Inversion Tables for Sciatica: What the Guidelines Say

Most pages about using an inversion table for sciatica say either that it works wonders or that it is dangerous. We are not doctors, and we did not test these tables on people: what we can give you is an exact reading of the record, so you walk away knowing what is known and what isn’t.

What Sciatica Is, and Why Inversion Is Supposed to Help

It is worth being exact about the problem before judging the tool.

Sciatica Is Nerve Pain, Not a Diagnosis on Its Own

Sciatica is pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve, from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg, sometimes with tingling, numbness or weakness. It is a symptom of something pressing on or irritating a nerve root in the lower spine. A herniated lumbar disc is one of the best-known causes, and clinicians call the resulting nerve symptoms radiculopathy.

In other words, sciatica is a pinched nerve in one specific place. If your nerve pain is in the neck or arm instead, our page on inversion tables for pinched nerves covers those other locations.

That matters for everything below. The guidelines speak of “low back pain with or without sciatica” or of “lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy,” and the two studies that found a benefit both enrolled people with a lumbar disc problem. If your sciatica comes from something else, such as a narrowed spinal canal, those studies say less about you.

The Traction Idea

Inversion tables are a form of spinal traction. A 2023 paper in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation describes inversion table therapy as traction “which is thought to have a role in relieving low back pain due to the gravity-facilitated traction of the spine which distracts the lumbar vertebrae” (Kassay, 2023). Put simply, when you tip back and hang from your ankles, the weight of your upper body pulls the lower vertebrae slightly apart. The hope for sciatica is that this separation takes some pressure off a disc and the nerve root beside it.

Proposed, Not Proven

Note the words “is thought to.” The authors describe a proposed mechanism, and their paper is a regulatory and opinion piece, not a trial (Kassay, 2023).

The theory is plausible. It doesn’t tell you how long any separation lasts once you are upright, whether it reaches the level where your nerve is compressed, or whether it changes pain more than time would. For that, you need the guidelines and the trials.

What the Clinical Guidelines Say About Inversion Tables for Sciatica

Clinical guidelines are written by panels that weigh all the published trials together. Three of them are relevant here, and none recommends traction for sciatica.

NICE (UK): Do Not Offer Traction

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence publishes the guideline doctors in England follow for low back pain and sciatica. Its recommendation on traction is one sentence: “Do not offer traction for managing low back pain with or without sciatica” (NICE, 2016). It was written in 2016, and it was still in force when NICE last updated the guideline in July 2026.

One limit to keep in mind. NICE does not separate inversion tables from other kinds of traction, such as mechanical traction on a treatment couch. It rejects the whole category. That is not a trial of inversion tables specifically, but an inversion table sits inside the category it rejects.

NASS (US): Insufficient Evidence Either Way

The North American Spine Society’s evidence-based guideline covers lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy, which is the clinical name for the disc-driven nerve compression behind much sciatica. On traction, it says: “There is insufficient evidence to make a recommendation for or against the use of traction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy,” and gives it a grade of I, for insufficient evidence (NASS, 2012).

That is not the same as “it doesn’t work.” It means the society could not find enough good evidence to say anything.

Only one trial supports that section: 60 patients split into three groups of 20, comparing mechanical traction at 35% to 50% of body weight with ultrasound and low-power laser. All three groups improved, and traction did no better than the other two. Because the randomization method wasn’t described and the sample was small, NASS downgraded it, and there was no untreated group, so the study can’t separate treatment from recovery over time (NASS, 2012).

ACP (US): Traction Is Not on the List

The American College of Physicians published a guideline on noninvasive treatment of low back pain in 2017. Its abstract lists the non-drug treatments it recommends: for acute and subacute pain, superficial heat, massage, acupuncture or spinal manipulation; for chronic pain, a longer list that includes exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, tai chi, yoga and spinal manipulation (Qaseem, 2017). Traction does not appear in any of those lists.

