Words Sherrin Griffin, Sidney Seniorcare
Last week, my husband came home with a scary-looking contraption that seemed best suited for a torture chamber. I found out that it was an inversion machine that he had borrowed from a buddy, determined to find some relief from a hip “situation.” After a brief conversation, oblivious as always, lol, to the full “story,” he carried it off to our rec room to investigate.
We are well aware of the obvious signs of aging – grey hair, wrinkles, muscle and joint pain; but how often, if ever, do we think about how our planet’s gravitational force affects our bodies or the cumulative “damage” that it causes over a lifetime?
The pretty amazing fact is that after the age of only 20, we lose an average of a half inch in height every 20 years. Gravity exerts a constant downward pull on our faces, necks, shoulders, backs, chests, organs, legs and feet. Varicose veins, swollen feet, an aching back – these are all signs of gravity taking its toll. Perhaps the most noticeable effect of gravity is on our spine – its daily pressure compresses the spine, causing the discs to lose moisture throughout the day resulting in a height loss between half an inch and three quarters of an inch daily! When we lie down to sleep, the compressive force of gravity is removed, allowing the discs to rehydrate and expand back to their original size. We are, therefore, tallest in the morning. Without gravity, astronauts can grow up to two inches taller in space. Over the decades, constant spinal compression leads to a gradual reduction in disc height, causing the discs to become less effective at distributing pressure, leading to osteoarthritis, bone spurs and potential nerve issues as the spine attempts to stabilize itself.
Flexibility is impaired and organs begin to prolapse, falling from their original position and causing them to function less efficiently leading to bladder, kidney, digestive and circulation issues affecting blood flow. Also common is an increase in waist size, without actually gaining weight. Those “love handles” that seem to magically appear as we get older are actually “compression wrinkles” resulting from the direct compression of our spines.
Many health issues that we face as seniors can be traced back to this force as old as time itself. We cannot escape gravity, but we can try to compensate for it with daily, consistent activity and exercise, by sleeping horizontally (allowing the spine to recover and decompress), and with regular chiropractic treatments to help keep the spine aligned in order to enhance mobility, reduce nervous system blockages and improve overall physical functionality.
Another good strategy: my husband’s unwittingly brilliant trial of inversion therapy, where the body is held upside down or at an inverted angle with the lower part of the body higher than the upper part. This form of spinal decompression uses gravity for the good by elongating the spine, maintaining proper organ position, improving circulation and increasing flexibility.
Short, daily sessions – one to five minutes – can relieve back/neck pain and muscle spasms, reduce nerve pressure including sciatica, and stretch muscles. It can also be effective for treating kidney stones.
Inversion does, however, raise blood pressure and slows heart rate, and should be avoided if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, eye disease (glaucoma), or vertigo.
I eventually did climb aboard the borrowed inversion machine, curious to see what all the hype was about, strapped myself in and tilted backward. It definitely took some getting used to, but afterwards I felt lighter on my feet, and almost buoyant. And, while escaping gravity entirely seems highly unlikely, while we live on this planet anyway, I, for one, am quite happy to be tethered to our beautiful, bountiful planet Earth, compression wrinkles and all.
