• Frank's Lesson's Contest

    We want to see your skills! Post a video between now and November 1st showing what you've learned from Frank's lessons and 3 people will be selected to win a free shirt. Good luck everyone!

    Create a channel Learn more
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

Spinal decompression belts.

Ive got a teeter hang up. It works. Ive used a decompression machine that uses a table and belt. Operates like a torture machine from 1000 years ago but it also works. lol
 
I have never tried a decompression belt. Have and used an inversion table but I prefer one of the large exercise balls. Lay across the ball on my stomach with my hands reached out over my head just touching the ground. Just roll up on the ball to stretch out what part of the back that needs stretched out. Has been my go to when my back gets hurting. If you happen to have one give it a try
 
i had a chance to try one of those teeter hang-ups...all it did was make me feel like a jackass.

the only things thats really done anything for my constant back pain is regular lvl 4 sports massages.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snipe260
See if you can find a gym with a reverse hyper. They work wonders as far as decompressing the spine. Also belt squat machines do. Spud Inc makes some hang up straps that are pretty cheap and easy to store, but I've never found that hanging myself upside down helps my back at all.
 
Did anyone with back pain see a physical therapist who sets up a stretching and exercise routine based on the physiology of your body and what is causing the pain? Might be worth a look, I could show you a picture of my plan, but you are not me, my injuries are not your injuries, our weak, strong, tight, and loose spots may be the same or different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FredBart
I had a teeter hang-up. Feels great when it first inverts and the disc pop and decompress. I would even hold free weights to try and add to the stretch.
But not sure hanging upside down for any length of time is good for the heart and raises blood pressure because my face would be flushed afterwards.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: navynambu
Did anyone with back pain see a physical therapist who sets up a stretching and exercise routine based on the physiology of your body and what is causing the pain? Might be worth a look, I could show you a picture of my plan, but you are not me, my injuries are not your injuries, our weak, strong, tight, and loose spots may be the same or different.
Honestly, unless you have a major injury, most people benefit from the same stuff when it comes to your back. Strengthen your muscles, stretch your hamstrings, don't be a fat fuck. If you have a significant injury, that may change a bit, but human structure remains generally similar enough that everybody benefits from correct movement patterns and lack of excess body weight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: navynambu
For me, it was better to strengthen the back and try to increase the range of motion of the back, not hanging upside down.

It gets weak and tightens up when I get busy with city life and don't exercise enough and then I get in real trouble with the back.

Tex Patriot is right in my view, raising the blood pressure in your head can be dangerous in the long term, it can make you stroke, just one reason that you should not hold your breath when lifting, as it thins out the blood vessels in your brain and that not good over the years. I've known two world class power lifters who suffered stokes fairly young, and I always thought it was related...
This is exactly right, which is why the reverse hyper is the single best thing for long term back health. It is the only way I know of to strengthen the back simultaneous to gentle stretching, which seems to be even better than the two separately.
 
Honestly, unless you have a major injury, most people benefit from the same stuff when it comes to your back. Strengthen your muscles, stretch your hamstrings, don't be a fat fuck. If you have a significant injury, that may change a bit, but human structure remains generally similar enough that everybody benefits from correct movement patterns and lack of excess body weight.

I feel like I'm detecting a pattern here.

I can say for sure that gaining weight has definitely increased how quickly the burning, tingling and numbness set in.

The Happy Feet store says it's just your shoes though.😂😂
 
I feel like I'm detecting a pattern here.

I can say for sure that gaining weight has definitely increased how quickly the burning, tingling and numbness set in.