We need to be careful here, because this is an absence. What we quote is the guideline’s abstract; the full text has longer evidence tables that could mention traction without recommending it. So the accurate statement is narrow: the abstract of the ACP’s 2017 guideline does not list traction among its recommended treatments. It does not say traction fails.

Why These Guidelines Apply to Inversion Tables

Some sellers argue that guidelines about “traction” don’t cover inversion, because an inversion table uses your own body weight rather than a machine. The mechanism described in the literature says otherwise: inversion table therapy is itself defined as gravity-facilitated spinal traction (Kassay, 2023). The honest reading is that these guidelines were not written about inversion tables specifically, and they don’t single them out, but they don’t exempt them either.

What the Cochrane Review Found

Cochrane reviews pool every randomized trial they can find on a question. The one on traction is the largest body of evidence on this topic.

32 Trials, Little or No Effect

A Cochrane review published in 2013 combined 32 trials with 2,762 people who had low back pain, with or without sciatica. Its conclusion: traction, “either alone or in combination with other treatments, has little or no impact on pain intensity, functional status, global improvement and return to work” (Wegner, 2013).

The limit cuts both ways. The review covers traction of all kinds, manual and mechanical, and most of the trials did not use inversion tables. So it doesn’t prove that inversion fails for sciatica. What it does show is that the general promise of traction for back and leg pain has not held up when tested many times.

Side Effects Were Reported

The same review recorded harm. Seven of the 32 trials reported adverse effects, including “increased pain, aggravation of neurological signs and subsequent surgery” (Wegner, 2013). For someone with sciatica, “aggravation of neurological signs” is the one to note: it means more numbness, tingling or weakness, which are exactly the symptoms to watch.

Four of the trials said explicitly that they saw no adverse effects. Our page on inversion table side effects covers the full range, from headaches to falls.

The Two Studies That Found a Benefit, and Their Limits

The most encouraging evidence for inversion in sciatica comes from one neurosurgical team in Newcastle, England. Both of its studies enrolled people with lumbar disc disease and nerve symptoms, which makes them the closest thing to sciatica-specific evidence on inversion that exists.

The 2012 Pilot Trial: Fewer Operations

In a pilot randomized trial, the team took 24 patients with single-level lumbar disc disease who were already on the waiting list for surgery. Thirteen added inversion to their physiotherapy; eleven had physiotherapy alone. In the inversion group, 10 of 13 avoided surgery. In the physiotherapy-only group, two patients did (Prasad, 2012).

Now the other half of the result. Pain and disability scores did not differ significantly between the groups, and neither did MRI results (Prasad, 2012).

The trial was a pilot, far too small to settle anything, and the authors themselves called for a larger one.

The 2021 Registry: 21% Against 39%

The same team later followed 85 people with lumbar disc disease who used inversion. Their two-year surgery rate was 21%, against 39% in a matched group of neurosurgery patients who did not invert (Mendelow, 2021).

This was a registry, not a randomized trial. People who choose to try inversion may differ from those who don’t in ways that also affect whether they end up in surgery, and the result comes from the same group that ran the pilot. It is a signal worth a proper trial, not proof.

The Before-and-After Numbers, With No Comparison Group

The registry also compared each person with their own scores before inversion. Of 66 people followed up, 49 (74%) had a lower pain score; 48 of 64 (75%) improved on the Oswestry Disability Index; the median pain score fell from 6 to 3 on a 10-point scale; and the share taking any pain medication fell from 73% to 49% (Mendelow, 2021).

Those figures are real, and they are the most hopeful on this page. But there was no control group for any of them. Sciatica from a disc often improves on its own over weeks and months, so a before-and-after comparison cannot tell you how much of the change came from inversion and how much from time. The authors name the problem themselves: “The main limitation of the study is that patients were not randomised” (Mendelow, 2021).

What Teeter Advertises From This Study

Teeter’s FitSpine page advertises “50% Less Likely to Need Surgery,” “74% Pain Reduction,” “75% Increased Physical Ability” and “39% Eliminated Pain Medication,” citing Mendelow and colleagues (Teeter). Here is how those line up with the paper.

