Has anyone ever used one of those inversion beds? You know, the ones where you hook your feet in and then flip yourself upside down at varying degrees. Ian King appears to be in favor of them and due to the grappling that I do I think it would help alleviate a lot of the soreness I’m always feeling in my back. What do you guys(gals) think?
We’ve had one for a year now. It’s a godsend. The brand we bought is the original “HangUps” brand. I’ve seen some less expensive ones, but they look a little crappy considering the fact that they could drop you ON YOUR HEAD, I definately wanted a good one. We were in a serious car accident a couple years ago and my wife has battles spinal problems ever since. This thing has made a big difference. I think everyone should have one. Be prepared to spend $300 or more on it and make sure you try it out at the store first, because the brands can vary alot as for as balance and the way your feet hook in.
Where do you go shopping for such an item…
Actually, most “fitness equipment” stores will sell them. I mean the type of stores that would sell a power rack, or smith machine & individual free-weights… not just athletic shoes and sports equipment. Also, a good place to look would be “back” stores… the Portland area has a store called “Relax the Back” and they sell things like chairs/recliners, matresses, etc… special stuff that’s supposed to be good for your back… those places are usually big on inversion therapy, which consists of inversion tables (like mentioned above) or inversion boots (like Richard Gere had in American Gigolo or that one guy had in Deuce Bigalow).
Thanks for your advice,Wadely. I found a company called Backsavers that sells them. Cost is around $400.
i am rather in the dark about this, the most i have seen are invesions/gravity boots, hmmm
Inversion Boots or Gravity Boots work to a similar end, but the tables are portable, whereas the boots must have a bar to hang on… also, did you see that movie Deuce Bigalow? That’s a good example of my fears relating to Inversion Boots. I’d be afraid that I’d hang with them and be especially weak one day and get my ass stuck upside down.
The “list” price fo rthe HangUps table is $400, we bought ours at Gart Sports for $300, but they have since stopped carrying them. I don’t know where you could get them cheaper that full-price. Their website is inversiontherapy.com and they have a retailer lookup you could try, but the people listed there probably all charge full-price.
I just found out a friend of mine has back problems due to a near fatal assault she survived years ago. Is this something that would provide her some relief?
I just interviewed Dr. Ken Kinakin of SWIS again for T-mag and we talked about this. He said these tables are better than nothing, but the best device is the Invertrac. Info here: http://www.invertrac.com.
Be careful before you use such a device. They can be beneficial, BUT these spine lengthening techniques can also exacerbate certain problems. Vladimir Zatsiorsky discusses this at greater length in his excellent book, “The Science and Practice of Strength Training.” This is not to say that there is no use to such devices, there is, just not all the time and not with all athletes. As I have stated previously, spine lengthening is not necessarily a panacea and may actually increase back pain. Just be careful.
Sincerely,
Matthew A. Levy
These can be great for someone with a Spondylolisthesis. However if you do not have a spondy, I do not reccomend it. Too lengthy to get into here but, the angle of pull on the low back when hanging can make matters worse.
I would not advise using it unless you have been seen by a qualified doctor.