Maybe the name inversion therapy is new to you. If so, inversion therapy is a therapy that has a long history of use, and benefits. Basically inversion therapy is a therapy that is derived from the use of what is called an inversion table, on which the user hangs upside down by the ankles, or at least partly to upside down with the head lower than the feet.

The inversion table is designed so that the user can strap themselves into it by the use of what are sometimes called inversion boots or gravity boots, and the head is lowered as far as is required, sometimes to the point where the user hangs completely upside down.

Where did inversion therapy come from and why would anyone want to hand upside down?

The use of inversion therapy has been recognized as far back as in the time of Hippocrates around 400 BC. It is said that Hippocrates, sometimes called the father of medicine and whose name is used for the Hippocratic oath, used to hang his patients upside down. So it has a long history. However it was not until a doctor in the US by the name of Robert Martin started to use it in the 1960s that it became more common in America.

Dr Martin introduced a system using the concept of inversion therapy using an inversion table, and began to promote "his" therapy, inversion therapy.

By the 1980s inversion therapy had become popular,especially after Richard Gere was seen using gravity boots in the movie "American Gigolo". Inversion therapy had hit the big time.

However it was not without it's detractors, and a study by a Dr Goldman in 1983 suggested that it could increase the risk of stroke, however Dr Goldman reversed that 2 years later when he stated that he could find no more risk of stroke inverted than up the right way.

Subsequent studies confirmed that there is no risk from using inversion therapy.

However the popularity of inversion therapy and inversion tables had declined due to these publicity that originated from the first study. However it has been coming back with a vengeance, especially as the US Army now recognises inversion therapy and uses it to attempt to reverse some of the damage done to soldiers' bodies during training. Of course the army being what it is it only began using inversion therapy after studying it's effectiveness for some years.

So if you decide to use an inversion table and start hanging upside down what sorts of benefits can you expect?

One of the primary uses of this therapy is in the treatment of back pain. Many forms of back pain are attributable to the effects of gravity on our body, and can be reversed by the reversal of the effects of gravity. Users report a reduction in back pain from very early in the use of inversion therapy, and many report huge improvements in their overall quality of life after therapy is begun.

Other benefits include the relief of stress, improved circulation and improvements in mental clarity by the increases in blood flow to the brain. There are also reported benefits for reducing the effects of aging. One of the main effects of aging is the loss of height as the discs in your spine thin, and inversion can help limit this loss of height.

There are other benefits from the use of an inversion table, however it's primary use is in the treatment of back conditions.

So if you're interested in finding out more about inversion therapy go ahead and do so. It's a therapy that is getting huge results from it's users, particularly those with back pain.

Find yourself an inversion table and a pair of gravity boots and hang upside down for a while and see how much better you feel.