The 74% and 75% are in the study, as the before-and-after figures above, without a control group. The “50% less likely” rounds 21% against 39%; the paper doesn’t state 50%. And we could not find “39% eliminated pain medication” in the paper at all: what it reports is that the share of people on any pain medication fell from 73% to 49%.

There is one more thing the marketing leaves out.

When we get to tables below, the reasons for choosing one have nothing to do with these studies.

Does an Inversion Table Help Sciatica? Putting It Together

With the guidelines on one side and the Newcastle studies on the other, here is the fairest summary we can give.

Where the Case Is Strongest

The strongest case is narrow: a person with sciatica from a single-level lumbar disc problem, under medical care, who wants to try something conservative before surgery. That is the group in the Newcastle work (Prasad, 2012). Even there, the evidence is one pilot of 24 people and one non-randomized registry, and the pilot found no difference in pain. If a disc is behind your symptoms, our page on inversion tables for a herniated disc goes deeper into that group.

Where It Is Weakest

For low back pain without leg symptoms, the Newcastle studies say little, because both required disc disease with nerve involvement. Our page on inversion tables for back pain looks at that question on its own. For sciatica from other causes, there is no inversion-specific evidence at all, and the guidelines above still apply.

What “Indicated for Sciatica” on a Teeter Manual Means

If you read Teeter’s paperwork, you will find sciatica named. Teeter’s assembly manual says its tables “are FDA-Registered as 510(k) medical devices” and lists ten conditions they are “indicated for,” sciatica among them (Teeter, 2023). That is a real regulatory status, but it is not a trial result.

The FDA cleared Teeter’s manual inversion table through the 510(k) process as “substantially equivalent” to devices already on the market (FDA, 2016). Substantial equivalence is a comparison with existing devices, not a finding that the table relieves sciatica. The indication list is the manufacturer’s claim under that clearance.

If Your Doctor Says It’s Worth Trying: How to Start

Nothing on this page replaces an examination. If your leg is weak, or numbness is new or spreading, see a doctor before you think about equipment. If your doctor has looked at your back and agrees a trial of inversion is reasonable, here is what the evidence and the manufacturers say about starting.

A patient talking with a doctor in a clinic about lower back and leg pain — **The examination comes first.** If your leg is weak, or numbness is new or spreading, see a doctor before you think about equipment.

Start at a Shallow Angle

You don’t need to hang fully upside down, and nobody has shown that more angle helps sciatica more. Teeter’s own user guide tells new users to “start at a 20-degree angle so your body can adjust to being upside down” (Teeter, 2023). The same guide calls 60 degrees the “magic angle” and says disc pressure there is “at or near zero”; that is Teeter’s claim, without a study cited in the document, not a measured result. On the Teeter X3 and LX9, the tether is marked at the first three steps:

20°Published tether marking

40°Published tether marking

60°Published tether marking

These are product settings, not a recommended progression. Follow the current manual and any restrictions given by your clinician.

Innova’s advice is similar: “Start at a low inversion position,” written as “(15)” in its FAQ, and have a spotter with you (Innova).

Keep Sessions Short

Two sources give two different numbers, for two different reasons. Teeter’s guide suggests beginning with one to two minute sessions and working up to three to five (Teeter, 2023). The authors of a 2021 report on spinal cord injuries from inversion table falls recommend keeping sessions under one minute, to reduce the chance of losing your grip or ankle strength (Jung, 2021).

The first is a manufacturer’s usage suggestion; the second is a safety recommendation from doctors who treated the injuries. Neither was tested in people with sciatica. If you are unsure, the shorter one costs you nothing.

Know When to Stop

The Cochrane review’s list of harms is your checklist: more pain, worse neurological signs, and in some trials, surgery afterwards (Wegner, 2013).

Keep a simple note after each session (angle, minutes, how your leg felt that evening), so the conversation is based on what happened rather than on memory.

