Bulging, Herniated, or "Slipped" Disc

Discs are the soft tissue pads between each pair of vertebrae in the spine. They are like a "jelly donut" with a soft middle called the nucleus and a tougher outer ring call the annulus. Bulging, herniated or slipped discs occur when the fibers in the tough outer ring begin to crack and weaken and the jelly-like material on the inside begins to extend to the outer area. When the pressure increases the jelly material is forced past the natural boundary, it then causes the disc to bulge, sometimes on a nerve - when this happens it causes pain and or numbness.

The natural unloading of gravity may stretch the spine, increasing the distance between each vertebrae. This helps reduce the pressure on the disc which can relieve the pressure on the nerve. This may create a vacuum or small suction which pulls the disc back into place. This may promote rehydration, and renourishment of the tissues, which stimulates the natural healing ability of the body.

Back Pain

In the US, lower back pain is one of the most common conditions and one of the leading causes of physician visits.

Relieving pressure on the spine can also relax stressed and fatigued muscles.

Neck Pain

While neck pain (in the cervical spine) is less common than lower back pain (the lumbar spine), millions of people experience neck pain and/or related arm pain at some point in their life.

The vast majority of episodes of neck pain can be addressed with non-surgical treatments.

The inversion provides a gentle gravitational unloading that may relieve muscle tightness and tension.

Pulled Back Muscles

The majority of episodes of acute lower back pain are caused by damage to the muscles and/or ligaments in the low back. Even though a muscle strain doesn't sound like a serious injury, the low back pain can be surprisingly severe and is the cause of many emergency room visits each year.

• A muscle strain happens when the muscle is over-stretched or torn, resulting in damage to the muscle fibers (a pulled muscle).
• A lumbar sprain happens when ligaments are stretched too far or torn. Ligaments are very tough, fibrous connecting tissues that connect the muscles to the bones and joints.

Inversion may help the tissue waste elimination process by stimulating lymph flow and blood circulation. This allows the body to repair and build new muscle tissue.

SI Joint (Sacro-iliac) Dysfunction

Dysfunction in the sacroiliac joint is thought to cause low back and/or leg pain. The pain can be similar to pain caused by a lumbar disc herniation. This condition is generally more common in young and middle age women.

The sacroiliac joint lies next to the spine and connects the sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine) with the pelvis (iliac crest).

Inversion's gentle unloading may create rehydration, and renourishment of the tissues, which stimulates the natural healing ability of the body.

Misalignment and Facet Joint Dysfunction

Facet joints are small, stabilizing joints located between and behind adjacent vertebrae. Because of their location and function, facet joints often become worn down or degenerated.

Misalignments of the spine are caused by poor posture, trauma, too much sitting, inadequate exercise and movement. Even sleeping on a bad mattress can cause these misalignments. One sided activities, like swinging a golf club, carrying around a laptop or child, or even wearing a wallet in the back pocket and sitting on it, can create misalignments as well.

Inversion helps promote good posture by applying a natural and safe decompression to the entire weight-bearing skeleton.

Sciatica

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that travels from the low back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg.

An important thing to understand is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem - of something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve - rather than a medical diagnosis or medical disorder in and of itself. This is an important distinction because it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve sciatic nerve pain.

Sciatica occurs most frequently in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Often a particular event or injury does not cause sciatica, but rather it tends to develop as a result of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine.

Most cases of sciatica are a result of the narrowing of the nerve root space between the vertebrae, resulting in increased pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Inversion allows for natural  decompression of the spine. This can potentionally relieve pressure on the nerve, which stimulates the natural healing ability of the body.

This can also create rehydration, and renourishment of the tissues, which stimulates the natural healing ability of the body.

Posture

Under the influence of gravity, your body is always trying to adapt. If it is unable to adapt because of misalignments, weakened core muscles, sedentary lifestyle, or sitting at a computer all day, the body often succumbs to gravity. Stoop and rounded shoulders, forward head position, and general slouch are the body's attempt to correct itself biomechanically.

The SomaTrac, through body inversion, unloads the spine and weight-bearing joints, inviting proper skeletal alignment.

Inflexibiliity

The soft tissues in the body that actually hold your joints together are called ligaments. Although very strong and flexible (like a piece of plastic) they are not very elastic.

Muscles, on the other hand are strong but they are also like a rubber band - flexible and elastic.

Strong ligaments and muscles are critical for proper joint health and to protect against degeneration and injury.

Circulation

Your cardiovascular system provides oxygen and nutrients for almost every cell in your body. Nutrient rich blood travels throughout the body via the arterial system and returns with waste material via the venous system.

The body must constantly work against gravity to retrieve the blood from your feet, legs, and lower body.

The heart must also work against gravity to pump blood up to your brain, which is the body's single biggest consumer of oxygen and nutrients. There are literally millions of tiny blood vessels in your brain that supplies the brain cells with nutrients and oxygen.

The lymphatic system, being without a pumping mechanism, also fights gravity. The lymph system relies on muscular activities and movement to accomplish the lymph return.

Gentle inversion allows your body to work with gravity to ease the circulation process, rather than against it. A few degrees of inversion where your head is lower than your feet, can improve both blood and lymph circulation.

Circulation from the feet and legs can be improved as well as circulation to the brain.