- With Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist
Randy A. Shelerud, M.D.
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Question
Inversion therapy: Can it relieve back pain?
Does inversion therapy relieve back pain? Is it safe?
Answer
from Randy A. Shelerud, M.D.
Inversion therapy, which involves hanging upside down, doesn't provide lasting relief from back pain, and the head-down position could be risky for anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma.
In theory, inversion therapy takes gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increases the space between vertebrae. One form of inversion therapy involves full-body, head-first suspension from a horizontal bar in a stabilizing frame. Another form uses a similar inversion frame with supports that keep your knees bent and hips flexed. In a third form, you lie on an inversion table that gradually tips you into a head-down position.
Inversion therapy is one example of the many ways in which spinal traction (stretching the spine) has been used in an attempt to relieve back pain. Well-designed studies evaluating traction have found the technique ineffective for long-term relief. However, some people find traction temporarily helpful as part of a more comprehensive treatment program for lower back pain caused by spinal disk compression.
Your heartbeat slows and your blood pressure increases when you remain inverted for more than a couple of minutes. For this reason, you should not try inversion therapy if you have cardiovascular disease or elevated pressure in your eye.
Next questionTarlov cysts: A cause of low back pain?
- Chou R. Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain: A review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline. Ann Intern Med. 2007; 147:492.
- Clarke J. Traction for low back pain with or without sciatica: An updated systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane Collaboration. Spine. 2006; 31:1591.
- Kappagoda CT et al. Short-term cardiovascular adaptations to vertical head-down suspension. Arch Phys Med and Rehab.1988; 69:352.
- Haskvitz EM et al. Blood pressure response to inversion traction. Physical Therapy. 1986;66:1364.
- Ballantyne BT et al. The effects of inversion traction on spinal column configuration, heart rate, blood pressure, and perceived discomfort. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 1986;7:254.
