Back pain is an elusive beast… it can strike at any moment and can often leave us feeling debilitated for weeks, months, or even years if nothing is done about it. In fact, back pain is so widespread it’s now considered one of the most common issues around the globe. What’s truly interesting is that, while so many people suffer from back pain in one form or another, no pain is similar – how about that?

One of the most common questions I get from our clients with chronic lower back pain, as well as those experiencing sciatica, is whether or not using an inversion table will help ease their pain.

The answer to that question depends largely on one key factor: the Root Cause of their back pain (and/or their sciatic nerve pain).

For example, clients with degenerative types of back pain, such as degenerative disc disease (DDD), degenerative joint disease (DJD) and stenosis tend to do really well with using an inversion table.

That’s because the underlying cause of the pain has to do with too much compression of the spine.

And, when you decompress the spine by using an inversion table, the lower back pain often improves.

Other types of back pain (and nerve root compression) may not respond as positively to inversion.

So how do you know if you should try an inversion table for your back pain (and/or for your sciatic nerve pain)?