Hanging upside down is the best thing you can do for a herniated disc. I bought this machine to get some relief from the agonies I suffered for years when I had bony arthritic spurs growing into my spinal cord and I had to wait for farms to sell before I could have an operation to rid myself of them. I also slept each night in a hammock stretched across the living room. That helped a lot too.
A tip: If you need a back operation, see a neurosurgeon, not an orthopedic one. You will be up and running pretty much the next day!
Lately I have had a herniated disc. Core exercises have helped, but since my knee problems I have been limping and have put a lot more weight on one side of my body than the other (especially whilst building the new vermin proof fences on our steep hillsides – the sheep are also lambing) such that the disc had popped out and was giving me exquisite pain.
I had tried everything including the chiropractor when I remembered I still had the Inversion Table in the shed. Yesterday lunchtime we dragged it out and set it up in the living room. Instant relief. What bliss. I no longer feel quite such a twisted wreck of a man – no matter what others may think!
This is a great contraption. It cost me less than A$150 on eBay. It folds up out of the way against a wall when you are not using it. You need to hang there for a while until you feel things in your back popping back into place. 2-3 times a day brings immense relief.
It’s a great way to relax!
One of the two eye-bolts I attached to the roof posts to swing my hammock from.
My knee is also recovering. I may yet get to continue my adventures. For example I may manage to use my wilderness cache before the end of this winter. Time will tell. I also hope to get back to Fiordland early next year, perhaps to walk the Dusky Track again, perhaps this continuation of the South Coast Track (now complete with instructions).
PS: I have been thinking about how I would do this when hiking…I always carry a bit of rope (you never know when it will come in handy). If I locate a very large log under which I can pass the rope, I should be able to tie the two ends of the rope to my feet. Holding on tightly to the loop behind my back I should be able to lean backwards over the log until my weight is supported by the rope passing underneath the log…
Update one month out: I may need an operation on both knee and back to get them both good enough to have confidence in their soundness for wilderness trekking. ‘Time’s winged chariot’ and all that I’m afraid. I have booked the back in for the 12th September. The knee is still awfully clicky and awkward on the forward swing. Investigating arthroscopy.
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-kneed-you/
There is a better way: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cure-back-pain/
