy along with regular physiotherapy, while the other practiced physiotherapy alone. Authors stated, Inversion therapy decreased the need for an operation in sciatica due to single level disc protrusion to 23% as compared to 78% in the non-inversion group. Intravital Dynamic Pressure Measurements in Lumbar Discs. Nachemson, Alf, et al. Almqvist & Wiksell. Stockholm Study measured internal disc pressure (in the 3rd lumbar disc) through a range of activities, including standing, sitting, bending and vertical and supine traction. The study suggests that a traction load of 60% body weight is sufficient to reduce the residual pressure of 25% standing body weight to zero. Adaptation of Tilt Table for Lumbar Traction. Sheffield, F. Arch Phys Med Rehabilitation; 45: , patients who were unable to work due to back pain were treated. After eight inversion treatments, 155 patients were able to return to their jobs full time. Study concluded that the main basis for improvement was the stretching of paraspinal vertebral muscles and ligaments and possibly the widening of intravertebral discs. Study found significant improvements in a variety of diagnosis including spondylolisthesis, herniated discs, lumbar osteoarthritis with sciatica, and coccygodynia. Patient experienced traction in a modified. It is worth noting that previous to his use of inversion therapy, Dr. Sheffield regularly used mechanical traction with weights and pulleys. He considered inverted traction much more effective than mechanical traction. 2

3 Effects of Gravity-facilitated Traction on Intravertebral Dimensions of the Lumbar Spine. Kane, M, et al. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Phys Ther , Mar 85. Study found gravity-facilitated traction (inversion), produces significant intravertebral separation in lumbar spine. Study concluded gravity facilitated traction may be an effective modality in the relief of low back pain. Therapeutic Applications Widely utilized by doctors, physical therapists, sports trainers and chiropractors, inversion is a natural, noninvasive therapy applicable across a wide spectrum of patient conditions, including: Sciatica Degenerated disc Minor misalignments Bulged/ Herniated disc Pinched nerve Muscle tension Clinicians are incorporating inversion into their practice, working with patients on DFM Inversion Table, contour L5, NXT-S and supplementing the clinical modalities with in-home solutions. For more information about clinical inversion equipment, visit Contraindications for inversion While the benefits of inversion are many, there are a number of conditions that you, as a health care provider, should consider before advising your patient to utilize this form of therapy. While some of these conditions may not prevent your patient from practicing inversion, each patient should be considered on an individual basis. This is not an all-inclusive list it should only be used as a reference: Anti-Coagulants (Use of) Conjunctivitis Bone weakness, recent fractures, skeletal implants Glaucoma Heart / circulatory disorders Hiatal hernia, ventral hernia High blood pressure, hypertension Middle ear infection Obesity (extreme) Pregnancy Retinal detachment Spinal injury Stroke Transient ischemic attack If you have further questions about inversion therapy or products, please contact us at : Backproof 1 st floor, #26, 5 th cross 5 th block, Koramangla Bangalore T : or visit our web site 3

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7 New Discoveries of Additional Inversion Therapy Benefits Found In the never ending search for newer ways to treat chronic back pain, spinal injuries and extreme levels of pain that simple stress can cause the human body, recent medical research as well as a revealing and in-depth report posted at health and wellness portal BeWellBuzz.com have discovered new benefits for Inversion Therapy. Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) March 29, 2012 In the never ending search for newer ways to treat chronic back pain, spinal injuries and extreme levels of pain that simple stress can cause the human body, recent medical research as well as a revealing and indepth report posted at health and wellness portal BeWellBuzz.com have discovered new benefits for Inversion Therapy which has convinced the United States Army to invest in Inversion methods for each new recruit. Inversion is defined as a pose in which a person heart is higher than their head. Inversion therapy helps the human body to recover from the compressive effects of gravity and daily activities. Scientifically, it has been proven to be quite advantageous for cardiovascular, lymphatic, endocrine and nervous systems. Inversions are so effective that the US Army is planning to include it in its physical training. After six years of research, the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School determined that the soldiers who inverted regularly with inversion equipment suffered fewer joint related injuries or back muscle pain and healed more quickly from joint compression damage. Today, the US Army Physical Fitness School has decided to incorporate Inversion into its world-wide physical training doctrine. The Army Rangers at Fort Benning, GA use gravity boots to invert, "reversing" the damage done to their bodies during their demanding training. Additional research has shown new benefits of Inversion Therapy. Newcastle University's Regional Science Center in England conducted a clinical trial on 22 men and women who were told by medical professionals they required back surgery to fix their back pain issues. Half of the group received traditional physical therapy, including massage and personalized exercises, and the other half of the group received inversion therapy along with physical therapy. At the end of the trial period, nearly 80% of the group that underwent only physical therapy still needed surgery. However, the group that combined physical therapy with inversion therapy reported that less than 25% of these patients needed surgery to relieve their pain. According to Dr. Robert Martin, the author of The Gravity Guiding System, Turning the Aging Process Upside Down, the brain operates 14% more accurately when the brain is operating on an inverted, inclined plane. Inversion also helps move the stagnant blood in the body because you are standing against gravity when you are inverting. It forces the blood to move which would not do so standing in a straight position. 7