Kevin Macpherson, MEd, ATC feature Inversion Therapy Gravity-facilitated traction for back pain You may be asking yourself; what can I do to fi ght the negative effects of gravity? HISTORY OF INVERSION F This same question was asked nearly 2,500 years ago when, in 400 BC, Hippocrates used a complicated system of ladders and pulleys in order to remove weight from his patients’ spine in an attempt to reduce the effects of gravity. In the 1960s Dr. Robert Martin, a California-based chiropractor, osteopath and medical doctor, developed the “Gravity Guidance System.” His ideas, and use of inversion therapy, stemmed from 15 years of research on common activities such as standing, sitting and lying down, as well as more uncommon actions such as extended, brachiated and inverted postures. He took inversion therapy into the mainstream and challenged physicians and therapists to look at these uncommon postures as ways to counter the adverse effects of gravity. By 1980, inversion had begun gaining popularity as a therapy. As inversion grew in popularity, Drs. Klatz and Goldman1 in 1983 published a study that all but eliminated inversion as a way to combat the negative effects of gravity. Their study concluded that there was “concern” with the use of full static inversion in indi- viduals with a history of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. They recom- mended that general caution be observed among the elderly, who are at an increased risk for a cardiovascular accident. The media misinterpreted these fi ndings, stating that inversion causes strokes, which all but destroyed inversion’s chances for existing as a therapy. In 1985 Dr. Goldman2 published a second study to help clarify what had been Kevin Macpherson provides this overview of Inversion Therapy for DCs. The article includes a sum- mary of the development of inver- sion – or gravity-facilitated traction – as a therapy for back pain, the evidence that currently supports this modality and a description of ben- efits offered to patients. For more information on inversion therapy, please visit www.teeter-inversion. com. Teeter inversion products are currently being distributed,in Cana- da,exclusively by Delta Chiropractic Supply.(www.deltachirosupply.com) 22 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | MAY 2009 previously stated. Dr. Goldman’s second study led to the conclusion that the risk of stroke in previous studies appeared to be greatly exaggerated and that there have been no reports of stroke, cardiovascular accident (CVA) or serious injury with inversion. Furthermore, Goldman stated that there is more risk of CVA in standing posture and while weightlifting. With the “scare” lifted, an increasing number of health-care providers began to use inversion as a form of treatment for a multitude of spinal health issues. THE EVIDENCE FOR INVERSION THERAPY As the popularity of inversion has grown, so, also, has the body of research to help vali- date the use of inversion as a clinical treatment. Some of the main areas of interest for researchers have been the reduction of back pain, decrease in lost work time and avoid- ance of surgery. The following is a summary of the more prominent studies in this area – references can be found at the end of this article, if the reader is interested in pursuing more detailed information. The Nachemson study3 measured internal disc pressure – in the third lumbar space – through a range of activities, including standing, sitting, bending, along with vertical and supine traction. The study demonstrated that, when lying down, there is a residual pressure inside the discs equal to 25 per cent of standing pressure. In a separate test, this study indicated that traction equal to 60 per cent of body weight was required to reduce www.canadianchiropractor.ca rom the moment we are born, and throughout our lifetime, we fi ght a constant battle against a downward compressive force of nature – the force known as gravity. It is a force that we can’t live without, but a force that we can do something about.
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor May 2009: Page 22
