The most common pain that most suffer in life is lower back pain. Most of the time, it’s caused by improper heavy lifting or twisting. Injuries can occur by over stretching lower muscles or stressing a disc between vertebrae. Lower muscles stresses should heal in time with warm compresses and massages. Disc problems are another thing altogether.

Discs are located between every vertebrae down the back, starting from the back of the neck to the tail bone. They are soft in nature, allowing us to twist and bend in all directions. What gives them strength are the inner fibers that run criss-cross and are attached to the vertebrae.

Two problems can occur when damage is done. A disc can be ruptured (herniated) or bulging. A bulging disc is like flattening out a balloon. The disc would protrude on the sides and the bulge would touch the root nerve that goes from the spine down to the leg.  This is know as the sciatic nerve. Pain associated with it is called sciatica. It is very
painful and can usually be relieved a little from time to time by body movements at the waist. However, this relief is usually short term. One method that’s had great success is the inversion table.

An inversion table is a pivoting board made usually of metal and cloth. You step on a small platform and your ankles are held in place. You then pivot the board so you lie upside down, stretching the disc and relieving the pressure on the spinal root nerve. The pain goes away fast.  One usually stays on for about half an hour.  This is something that can be done every day for a week or two, stretching the disc back to it’s original shape, or at least enough to stop the pain. The results are not typical of it’s use, however, depending on the severity of the injury.

A herniated disc is a different story. The disc might have gone through a severe stress that fractures the disc, causing the gel in the middle of the disc to escape to the outside. Once outside the disc, it protrudes and hardens putting pressure on the root nerve. Sometimes, it may dissipate and the pain goes away. Most of the time, it hardens and
is there permanent, causing pain down the leg and side of the foot.

An inversion table has a low success ratio in this case. To alleviate the pain, a procedure called lumbar discectomy, usually performed by a neurosurgeon is done and the pain relief is almost immediate following recovery.

To be able to discern which  disc problem one might have is the usage of the MRI machine. They are by appointment only and usually recommended by a specialist.  They’re pretty accurate to tell if one has a herniated or a bulging disc. Since it’s an expensive method, it may take a few months to get an appointment. Physiotherapy can sometimes make things worse, so I recommend seeing your doctor and a neurosurgeon before going to a therapist.

Muscle spasms can usually be treated with compresses and massages. The inversion table helps here as well, stretching the muscles back into their proper alignment. If you’ve been diagnosed with a bulging disc or spasms, try an inversion table. You may like the results!