Mastercare's Professional Model Gravity Inversion Table(Models A1, A3, AH6) vs. Competitors Full Inversion "sling type" Units

Mastercare's full-featured professional models, offering therapeutic gravity based traction in both prone (face down) and supine (face up) positions. Very unique 'optional' support leg during prone therapy facilitates hands on therapist intervention for therapeutic massage or spinal manipulation during traction.

One major benefit of the Mastercare brand is the fact that the traction is amplified with the torso being on a sliding support that smoothly glides away from the tethered ankles, applying an amplified traction force without complete inversion. This greatly enhances the safety factor for all users, but especially for those that are weak, elderly, at risk for stroke/aneurysm, or are recovering from injury.

All Mastercare Back-A-Traction units offer the patented sliding backrest feature, unique to their brand. This amplifies both safety and therapeutic effectiveness by magnifying the traction force applied, without having to put the user in full inversion. At 15 deg. inversion traction force applied is 26% of users body weight. At 30 degrees traction force applied is greater than 50% of users body weight. This feature is especially important for those users with high blood pressure, those taking blood thinners, or folks at risk for cardio-vascular events.

MASTERCARE: PATENTED SLIDING BACKREST & OTHER UNIQUE FEATURES

The sliding backrest motion invented by Mastercare is unique to their Back-A-Traction gravity inversion units. This feature exerts a force that greatly magnifies the degree of traction force applied to the lumbar spine. In practice, as the unit inverts beyond horizontal, gravity causes the sliding, spine-supporting-surface (actually the tabletop) to move the torso away from the pelvis, while the legs and pelvis are held comfortably in place because of the locked-in feet and ankles.

A greater degree of useful therapy (traction force) is applied without the likelihood of adverse side effects possible with full vertical inversion utilized with sling-type inversion brands. As one of the participating clinicians for testing of gravity inversion systems almost 40 years ago, Dr. Brad Lustick (Back Be Nimble's medical editor and founder), has the clinical research experience to understand and endorse Mastercare's 'Sliding Backrest' as a safer and more effective alternative when utilizing gravity-based inversion traction therapy.

Dr. Lustick explains: "after many years of touting the use of inversion therapy as a beneficial adjunct to spinal manipulation and rehabilitative therapy, I had the opportunity to infer from my clinical observations, that the use of "sling type" full inversion units and/or use of 'gravity inversion boots' often resulted in repetitive stress injuries and ligamentous laxity related to the hips, knees and ankles". Additionally, full inversion certainly presents more of a risk for those patients known to have glaucoma, hypertension, a family or personal history of stroke, or a propensity for having cardio-vascular events.

Dr. Lustick noted a secondary finding to be a less than desirable result noticed when patients used inversion units or gravity boots that position the body with the legs straight vs. a bent knee position. One unique feature of Mastercare inversion is the 'optional and adjustable knee bending attachment (K3)'. This option helps eliminate the undesirable pull of the hip flexor muscles on the lumbar spine during traction. Most knowledgeable physicians prefer to prescribe gravity inversion using the positioning and methods only offered by Mastercare Back-A-Traction tables.

Prone Inversion (face down) is not only more comfortable for many acute patients, but also perfect for combining well known McKenzie extension exercises under the protection of nerve-decompressing traction. With optional 'therapeutic support leg', prone positioning makes manual manipulation or massage possible simultaneously. Slight inversion(15 deg.) while prone and utilizing the support leg, facilitates the ease of manipulation due to the spine being under mild traction in that position. This feature alone differentiates the Mastercare A1, A3 and AH6 models from any other inversion unit in the industry.

Degenerative Disc Prevention and Treatment requires regularly hydrating and providing nutrition to the cartilage cells of the spinal discs. After the average age of about 25 yrs. the blood vessel feeding the discs deteriorates, making those cartilage cells totally dependent on recurrent expansion and contraction of the disc material. Intermittent gravity inversion traction, offers the pumping effect necessary for those proven benefits of osmotic re-hydration and nutrient delivery for recovery of weakened or worn lumbar discs. Mastercare's sliding table supporting the torso in a 15-30 degree inverted position allows for pumping the discs, by using ones' hands to increase and decrease the amount of traction applied. Again, no other inversion unit in the industry allows for this in a safe manner.

Mastercare inversion offers Practical, Scientifically Sound Therapy For: 1) nuclear disc protrusions, 2) chronic posterior facet/joint dysfunctions of the lumbar spine, 3) purely mechanical nerve compression syndromes, 4) lumbo/gluteal/leg pain from sciatic nerve root irritation, 5) reduction of anterolisthesis/spondylolisthesis

HERE ARE SOME HEALTH BENEFITS OF GRAVITY INVERSION THERAPY WITH MASTERCARE:

1) Inversion reduces Dysfunction, Hypo-mobility and/or Degeneration for hip, knee, and ankle joints.

2) Facilitates Prone or Supine Exercises During Traction as a safer way to stabilize the core and reduce muscle spasm during acute or chronic phases. This is because the traction applied with inversion reduces nerve irritation and spasm while the exercises are being performed. The exercises are easier for most folks to accomplish when only inverted 15 - 30 degrees, as facilitated by Mastercare units. This is much harder to accomplish on comparative units by other manufacturers.

3) Relieves General Stress and Tension even for upper spine, neck and shoulders.

4) Uses Gravity To Improve Circulation enhancing blood flow from calves to the heart.

5) Models A1, A3 and AH6 allow for McKenzie type extension exercises while the user is in the prone position on the table. The fact that this is done while traction is being applied from inversion, opens up the space for nerve roots exiting the spine allowing further degrees of extension without pain. Again, no other manufacturers' product allows for this.

Options Available for an Up-charge:

1) SL1 - Therapist Support Leg - fortifies integrity of platform during therapist assisted manipulation or massage.

2) K3 - Adjustable Knee Bending Support - relaxes hip flexors & reduced stress on lumbar spine.

NOTES/PRECAUTIONS FOR KNEE BENDING SUPPORT(K3): Although the bending of the knees during traction afforded by this option is often beneficial for the lower back during supine (face-up) inversion, it should be used with caution with those folks known to have varicose veins, personal or family history of phlebitis, venous insufficiency, thrombophlebitis, or known tendency for stroke. Please consult your physician about the use of this device which may exert considerable force in the popliteal fossa behind the knee.