Sciatica Doesn’t Exempt You From the Contraindications

Having sciatica doesn’t cancel any reason not to invert. Teeter’s list tells users not to invert until a licensed physician approves if they have, among other things, high blood pressure, glaucoma, osteoporosis, fractures, surgically implanted orthopedic supports, a hernia or recent surgery (Teeter). The same list names significant spinal curvature, which our page on inversion tables for scoliosis covers in detail.

Innova’s ITX9600 manual adds conditions Teeter doesn’t list, including “weak ankles and/or feet” and “spinal injury” (Innova). If you have had spinal surgery for your sciatica, that alone is a conversation for your surgeon first. Our page on who should not use an inversion table goes through each item on both lists.

Falls: The Risk That Matters Most on a Table

The most serious documented injuries from inversion tables do not come from traction. They come from falling off.

How a Fall Happens

The doctors behind the 2021 case report described three cervical spinal cord injuries after inversion table falls. They compare the mechanism to a shallow-water diving injury: when ankle strength gives out or the feet slip, the user lands on the top of the head, and falls of just one or two feet “are by no means negligible” (Jung, 2021). It is three cases, so it tells you what a fall looks like, not how often one happens.

Why It Matters More With Sciatica

The same authors single out older and heavier users with weaker ankle strength as needing extra care, and suggest placing an angled pillow or rubber ramp under the head so a slip becomes a slide rather than a drop (Jung, 2021). The report says nothing about sciatica. But if leg pain or weakness makes it hard for you to step onto the platform, lock your ankles or push back upright, that is the same weak point the report describes. Take it seriously when you choose a table, and have someone nearby for your first sessions.

Best Inversion Tables for Sciatica: What to Look for if You Try One

This section is where we recommend specific tables, so here is the principle first. No inversion table has been shown to treat sciatica, and none of the studies above used a named commercial model.

So we are not picking the “best inversion table for sciatica” in the sense of the one that heals it. We are picking the tables that make it easiest to do what the evidence and the manufacturers advise: start shallow, repeat the same angle, keep sessions short, and get on and off safely.

We chose from the tables we already verified on our best inversion tables page, using the specs each maker publishes. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission; it never decides which table we pick.

Our pick for a cautious trial

Teeter FitSpine X3

The easiest table on this page to use conservatively. You set your limit before you tip back, and you can see it on the strap.

Tether marked at 20, 40 and 60 degrees, set while you are standing upright
You return to exactly the same angle next session
Five-year warranty, against Innova's one year

Weight limit: 300 lb
User height: 4'8" to 6'6"
Warranty: 5 years
Price range: Premium

See today's price Why we picked it

Maker sourceSpecs from the maker's own product page

Best if stepping in is the painful part

Teeter FitSpine LX9

Choose it if stepping in and bending to lock your ankles is the painful part: the arched frame and raised boarding platform make getting on easier. Skip it if getting on the table is not a problem: the X3 gives you the same angle control for less.

Check size & availability

Best low-cost way to find out

Innova ITX9600

Choose it if you want to learn whether inversion does anything for you before spending premium money. Skip it if you want to see your angle at a glance: you have to read the manual to know which pin hole is which.

Teeter FitSpine X3 inversion table with a grey flexible bed dotted with blue acupressure nodes, blue ankle clamps with a long reach handle, and a black steel frame — Sources: Teeter FitSpine X3 · Teeter FitSpine LX9 · Innova ITX9600

Teeter FitSpine LX9 inversion table with a black flexible bed dotted with blue acupressure nodes, curved side handles, blue ankle clamps and a black floor platform — Sources: Teeter FitSpine X3 · Teeter FitSpine LX9 · Innova ITX9600

