When dealing with back pain, swinging around like a circus performer is probably the last thing on your mind. However, you may be surprised to learn that a yoga trapeze can offer your back immense relief with fewer side effects than conventional treatments.
If you spend as much time around yogis as we do, or are familiar with aerial yoga, you’ve probably seen this contraption. However, if not, imagine a rope swing that hangs from the ceiling; something an acrobat would feel right at home on.
The Back Pain Epidemic
Sitting, although a seemingly harmless practice, is becoming a worldwide epidemic. As we spend time sitting, our spines compress, and too much compression can lead to pain and other complications for our backs. For those reasons, it’s no surprise that 80% of the population has experienced some form of backache during their life. Thankfully, this compression can be reversed with aerial yoga.
Decompressing with the Yoga Trapeze
As pictured above, the yoga trapeze makes it a lot easier to undergo inversion therapy without the need to overcome a fear of headstands. Inversion therapy involves putting your body upside down or at an inverted angle. This practice creates spinal traction, allowing your back to decompress and relieve nerve stress and pain caused by ailments such as herniated discs or pinched nerves.
In fact, practicing inversions is so beneficial that it’s been shown to eliminate the need for surgery in patients suffering from bad backs or sciatica. One study found that 77% of patients with these ailments who practiced yoga and inversion therapy did not have to undergo surgery. This was compared to only 22% of patients who avoided surgery by undergoing conventional physiotherapy alone. In addition to these, working with a yoga trapeze has many additional health benefits.
Improving Flexibility
Practicing aerial yoga is also an excellent way to increase your flexibility. Stretching extends soft tissues and muscles, improves your range of motion, and cuts down on stiffness. Furthermore, as you practice forward bends, you increase the distance between your vertebrae, creating spinal decompression and easing pain.