Hanging upside down

January 25, Upside Down or Right Side Up? Where does the sea end and the sky begin? Although humans may not have been inverting as long as spider monkeys and bats, who spend hours hanging upside down in trees, archaeologists have found evidence that some humans were inverting as early as the Stone Age!

That separation supposedly reduces pressure on the nerves running between and around these vertebrae. Beyond these apparatuses, yoga is also a big proponent of inversion. Assuming postures that elevate your legs above your head and lower body are said to be restorative—to help stretch the back and spine, and to increase blood flow to the brain. These are all intuitive and appealing pitches. Maurits van Tulder, a professor of health sciences at VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, has studied the effectiveness of traction treatments for back pain. Traction is the application of a force that pulls two bones apart from each other, creating greater joint space. What van Tulder describes sounds a lot like those TV commercials.

Reversing gravity has a funny way of making people smile. It feels funny. Blood rushes to your head and your whole world flips upside down.

Sarka-Jonae Miller has been a freelance writer and editor since Her career in the fitness industry begin in as a martial arts, yoga and group exercise instructor. She graduated cum laude from Syracuse University. Many people are drawn to the idea of hanging upside down to relieve back pain or improve posture, which it can. Always, however, ease into hanging upside down.