Gravity Inversion Tables

[ClintonVoris]

Hi Everyone;

I hope I'm posting this thread in the right Forum. Does anyone have a gravity inversion table, or use one? I had some really nasty back pain several weeks ago, and could not get comfortable sleeping in any position. Several years ago I read "The Four Hour Body" and that book mentioned resting on the floor, with your feet and lower legs elevated on the couch. Well, that helped a little, but not much.

I decided right there that I needed some serious stretching for my lower spine. I had priced out gravity inversion tables several years prior, and knew that the cheap ones started at about $100.00. I had some scrap lumber out in the shop, and the wife was not going to be home for several hours. So... I made my own stretching table. Yes it's rather crude ('medieval' was the actual term my neighbor used,) but it works! Holy Cow, does it feel good! Plus, I spent about $6.00 and one hour building it.

Any way, what have been your experiences with lower back pain? How did you over come it, and has anyone used one of these tables? Aside from wrecking and collapsing, is there anything I should be aware of when inverting and stretching?

Photos below... Enjoy!

-Clint
Fort Wayne, IN

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Wow I am very impressed, nice job!
The nice thing about a manufactured inversion table is that there are different level of inclination and with yours is all or nothing-right?
I used to have one and my back never felt better but I have to give it away because I was told by my neurologist not to use it cause it was not safe for my situation(had a stroke) and I also have have chronic positional vertigos and let me tell you, vertigos are not fun in fact one of my worst episodes came while lying on the table.
I am so glad it's helping you but be careful.

 

[ClintonVoris]

Hi Dama;

Thank you for the compliments! Yes, mine is kinda 'all or none' as you said. It took me about five tries to get the fulcrum positioned correctly (the horizontal piece.) Everything is assembled with 3 inch deck screws, so it's way over-built. I use my almost every morning, but only hang for about 3 - 4 minutes (I need more padding for my ankles.) Even that small amount of time makes a huge difference. When I made mine, I put a premium on using only what I already had available. My next upgrade will be a paint job, and padding for the ankles. Right now it's just towels wrapped in duct tape (I'm really, really low-tech!) BTW... I like your beads.

TTYL...