Our picks for a cautious trial, from the manufacturers' published specs
Spec	Editor's choiceTeeter FitSpine X3Premium, price tier 3 of 3Maker source	Teeter FitSpine LX9Premium, price tier 3 of 3Maker source	Innova ITX9600Budget, price tier 1 of 3Maker source
Angle control	EZ-Angle tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°; full inversion with secure lockout	EZ-Angle tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°; full inversion with secure lockout	Pin with protective cover; the manual labels the settings 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 85° (the product page calls it a six-position pin)
Weight capacity	300 lb	300 lb	300 lb
User height	4'8" to 6'6"	4'8" to 6'6"	4'10" to 6'6"
Ankle system	Deluxe EZ-Reach ankle lock, extra-long handle, micro-adjusting closure	Deluxe EZ-Reach ankle lock with Ankle Comfort Dial	Reversible ankle holders (foam rollers and U-shaped holders can trade places)
Warranty	5 years (extension to 10 sold separately)Highest here	5 years (extension to 10 sold separately)Highest here	1 year limited
FDA	510(k) cleared (K162702), Class I device	510(k) cleared (K162702), Class I device	Not stated
Heat and massage	None	None	None
Assembly and setup	85% pre-assembled, BILT app instructions (brand-wide claim)	85% pre-assembled, BILT app instructions (brand-wide claim)	Not stated
Buy	See today's price: Teeter FitSpine X3 on Amazon (opens in a new tab)	See today's price: Teeter FitSpine LX9 on Amazon (opens in a new tab)	Not linked

Teeter FitSpine X3: Degrees Printed Where You Can See Them

The X3’s tether is marked at 20, 40 and 60 degrees. That is the practical reason to choose it for sciatica: you set your limit while you are standing upright, you can see it on the strap, and you can return to exactly the same angle next session. If your doctor has said “keep it shallow,” or you want to start at the 20 degrees Teeter’s own guide suggests, this makes that simple to follow.

It sits in the premium tier, with a five-year warranty against Innova’s one year, and it carries the same FDA 510(k) status Teeter claims for its tables, with the limits described above. None of that makes it a treatment. It makes it the easiest table on this page to use conservatively.

Long ankle-lock handle, 5-year warrantyMaker source

Teeter FitSpine X3

by TEETER

Best for people with sciatica who want a shallow angle they can repeat every session.

Skip it if stepping in and bending to lock your ankles is the painful part: the LX9 is built for that.

What the premium over a cheaper table buys is the longer ankle-lock handle, the 5-year warranty against Innova's 1 year, and a tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°. The Innova ITX9600 also lets you set a limit with a pin whose degrees are listed in its manual, so a marked angle is not exclusive to Teeter.

Weight limit: 300 lb
User height: 4'8" to 6'6"
Warranty: 5 years
Price range: Premium

What we like

Tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°, set before you get on
Five-year full warranty, against Innova's one year
Teeter's tables are FDA 510(k) cleared under K162702
EZ-Reach ankle lock with an extra-long handle

Keep in mind

No heat or massage
No raised boarding platform, unlike the LX9
Rated to 300 lb, max height 6 ft 6 in

Check today's price on Amazon

Full specs

Price range: Premium
Weight capacity: 300 lb
User height: 4'8" to 6'6"
Angle control: EZ-Angle tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°; full inversion with secure lockout
Ankle system: Deluxe EZ-Reach ankle lock, extra-long handle, micro-adjusting closure
Heat and massage: None
Warranty: 5 years (extension to 10 sold separately)
FDA: 510(k) cleared (K162702), Class I device

Maker sourceFrom the maker's product page. Not stated means the maker publishes nothing.

We may earn a commission. It never changes which table we pick, or the order they appear in.

Teeter FitSpine LX9: An Easier Way On and Off

The LX9 uses the same marked 20, 40 and 60 degree tether as the X3. According to Teeter’s product page, what it adds is an arched frame “for effortless entry and exit” and a “Raised Boarding Platform” that makes stepping into the ankle locks easier (Teeter).

For many people with sciatica, stepping in and bending to lock the ankles is the painful part, and it is also where a fall can start. If that describes you, the LX9 is worth the step up. If getting on the table is not a problem, the X3 gives you the same angle control for less.

Raised boarding platformMaker source

Teeter FitSpine LX9

by TEETER

Best for people whose sciatica makes stepping in and bending to lock the ankles painful.

