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To
understand just how dramatically gravity affects your spine, try this
exercise at home:
Measure
your height in the morning and then measure your height again at night.
You will be 1/2" to 3/4" shorter at the end of the day because
of the compressive effects of gravity on your spine. During weight
bearing activities (sitting, standing, exercising), fluid is squeezed
out of your discs and into the adjacent soft tissue. This lost of
moisture results in height loss by the end of the day!
During
non-weight bearing activities (sleeping), the discs expand as they soak
up fluid increasing the length of the spine. However, you will not gain
the full 100% of the height lost back. This is evident in the fact that
as a baby, your discs are 90% water. By the time you reach 70 years of
age, your discs are only 70% water! Over a lifetime, this loss of
moisture causes thinning discs and you will lose ½"
to 2" in height!
Loss
of height due to gravity would be easy to live with if it was the only
result of thinning discs. However, another result of thinning discs is
worn facet joints due to increased pressure. The joints can become
irritated and inflamed, and the capsule of lubricating fluid which
surround each joint might swell and press on a nerve root.
How
do activities affect the amount of pressure on your discs?
Our
daily activities (running, sitting, weightlifting) and the force of
gravity places pressure on your discs. For example, sitting places 50%
more pressure on your discs than standing. Sitting and leaning forward
(i.e., typing at a computer) places 150% more pressure on discs than
standing. The average person will spend 16 hours (2/3 of your life) day
sitting or standing.
How
do we know that gravity is a major cause of thinning discs?
Astronauts
grow in space! After 84 days in space (a gravity-free environment)
astronauts grew 2" in height. During twelve weeks in orbit, their
discs had continued to take moisture from the blood stream, but with no
gravitational pull to squeeze moisture out, the discs remained plump,
making their spines longer, and themselves taller. In fact, space suits
are designed to accommodate the extra 2" spinal stretch. After a
few days on earth (a gravity environment), they returned to their normal
height.
How
can Inversion reduce the effects of gravity?
When
you invert and relax, your body can stretch up to 2". "Muscles
relax quite quickly in the fully inverted position, and the length of
the spine measurably increases after only a few minutes. Some of the
lengthening effect is gained from reabsorption of fluid into the center
of the disc. Used over a longer period, this may delay the degeneration
process that occurs due to 'drying out'" (Beating Back Pain,
Tanner).
  
Image
1. Supine - Lumbar curve maintained, posterior erector muscles
contracted (shortened), intervertebral disc pressure, and psoas exerts
pressure on spin.
Image 2. Pre-Inversion - Lumbar curve reduced, muscular relaxation, and
pressure of psoas muscle decreases.
Image 3. Seated Inversion - Joint spaces widened, pain relief,
intervertebral disc pressure reduced, and musculature stretching.
Summary
Over
a lifetime, you will lose, 1/2" to 2" due to thinning discs.
Since
your discs act as shock absorbers, thinning discs can cause
intervertebral joints to become irritated and inflamed.
Gravity
is a major cause of thinning discs because astronauts grew up to 2"
while in space (a gravity free environment).
Inversion
reverses the effect of gravity on your spine.
While
inverted your spinal length increases partly due to the re-absorption of
moisture into the center of the disc.
Weak Back
Muscles
It is
estimated that 60%-70% of all back pain is the result of muscle strain.
Muscle
Strength
Your
musculo-skeletal system needs a basic level of strength and endurance in
order to protect itself against back pain. Your muscles need a good
supply of blood and energy in order to be maintained at peak
performance. Poor posture or muscle spasms can deprive the cells and
tissues in your back muscles of a good supply of blood and oxygen.
For
example, when you sit and bend forward (i.e., typing at a computer) two
of the three muscle groups which support your back (abdominal and hip
flexors) are inactive and, therefore, being detrained (weakened). If
this state of affairs continues, muscles will become painful, weak, less
elastic, and shortened.
Muscle
Imbalance
Often
muscles acting on a joint are out of balance. For example, the flexors
may be tighter and shorter than the extensors, so that the joint cannot
be fully straightened; or the muscles that rotate the joint in one
direction may be stronger than those that rotate it the other direction
(i.e., one-sided sports like golf). These unequal forces make the joint
weaker and more vulnerable. Parts of the bone surfaces bear more weight
than they should. This imbalance can cause pain.
Inversion
can help
Gently
stretching your back muscles, through inversion, can help increase the
supply of blood and oxygen to your back muscles. With a regular
inversion program of stretching and strengthening, the muscle groups can
be brought back into balance.
Summary
Muscles
need regular exercise in order to maintain posture.
Various
one-sided activities (i.e. golf) can cause muscles to be unbalanced
Inversion
provides a gentle stretch to help increase the supply of blood and
oxygen to muscles.
Inversion
can help bring muscle groups back into balance and thus improve body
alignment (posture).
Poor Flexibility
Muscles
and ligaments require regular movement, otherwise they will become stiff
and inflexible.
As
you age, your discs become thinner, bringing the intervertebral joints
closer together. The ligaments which used to support the spine firmly
become more slack and joints become looser. It is like a worn machine
with a loose drive belt or pulley. Any undue strain may throw something
out of gear. Throughout your life you obtain strains by bending the
spine too far, placing too much load on the spine while in the bent
position, or bending repeatedly.
Ligaments
have a limited blood supply and thus do not heal easily. Sometimes they
fail to heal completely, thus leaving scar tissue. Scar tissue is not as
strong or flexible as regular ligaments or muscles and leaves the area
stiffer and weaker. This is how your back ages and becomes less
flexible. Without regular stretching, ligaments can become stiff and may
increase the risk of injury.
Inversion can help.
Unless
appropriate exercises are performed to restore normal flexibility, the
unhealed tissue may produce a continuous source of back pain and/or
stiffness. Simple, gentle stretching can help scar tissue become more
flexible and more strong, or absorbed and replaced by more normal
ligament and muscle tissue. This strengthening can help to prevent a
re-injury. Although there are exercises to stretch parts of your back
separately, inversion helps to gently stretch all the ligaments encasing
your spinal column at once.
Summary
Muscles
and ligaments require regular stretching to maintain normal flexibility
and strength.
Inversion
helps to gently stretch muscles and ligaments.
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