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Inverting his body into a semi-upside down position changed the life of Dave Hare, who had become used to wearing a girdle to support his spine as he walked.
For around 20 years, Dave suffered with degenerative discs. He was told that a spinal fusion operation was his only option, and he didn’t want that.
“I decided I just had to live with the pain,” Dave says.
On a visit to Singapore, he tried a Teeter table, which supports the body to hang, head down. This kind of supported traction helps with postural alignment and opens up the discs.
For a good half an hour afterwards, Dave was pain free. He continued with inversion therapy after buying a table himself and says, with regular use, after three months he was completely pain free. That was in 2007 and he still uses inversion therapy every day, as well as importing and selling the tables.
Along the way, the marine engineer, aged 63, has learned a lot about the workings of the human body.
“As an engineer I look at the body as a structural entity and if a structure is out of alignment it doesn’t last long because it places stress on all the joints and bearings. And the body is the same,” he says.
It is not necessary to be completely upside down – Dave says you start at 20 degrees and build up as you can. “Some people never go past 30 degrees of inversion but still get benefits,” he says.
Inversion therapy involves hanging upside down, which may not be safe for everyone.
Always seek advice from a health professional before trying a new form of therapy.
Dave Hare will be demonstrating the inversion table in Orewa and Silverdale on August 24 and 25. See What’s On for details.
