Probably a stupid question, but,,,,

[Arthur Spooner]

I bought an inversion table, ( you know, those devices that let you hang upside down). I figured it might help with pinched nerves in my back joints.

Anyway, when I go upside down, the blood rushes to my head. I was wondering if this is something I should not be doing. I am still pretty ignorant on the medical realities of MS, but have heard of the Blood Brain Barrier. Could hanging upside down be putting pressure on the BBB?

[gomer]

Of course it WAS a very stupid question, UNTIL you asked it.....at least that's my opinion of what a question is, any Q.

I plugged in inversion table + multiple sclerosis into google.
There are discussions on the web about them, took a very quick peek and you might want to check inclined therapy.

I highly suggest you check with your doctors, not just MS docs, there could be some hazards with either. In any case, I would take it very slow and careful, good luck, maybe someone else on here can be more helpful.


Gomer Sir Falls-a-lot

[Arthur Spooner]

Thanks Gomer,

I have spoken to a back surgeon and my pt and they both agree it might do my back some good. They also told me not to count on it, but it was worth a try.

I will have to do some online research like you suggested to see if it is something that people with MS need to avoid. I don't see my MS specialist for 5 weeks and am clutching at straws for back relief.

So far only the kids have used it. It is now their favorite toy!

[Thinkimjob]

I think you're doing well to dangle upside down. Me, I'd throw up. The blood gets to your head one way or the other, anyway.

Then again, there's that "rush of blood to the head" saying, and there must be a reason for it.

[MarkLavelle]

I have spoken to a back surgeon and my pt ...

Have you been to any other kind of back doc than a surgeon?

My wife & I both see a great back doc who is a physiatrist. They have extra training in how the skeleton, muscles & nerves all work together (or not ), and tend to look at surgery as a last resort. FWIW, he's also the one who sent me to a neuro (my 1st attack coincided with spine trouble).

By the way: What sx are you hoping to alleviate by traction? My doc specifically advised against it for my herniated disc.

[Arthur Spooner]

I was seeing a rheumatologist that specializes in back issues. The surgeons I have seen are orthopedic surgeons, and neurosurgeons. I have had three bulging discs for 20 years, and I have never been totally comfortable that I am getting the right treatment.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Physiatrists exist in Australia. Unless, of course, they go by another name. It seems to me that a Physiatrist is what I probably need.

Surgery is a last option for me as well, although after twenty years of not being able to sit in a chair ( I can sit in a car seat) I feel I am close to having enough. Not sitting has meant avoiding socialising. I am sure it contributed to my marriage failing.

I think I get pinched nerves, and often feel like my back muscles are refusing to relax enough for me to stand erect. I have had cortisone injections and take anti inflamitories but they only help a little.

As far as my back is concerned, I don't think I have too much to lose with an inversion table. I guess i am hoping the inversion table will work and have the effect of traction. Traction is supposed to be great for pinched nerves, but needs to be very regular. Surgeons i have spoken to think that surgery would be too risky. I am tired of just functioning. There may come a time when MS dominates my activities. I just want some time before that happens to live up to some of my potential. God, I would kill to just go out with friends and play golf, or simpler things like spending a few hours in a restaurant.

I don't want to do anything that adversely effects MS. Although you don't have to go completely upside down with this machine, the blood will go towards the head. Is this something that people with MS need to stay away from?

[Arthur Spooner]

Thanks Misunderstood,

Yes you can control just how much inversion you do. The idea is supposedly that you start with only a small incline and build up over a few sessions. Also, you build up how long you spend doing it.

Apart from affecting your sinus, did it do you any good, and if so, how?

[MarkLavelle]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Physiatrists exist in Australia. Unless, of course, they go by another name. It seems to me that a Physiatrist is what I probably need.

Not Melbourne, but there are physiatrists in Oz: http://www.aapmr.org/patients/findph...s/default.aspx (just set the country to Australia & leave the rest blank)

As far as my back is concerned, I don't think I have too much to lose with an inversion table. I guess i am hoping the inversion table will work and have the effect of traction.

The traction part was what caught my attention. In my case the nerves were getting pinched when standing, so maybe that's why the doc advised against traction (too similar to standing?)...

[Arthur Spooner]

That's great info Mark. None are in my State, but I will call some on Tuesday (Monday is a public holiday) to see if they know of any in Victoria. Funny though, I cannot find any web site that features Australian doctors that refer to themselves as Physiatrists.

In regards to your comments on traction. I thought if you get pinched nerves when standing it could mean nerves are feeling crushed between the joints and discs. To my crazy way of thinking, traction, or inversion, would help to decompress the whole area, allowing the nerves a chance to un pinch. I thought traction would be the opposite to standing.

[Arthur Spooner]

Thanks Misunderstood,

Jerry Stiller is amazing. To have such a wicked sense of humour in his eighties is something i would love to emulate. I guess Betty White would be my equivalent role model if I was a female.

[MarkLavelle]

That's great info Mark. None are in my State, but I will call some on Tuesday (Monday is a public holiday) to see if they know of any in Victoria. Funny though, I cannot find any web site that features Australian doctors that refer to themselves as Physiatrists.

In regards to your comments on traction. I thought if you get pinched nerves when standing it could mean nerves are feeling crushed between the joints and discs. To my crazy way of thinking, traction, or inversion, would help to decompress the whole area, allowing the nerves a chance to un pinch. I thought traction would be the opposite to standing.

I think "Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation" is the alternate name for physiatry, so you might try that for searching...

Re: traction -- My nerves were impinged when I was upright (= straight), with the herniated disc (and eventually a cyst, too) blocking the nerve channel (but only when I was in a straight position). When I was sitting everything was OK, so it was the straightening of traction that wasn't good.

Best of luck,
Mark