Skip it if getting on the table is not a problem: the X3 gives you the same angle control for less.

Same angle system as the X3, plus a boarding platform with an arched frame. Worth the step up only if getting on and off the table is the hard part for you.

Weight limit: 300 lb
User height: 4'8" to 6'6"
Warranty: 5 years
Price range: Premium

What we like

Raised boarding platform and arched frame for getting on and off
Same 20°, 40° and 60° marked tether as the X3
Five-year full warranty, with a five-year extension sold separately
Ships with a Storage Caddy and traction handles on the hinges

Keep in mind

Otherwise identical to the X3, so you pay for the platform
Roller hinge setting must match your body weight, per the manual
No heat or massage
Rated to 300 lb, max height 6 ft 6 in

Check today's price on Amazon

Full specs

Price range: Premium
Weight capacity: 300 lb
User height: 4'8" to 6'6"
Angle control: EZ-Angle tether marked at 20°, 40° and 60°; full inversion with secure lockout
Ankle system: Deluxe EZ-Reach ankle lock with Ankle Comfort Dial
Heat and massage: None
Warranty: 5 years (extension to 10 sold separately)
FDA: 510(k) cleared (K162702), Class I device

Maker sourceFrom the maker's product page. Not stated means the maker publishes nothing.

We may earn a commission. It never changes which table we pick, or the order they appear in.

Innova ITX9600: The Low-Cost Way to Find Out

If you want to learn whether inversion does anything for you before spending premium money, the ITX9600 is the budget table we would point to. Given that Cochrane found little or no average effect from traction, a small first outlay makes sense. The angle is set with a pin rather than a tether, and the owner’s manual labels the settings 15, 30, 45, 60 and 85 degrees; the pin comes set at the 15-degree hole when you finish assembly (Innova).

You have to read the manual to know which hole is which, and Innova’s product page describes it as a six-position pin, so check the manual rather than the listing. The trade-offs are a one-year limited warranty and no FDA status stated for this model.

Reversible ankle holdersMaker source

Innova ITX9600

by Innova

Best for people who want to learn if inversion helps before spending premium money.

Skip it if you want to see your angle at a glance: you have to read the manual to know which hole is which.

It is the only entry table here with reversible ankle holders, so the foam roller can move to the front once inverting stops feeling new. One of its listing bullets says 350 lb; the maker's page says 300 lb, and 300 is what we publish.

Weight limit: 300 lb
User height: 4'10" to 6'6"
Warranty: 1 year
Price range: Budget

What we like

Ankle holders reverse, so the foam roller can move to the front
Manual labels the pin angles, from 15° up to 85°
Pin with a protective cover, left at 15° after assembly
Rated to 300 lb in both the manual and on the maker's page

Keep in mind

One-year limited warranty, non-transferable
No heat or massage
Manual shows five pin angles, the product page says six
Needs 2 ft clear at each side and 3 ft front and back

We are not linking to this model at the moment. The specs below still hold. See the alternatives we would pick instead.

Full specs

Price range: Budget
Weight capacity: 300 lb
User height: 4'10" to 6'6"
Angle control: Pin with protective cover; the manual labels the settings 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 85° (the product page calls it a six-position pin)
Ankle system: Reversible ankle holders (foam rollers and U-shaped holders can trade places)
Heat and massage: None
Warranty: 1 year limited
FDA: Not stated

Maker sourceFrom the maker's product page. Not stated means the maker publishes nothing.

See the tables we left out, and why

Tables We Left Out Here

Our general list includes a budget pick from YOLEO. We don’t recommend it for sciatica. YOLEO publishes no manufacturer spec sheet, and it recommends the table for users up to 265 lb, lower than the 300 lb Teeter and Innova publish. Heavier users are the group the fall report flags for extra care (Jung, 2021), so we would rather point anyone with sciatica to a table with documented specs.

We also left out Innova’s heat and massage tables. Heat may feel good on a stiff back, but we found no source tying it to relief of sciatic nerve pain, so we treat it as a comfort feature, not a reason to buy for sciatica.

