Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have had chronic back pain since 1983 and been unwilling to take a risk on back-surgery. Fortunately, a year into my issue I saw an inversion machine at Montgomery Ward. I mounted the machine right in the showroom and the immediate pain-relief prompted me to buy the floor model. This has kept me going for the past 25 years, until the machine finally wore out from time and infrequent use. Infrequent, because inversion therapy works so well that I could go many months (sometimes a year) without having to hang. When my old table began to get rusty and the main supporting pins a bit suspect, I began my search for a new machine. Sturdy construction was uppermost on my mind and this table has that to spare. Every part exudes strength and precision, which is important when you're hanging upside down and a breaking part could cause some serious, permanent damage. Assembly was easy and logical and took no more than 30 minutes, even at the slow pace I had to take due to back pains induced by some recent home-improvement projects. Typically, lifting heavy objects is what brings on back-attacks (as I call them). I was skeptical about the foot-clamp at first, but find it to be comfortable and extremely easy to use at a critical time. I always hated having to put on the boots from my previous machine, while in pain. The extra-long handle on the foot clamp is one of its best features. Bending over even slightly is difficult when in pain, but this machine makes that a breeze. What attracted me to this model was: 1. Strong construction to handle my weight (295 lbs). 2. Ease of physically moving the machine into position to use from its stored configuration. 3. Not having to bend over too much to get the foot-clamp on. This machine satisfies all expectations and then some. The back board is very comfortable, the foot-clamp is great and the machine transitions smoothly from upright to inverted position. In addition, there is no wobble when standing on the foot rest/foot clamp. The extra long side-handles give you complete control over how far you will invert and make it easy to return upright at any time. Even though the table is heavier than my old one, the large plastic feet make it easy to slide around to get it in position to use. 10 minutes of hanging and my back pain subsided to a tolerable level. If you haven't used an inversion machine, take it slow and follow the instructions provided with the machine. These, however, don't make mention of an important fact; after hanging for a few minutes, exit the machine and sit down in a chair that doesn't pinch the offending nerve(s). Better yet lie down in a position that allows the back to relax. You only need to do this for a few minutes, just to let your spinal column reposition itself after being stretched. The key to managing back pain is to understand that after you reach physical maturity your nerves don't grow any longer, but they are designed to stretch as your body moves around. When they get pinched you have to move them from the source of the pinching. This you can do by stretching your body so that the injured nerve-sheath is moved beyond the point of contact with the vertebra that causes your pain. Think of a rubber-band. It has a fixed length, but a variable diameter. Stretch the rubber (nerve) and it can contract away from the area that is pinching it. Allow it to heal a bit afterwards and you can manage your pain. A neuro-surgeon once told me this (I contemplated back-surgery once-upon-a-time): "I can expose a nerve to the air and run my scalpel down it's length and my patient feels nothing. Yet, if I bruise the nerve, or pinch it with forceps, I merely have to breath on the injured area to cause excruciating pain." With that in mind, plus a simple understanding of nerve construction and a means to move the injured nerve out of the way, I have been able to manage this condition for a long time. This machine is what gives me control of my life back. May it do so for you as well.