The Happy Feet store says it's just your shoes though.😂😂
I firmly believe that if you care about somebody who is overweight, you try to help. them stop being so. It can strain relationships, but it is my honest belief. I just think that nothing does more to diminish quality of life than obesity. I'm not talking being a little fluffy around the middle, but when you get an extra 50 pounds on you, there is just so much you can't do anymore, and so much more day to day pain. I do think being light hearted about it helps, though. But yeah, if somebody has a bad back or bad knees, first thing to look at is extra weight IMO.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snipe260
I have multiple things wrong from the s1 up to the L2. My thought was going through a period of, nothing but good for me and re hydration w using the decomp brace. Hoping to rehydrate the discs maybe, to releave things a bit.
Of course all the info on them is good, but you all know how that goes.
Just again hoping, that someone screams it was a miracle😃😃😃
 
My ex wife got an inversion, what, table? Not really a table. From her doctor. It's not the cheap one from TV, it's "real", with thick leather pads and chromed steel tubes (with a little bit of rust from storage). Cost hundreds IIRC, certainly more than it's worth if you ask me. She used it some and said it worked, forgot to take it in the divorce. My back is messed up too but it wasn't really for me, although I did do traction at VA after PT and it seemed to help temporarily and it has similar results. Maybe if I'd stuck with it the results would have lasted longer.

It's just taking up room along with a TENS unit I don't need --which did work during flareups until I got nerve damage and wound up having to crank it up to max to do anything. PM me if you can use either or both, I'd trade or sell real cheap. Both are "real" medical devices and not late night "made for TV" shit --at least insurance paid for them.

I know this stuff works depending on the person and condition, and I know how excruciating back pain is, how you're willing to literally try anything, so if this stuff can help anyone let me know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneshot86
I have multiple things wrong from the s1 up to the L2. My thought was going through a period of, nothing but good for me and re hydration w using the decomp brace. Hoping to rehydrate the discs maybe, to releave things a bit.
Of course all the info on them is good, but you all know how that goes.
Just again hoping, that someone screams it was a miracle😃😃😃
No miracles unfortunately, and the back takes a looong time to fully heal and it's super easy to re-injure it during this time. I dealt with it as a chief complaint for years until my feet got wrecked, same area, S's and L's and it's up to the chest now (bulging and prolapsed discs, nerve damage down my legs). Now it's mostly just a gripe. But at one point the pain was so bad I'd spend 2-3 months laying on the floor during an episode and during one it got SO bad I guess I went into shock from the pain --then the pain just went away, almost felt "high", and if it wasn't so welcome and let me rest for the first time in forever, it'd have been scary. I didn't know the brain and nerves could literally shut down from pain until then.

Traction did help and these tables and what not are similar to that. I don't see how a belt could apply the kind of force necessary to compete against what gravity is doing to your back though. Inversion maybe.

Those TENS units came about due to a surgery where they cut into the nerves and install devices to supply current to the nerves to interrupt the pain. The unit was originally designed to pinpoint the spot prior to surgery but patients found out the ability to remove it and move it around better than surgery. For some it works really well, I guess it all depends on the person and problem.

I'll give you another one that worked for me: "the bird dog". It's just a simple exercise, you get on all fours, tighten your core (it takes practice and learning to do that and practicing it helps too) and extend one leg straight out, slowly, holding for a second and slowly bringing down. Do it ten times for each leg. Don't overdo it. You can hold it for a while and do more as it gets better, but this is/was my "rescue" exercise for sciatica flareups and was really the only one that helped.

Heat can make it worse but ice packs help. Anything to reduce swelling. Naproxen helped with pain and swelling but some prefer Motrin --at any rate, if you've got back issues you wanna talk to the doc about finding the best NSAID that works for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneshot86
I have multiple things wrong from the s1 up to the L2. My thought was going through a period of, nothing but good for me and re hydration w using the decomp brace. Hoping to rehydrate the discs maybe, to releave things a bit.
Of course all the info on them is good, but you all know how that goes.
Just again hoping, that someone screams it was a miracle😃😃😃
Add high Magnesium and low potassium supplements daily as they will both help to relax the muscles.
 
