Good posture is that body position which best resists gravity. If you hang a plumb line from your earlobe to your ankles, it should align with all of your primary support points: the cervical spine, lumbar spine, hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint. If your weight is supported by a correct alignment of bones, then the body can best resist gravity. If out of alignment for any reason (slouch sitting, hunched shoulders or one-sided activities like golf), the force of weight is transferred from the bones to the soft tissue, which is not equipped to maintain proper body shape over time.

Not only can misalignments cause you pain and impact flexibility and mobility, but they can also result in marked visual changes to your posture - and those effects can be degenerative and cumulative over time. If you want to test this as home, take an empty aluminum can and place pressure on the top. The can will be able to maintain its shape even with great force applied because the sides are in alignment. However, add a small dent to the side of the can (effectively putting it out of alignment) and see what happens. The can will crumble under half the amount of pressure.

The spine is encased in a protective layer of ligaments and muscles that hold it in compression like a lot of rubber bands. When a vertebra is out of alignment, these ligaments and muscles actually hold the misalignment in place - even while lying down (25% of the standing body weight load remains on the disc while lying down). Inversion to 60° reduces the pressure in the disc to at or near zero, as shown in the Nachemson study. With the spine fully decompressed and with some gentle stretching and mobilization, the vertebra is given the opportunity to move back into alignment.

Inverted decompression reverses the body's position with respect to gravity. Joints that were compressed by gravity in the upright position are now being decompressed, opening up and intaking additional oxygen and nutrients. With gentle inverted stretching and mobilization, the joints are encouraged to naturally realign. The combined benefits of proper alignment with reduced stress muscle tension result in overall better posture.

In the article "Children of Clay,"² Dr. Ed Thomas discusses Dr. Robert Martin's theory on human postures: "Martin suggested that there are six basic human postural categories. Three of them are common. Most people spend their lives, twenty-four hours a day, in them. The other three postures are uncommon. The common postures produce compression and shortening of stature while the uncommon postures are compensatory. They mitigate the wear and tear caused by constantly assuming the dominant common postures.
The three uncommon postures include extension, brachiation (hanging by the hands) and inversion."

¹Nachemson, A and Elfstrom, G: Intravital Dynamic Pressure Measurements in Lumbar Discs. Scandinavian Journal of Rehab Medicine, supplement, 1970.
²Thomas, E. Children of Clay.

Results may not be typical and vary by user.
Please check with your physician prior to inverting.
Click Here for contraindications

• With the F5000III I noticed a remarkable improvement in my posture and my walk.
  
  
  • Before using the inversion table I had muscle spasms and back problems.
    
    —Christopher Peterson
    
    
• Hanging a few minutes everyday made my back stronger and eventually all the pain disappeared! My back became stronger than it had ever been...
  
  
  • I began exercising, including walking and jogging, with no back strains resulting. Today I am 55 years old, my posture is good, and I am healed. The daily inversion stimulated postural and circulatory changes in my body. Better posture was practiced, (standing straighter with thighs tightened and shoulders back). This caused my abdomen to flatten out- no sit-ups or crunches. Other physical changes occurred: My complexion improved and wrinkles and fleshy parts of my face and neck diminished!
    When inversion is coupled with posture and toning exercises, internal organs assume their proper position. For example, from left to right, the spleen, stomach, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder are supposed to rest just under the diaphragm and "move" with every breath. When organs are not in their best physiological position, these membranes are compromised, effecting nerve and blood flow.
    
    —Dr. Nathaniel Wirt, D.C.
• I would like to thank you for both producing and providing such an excellent product. My daily routine is to sit in front of a computer where posture can easily be forgotten, run for an hour at lunch, and in addition lift a round of weights for half that time.
  
  
  • I do not have back problems, but wanted some type of stretching exercise. After completing research on the internet, I chose your product. With quick assembly, and a review of the enclosed instructional video, I was able to use the table almost immediately. Please note, I have never even seen an inversion table before delivery. Therefore sight unseen, I found myself overwhelmingly joyed with both the quality and ease of use. My first exercise surprise was to feel my back relax and literally hear the decompression of my spine. I followed very closely the few exercise examples on the video, and the table delivered as advertised (perhaps better) than the tape proclaimed. Born in August of 51, I'm still in pretty good shape (not too old yet), and my personal opinion is the table is wonderful for all at any age.
    
    —J. Plauche, Dallas, TX
• I've had minor back pain for about 20 years. I've managed to overcome it for the most part by standing and walking with a slight forward bend to my back. Well, about 2 months ago everything caught up with me to the point that I couldn't stand up at all or lay even close to flat without terrible back pain.
  
  
  • I went to a local osteopath who suggested I buy one of your inversion tables to see if it might help. Well, it did. Tomorrow I start my 5th week of inversion therapy. I have not taken any Motrin or pain medication for the last three and a half weeks, have been able to lay flat in bed and stand up straight with minimal pain for the last 2 weeks, for the first time in more than 20 years! And each day my back gets a little better! I'm 60 years old and other than the back problem, in excellent health. I use the inversion table 3 times a day for about 10 minutes each time, doing light stretching and twisting to relax my back muscles. The results have been unbelievable!
    
    Thanks again.
    
    —D. Wolff, Manchester, MI
• The first time I used the F5000 Inversion Table I could feel the relief from pain in my lower back and hips. I continue to use it daily in hopes that standing upright will no longer be a discomfort for me.
  
  
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    —Carole, Age 63
• I received the F5000 Inversion table yesterday and immediately assembled it. I purchased the F5000 because I have had continued back pain due to compressed discs in my lower back in the L1/L2 areas...
  
  
  • After I ran 4 miles this morning and cooled down, I inverted myself at 75 degrees for 30 seconds, then resting at 180 degrees, alternating for 20 minutes. As soon as I removed myself from the F5000, I immediately could feel instant relief from the normal pain and discomfort I experience after exercising! My lower back muscles were more relaxed, and I had more mobility and flexibility then I have had in some time after only one 20 minute session on the F5000 Inversion Table! I will include this inversion therapy daily for obvious reasons - the F5000 really works! It made a believer out of me after just one session! Thanks so much!
    
    —D. Bigelow, Waldorf, MD