Your questions, answered

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hanging upside down help with sciatic nerves?

Not in any way the major guidelines accept. The UK's NICE tells clinicians not to offer traction for sciatica, and the North American Spine Society calls the evidence insufficient. The hopeful data come from one English neurosurgical team: in patients with a lumbar disc problem, fewer inversion users went on to surgery. Neither of their studies was large, and only the pilot was randomized.

How long should you use an inversion table for sciatica?

No study has tested session length in people with sciatica, so there is no proven dose. The only time limit tied to safety comes from doctors who reported three spinal cord injuries after table falls: under one minute per session. Teeter's user guide suggests starting at one to two minutes. If your doctor sets a limit, follow theirs.

Can an inversion table make sciatica worse?

Yes, it can. When Cochrane reviewers pooled 32 traction trials, seven recorded adverse effects, including more pain, worsening neurological signs and later surgery. That was traction of all kinds, not inversion alone. If leg pain spreads, or numbness or weakness appears after a session, stop using the table and get your back examined before trying it again.

Can an inversion table help a pinched sciatic nerve?

It might ease symptoms for some people, but no trial has proven it. Sciatica is, in effect, a pinched nerve in the lower back, often at a disc. The small studies that found fewer operations in inversion users were done in that group, while clinical guidelines still do not recommend traction for it. Treat a table as an experiment your doctor has approved.

16 sources used for this guide

Each linked to the original. Citations in the text jump here.

View sources

Kassay A, Soliman MAR, Jhawar BS. Recommendations for inversion table therapy. Disability and Rehabilitation 2023;45(22):3779-3782.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management, Recommendations. NICE guideline NG59, published 30 November 2016, last updated 29 July 2026.
North American Spine Society (NASS), Lumbar Disc Herniation with Radiculopathy Work Group. Lumbar Disc Herniation with Radiculopathy: An Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline. NASS Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines, 2012.
Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA, Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians, et al. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine 2017;166(7):514-530.
Wegner I, Widyahening IS, van Tulder MW et al. Traction for low-back pain with or without sciatica. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, CD003010.
Prasad KS, Gregson BA, Hargreaves G, Byrnes T, Winburn P, Mendelow AD. Inversion therapy in patients with pure single level lumbar discogenic disease: a pilot randomized trial. Disability and Rehabilitation 2012;34(17):1473-1480.
Mendelow AD, Gregson BA, Mitchell P et al. Lumbar disc disease: the effect of inversion on clinical symptoms and a comparison of the rate of surgery after inversion therapy with the rate of surgery in neurosurgery controls. Journal of Physical Therapy Science 2021;33(11):801-808.
Teeter. FitSpine Inversion Tables. teeter.com/fitspine/.
Teeter. Assemble Your FitSpine LX Inversion Table: Assembly Instructions (models LX4 to LX9), rev. LX1040B 0123-0. teeter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FitSpine-LX-Series_Assembly-Instructions_LX4-thru-LX9_LX1040B_0123-0.pdf.
FDA. 510(k) Premarket Notification K162702: Teeter Manual Inversion Table. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 510(k) database, decision date December 30, 2016.
Teeter. FitSpine LX9 Inversion Table: User Guide, rev. LX1030 0123-4. teeter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FitSpine-LX-Series_LX6-LX7-LX8-LX9_OM_LX1030_0123-4.pdf.
Innova. Frequently Asked Questions. innovaproductsinc.com/faq/.
Jung SH, Hwang JM, Kim CH. Inversion Table Fall Injury, the Phantom Menace: Three Case Reports on Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Healthcare (Basel) 2021;9(5):492.
Teeter. Are there health issues that would prevent me from inverting?. teeter.com, Support Center (the same list appears in the owner's manual).
Innova. ITX9600 Heavy Duty Deluxe Inversion Therapy Table, Owner's Manual (version 1709AJJ). Innova Products Inc., owner's manual.
Teeter. FitSpine LX9 Inversion Table. teeter.com, product page.