My ex wife got an inversion, what, table? Not really a table. From her doctor. It's not the cheap one from TV, it's "real", with thick leather pads and chromed steel tubes (with a little bit of rust from storage). Cost hundreds IIRC, certainly more than it's worth if you ask me. She used it some and said it worked, forgot to take it in the divorce. My back is messed up too but it wasn't really for me, although I did do traction at VA after PT and it seemed to help temporarily and it has similar results. Maybe if I'd stuck with it the results would have lasted longer.

It's just taking up room along with a TENS unit I don't need --which did work during flareups until I got nerve damage and wound up having to crank it up to max to do anything. PM me if you can use either or both, I'd trade or sell real cheap. Both are "real" medical devices and not late night "made for TV" shit --at least insurance paid for them.

I know this stuff works depending on the person and condition, and I know how excruciating back pain is, how you're willing to literally try anything, so if this stuff can help anyone let me know.
Thanks man.
The VA gave me a TENS and I'll be getting a inversion table soon. Just trying to think outside the box, w the decompression brace.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alphatreedog
Thanks man.
The VA gave me a TENS and I'll be getting a inversion table soon. Just trying to think outside the box, w the decompression brace.
Find a place to test the inversion table before you buy one. For me, the inversion table caused allot of pain and discomfort.
 
Find a place to test the inversion table before you buy one. For me, the inversion table caused allot of pain and discomfort.
Right off the bat, or did you use it for a while. I ask because a friend has one and I tried it.
It didn't make me hurt worse and I could feel the stretch from the gravity, but I didn't use it as therapy.
My thought was, I spend time behind a counter like a clerk, kinda, and I was wondering while there and wearing the belt, could I benefit from it.
I thank you all for your time answering my thread
 
I got my 1st , L5 S1 pushing a Patrol Car in a fitness evalution .
Got 4 more playin crash dummy for assholes that don't know how to drive . Never went under the knife and learned a few things over the years .
Inversion tables initially cause more pain at first due to shit moving around . I had one for 20 years and it worked .
Stay in O Fuckin Lympic shape .It really helps .
Take a nap or at least lay down for 10 or 15 minutes at lunch . You get a partial decompression lying down .
Wear good shoes . The impact affects your back . If your still working , use an insole and swap shoes/boots at lunch .Insoles get compressed during the day .
And the most important thing for any ailment or problem is go to the range . Nothing and I mean not a fuckin thing matters in the whole effin world when I'm at the range .
It is my Euphoric , Zero Fucks given Happy Place .
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneshot86
A guy I work with is 60, compressed a few disks dead lifting 500lb wire spools into the truck in his 40's. I've witnessed him crawling across the floor because he couldn't stand.

He swears by it. 15 minutes every morning and night, and he can function normally.

In the last 2 years he's stopped drinking and lost some gravity, which has helped even more. The 2 of us were shoveling a trench for 10 hours today and he was still walking and not bitching or needing help crawling into the truck.
 
This is exactly right, which is why the reverse hyper is the single best thing for long term back health. It is the only way I know of to strengthen the back simultaneous to gentle stretching, which seems to be even better than the two separately.
I agree the best thing that has worked for me is a back hyper extension thing.
The yoga blocks are good too to stretch out but yoga seems too gay for me unless there are some hotties near me to stare at.
Here's a real cheap exercise type machine that works well for me to strengthen and stretch out my back.
You bend over on it and then pull your back up and hyper-extend going backwards.
You can hold a plate of different weights on your stomach and then go forward and back.
If you can do 3 sets of 25, with a 25 lb plate held to your chest, your back problems will really be improved.
This is just a rando pic I pulled off the internet of what I'm talking about. They are about $150-200 to your door.

1618414511627.png
 

That is similar to the contraption I mean, but the one I linked above was designed for decompressing the spine after injury, along with strengthening the lower back. The biggest difference is that with this one you legs move under you, under load, stretching the hamstrings and decompressing, and you can increase load on it as your strength increases. Both ways work for sure.