I was somewhat skeptical when I ordered this board whether it would help my back or not. I am periodically bothered by back problems that are either sciatica or something closely resembling it. When it hits it has always taken at least six weeks of physical inactivity and stretching to relieve the pain, and the ache would linger for months. When I felt the latest bout of this condition begin, I ordered this board. I can truthfully say that after using the board for one week, five minutes a day, the pain and any sign of the condition had disappeared. I live alone so I do not fully invert, but the last setting using the safety harness was enough to provide me relief. I only use it two or three times a week now, but have not had a recurrence of the back problem in the four months since buying the board. The one time relief was enough to justify buying the board, and any future aid in relieving or preventing the sciatica will be gravy for me. I am beginning to believe that periodic use may hopefully prevent the condition from coming back. I bought the Teeter board because I am 64 years old and weigh 250 lbs. I feel very secure on this board and if I had someone around when I was using it I would have no hesitation in going fully inverted. The sensation when you first use the board takes some getting used to, but once you develop trust in the board that feeling goes away. Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 Inversion Therapy Table
Well, I normally don't write reviews but I thought that I really should since I make use of them before generally buying anything nowadays so what better place to start than about a product that has done wonders for me. While I have a had good results with the Teeter, my healing wasn't as instant as many other reviewers and I would like to share that experience with others so that not everyone thinks that after a week or two their back pain may be cured.
After reading the many positive reviews and being at the end of the line with the pain from my herniated disc I felt that I had nothing to lose by trying the Teeter. I went ahead and ordered a good inverter (Teeter) knowing that I did not want to be upside down in a flimsy inverter that I was afraid to go fully inverted.
By way of background, I have a herniated disc and have suffered from back pain (both dull and acute) for the 6-8 months preceding getting the inverter. I had gone to physical therapy with limited success and had been doing the exercises that were suggested but did not get anything more than just some temporary relief, nothing permanent. I also sit behind a desk/computer most of my day and only get up sparingly (4-8 times).
Week 1-2: My pain level was high at this point and I tried using the inversion for 2-3 minutes a day with the safety strap so I wouldn't be fully inverted. I did this about once or twice a day. The pain in my back seemed to get worse and I was not feeling any relief.
Week 3-4: I decided to stick with the regimen and give it more time as I knew that decompressing the vertebrae would not happen overnight. At this point I still did not fully invert as I was still in too much pain. I tried to increase the amount of time to about 5 minutes. The pain still had not subsided. In fact, towards the end of week 4 I tried to fully invert and I think a suffered some sort of muscle spasm that made things worse. I think it is a good idea to wait before fully inverting until your body is used to it. This may be different based on how quickly one becomes used to it.
Week 5-6: I took a week off after the muscle spasm but then continued again after that. Towards the end of week 6 I was starting to feel a little better.
Week 7-8: I was really doing the inversion for about 5 minutes once a day at night as I couldn't time it right to do it in the mornings. As the pain started to get better I started to only go to the full inversion. It was about the end of week 8 that I began to feel no back pain. I was shocked as I had not experienced 0% paid in the last 8 months before that. I have to say that I was glad I stuck with it because initially I felt that back pain get worse.
General Observations: It is true that your feet do hurt, especially if you invert for 5 minutes or more. I found that it would help to wear very thick socks and running shoes before using the inverter. I still think it is better to endure the very minor and temporary foot pain with the inversion rather than chronic back pain so that was not really a big deal for me. I have not tried the boots but may give that a try since people seem to generally think it helps with the foot pain.
I also found that after inverting for a couple of weeks I could hear my back cracking during normal routine day to day activities. I attribute this to the vertebrae beginning to decompress and align. I don't seem to hear it anymore unless I am doing the stretches.
I find that nothing is as relieving as fully inverting. At this point I only fully invert but I would recommend building up to it especially if you have back pain in the beginning. I also continued to do some exercises all along to help strengthen the back as the pain got less. I wasn't as diligent doing exercises that I should have been but I find it difficult with my schedule (excuses, excuses).
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and my experience. I have been back pain free for about 2 months which is really amazing. I am taking much greater care of my back and am more diligent about remembering to invert at least once a day (although I do miss days here and there). It especially feels good to invert after doing something that puts a lot of pressure on the back (like gardening). I wonder why doctors don't recommend this more often to their patient but then again that's not in their financial best interest. If you are like how I was in pretty bad back pain then go ahead and give it a shot and stick with it even if you don't get any relief the first few weeks, it worked for me. - Back Pain - Inversion - Back Pain Relief - Lower Back Pain'
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