Customer Reviews

Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 Inversion Therapy Table

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, I normally don't write reviews but I thought that I really should since I make use of them before generally buying anything nowadays so what better place to start than about a product that has done wonders for me. While I have a had good results with the Teeter, my healing wasn't as instant as many other reviewers and I would like to share that experience with others so that not everyone thinks that after a week or two their back pain may be cured.

After reading the many positive reviews and being at the end of the line with the pain from my herniated disc I felt that I had nothing to lose by trying the Teeter. I went ahead and ordered a good inverter (Teeter) knowing that I did not want to be upside down in a flimsy inverter that I was afraid to go fully inverted.
By way of background, I have a herniated disc and have suffered from back pain (both dull and acute) for the 6-8 months preceding getting the inverter. I had gone to physical therapy with limited success and had been doing the exercises that were suggested but did not get anything more than just some temporary relief, nothing permanent. I also sit behind a desk/computer most of my day and only get up sparingly (4-8 times).

Week 1-2: My pain level was high at this point and I tried using the inversion for 2-3 minutes a day with the safety strap so I wouldn't be fully inverted. I did this about once or twice a day. The pain in my back seemed to get worse and I was not feeling any relief.

Week 3-4: I decided to stick with the regimen and give it more time as I knew that decompressing the vertebrae would not happen overnight. At this point I still did not fully invert as I was still in too much pain. I tried to increase the amount of time to about 5 minutes. The pain still had not subsided. In fact, towards the end of week 4 I tried to fully invert and I think a suffered some sort of muscle spasm that made things worse. I think it is a good idea to wait before fully inverting until your body is used to it. This may be different based on how quickly one becomes used to it.

Week 5-6: I took a week off after the muscle spasm but then continued again after that. Towards the end of week 6 I was starting to feel a little better.

Week 7-8: I was really doing the inversion for about 5 minutes once a day at night as I couldn't time it right to do it in the mornings. As the pain started to get better I started to only go to the full inversion. It was about the end of week 8 that I began to feel no back pain. I was shocked as I had not experienced 0% paid in the last 8 months before that. I have to say that I was glad I stuck with it because initially I felt that back pain get worse.

General Observations: It is true that your feet do hurt, especially if you invert for 5 minutes or more. I found that it would help to wear very thick socks and running shoes before using the inverter. I still think it is better to endure the very minor and temporary foot pain with the inversion rather than chronic back pain so that was not really a big deal for me. I have not tried the boots but may give that a try since people seem to generally think it helps with the foot pain.

I also found that after inverting for a couple of weeks I could hear my back cracking during normal routine day to day activities. I attribute this to the vertebrae beginning to decompress and align. I don't seem to hear it anymore unless I am doing the stretches.

I find that nothing is as relieving as fully inverting. At this point I only fully invert but I would recommend building up to it especially if you have back pain in the beginning. I also continued to do some exercises all along to help strengthen the back as the pain got less. I wasn't as diligent doing exercises that I should have been but I find it difficult with my schedule (excuses, excuses).

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and my experience. I have been back pain free for about 2 months which is really amazing. I am taking much greater care of my back and am more diligent about remembering to invert at least once a day (although I do miss days here and there). It especially feels good to invert after doing something that puts a lot of pressure on the back (like gardening). I wonder why doctors don't recommend this more often to their patient but then again that's not in their financial best interest. If you are like how I was in pretty bad back pain then go ahead and give it a shot and stick with it even if you don't get any relief the first few weeks, it worked for me.

I was somewhat skeptical when I ordered this board whether it would help my back or not. I am periodically bothered by back problems that are either sciatica or something closely resembling it. When it hits it has always taken at least six weeks of physical inactivity and stretching to relieve the pain, and the ache would linger for months. When I felt the latest bout of this condition begin, I ordered this board. I can truthfully say that after using the board for one week, five minutes a day, the pain and any sign of the condition had disappeared. I live alone so I do not fully invert, but the last setting using the safety harness was enough to provide me relief. I only use it two or three times a week now, but have not had a recurrence of the back problem in the four months since buying the board. The one time relief was enough to justify buying the board, and any future aid in relieving or preventing the sciatica will be gravy for me. I am beginning to believe that periodic use may hopefully prevent the condition from coming back. I bought the Teeter board because I am 64 years old and weigh 250 lbs. I feel very secure on this board and if I had someone around when I was using it I would have no hesitation in going fully inverted. The sensation when you first use the board takes some getting used to, but once you develop trust in the board that feeling goes away.

The Teeter tables are all sort of expensive but I am happy with the purchase. I think that if you are going to hang by your feet you should want to do it as safe and secure as well as comfortable as possible. This table just feels solid whether you are just at an angle or if you go with the full inversion. I have to admit that for me it took a few times to get used to the inverted sensation but I also had never done it before.

If I had to point out a drawback I find that the method for holding the feet is not perfect. I like to go fully inverted and it is not the most comfortable on the feet/ankles. Part of that is that I had a broken foot not that long ago and theres a big pad that goes right across the foot and that doesnt feel too great on a foot that is still somewhat sore. I do plan to get the conversion bar and use some of the gravity boots in order to make inverting more comfortable when I do it for longer periods of time.

Assembly is not difficult at all I just read the instructions and went at it although the DVD that comes with it has a part covering assembly that might explain it better than the instructions did. I would say that unpacking the item from the box was more of a challenge than assembly.

Overall I like the table, I use it daily. The ONLY reason it didnt get 5 stars is that I am going to have to get the gravity boots-bar attachment to make it more comfortable, but a lot of the reason for that is that sore foot not really the machine. I really like to use it after working out especially if I do back or legs, both of which put a lot of strain on the back. I do notice that the muscles up and down my back seem slightly sore, not bad sore just the type that let you know they were worked-stretched. I take this as proof that inversion stretches the muscles of the back...especially the erectors. I havent tried the ab work with it yet...waiting till I get the gravity boots-conversion bar for that just to make it more comfortable.

Despite the medical warnings that inversion tables are not recommended for those with prior back surgeries, inserted pins, etc. I purchased the EP-550 and the boot accessory kit.

I have disc and joint disease. I am 46 years old and in the past six years, I have had eight orthopedic surgeries, including rods and screws in my lower back, my second disc removal from my neck, three shoulder surgeries, elbow surgery, rotor cuff surgery and the repair of a 40% bicep repair. Lately, I have had a lot of stiffness and pain in my neck again and my hips have been acting up. In an effort to hopefully delay another neck surgery, and take pressure off of my hips without surgery, I figured I would give the Teeter hang up a chance.

I have had the teeter for two weeks and here are my thoughts. First, I like the ability to hang upside down to let my arms extend down and provide some natural stretching to my surgically repaired shoulders. It machines works well for that purpose. Also, my hips do feel better in that they seem to stay aligned better and keeps the pressure off when standing.

When inverted, I do feel the stress of the pull on the rods and pins in my back at waist level. While saying that, I want to point out that it is not a matter of causing pain, just the pressure of the weight of my body hanging from the pins. What works best for me at this point is that I first warm up by slowly tetter totting up and down, to put the stretching pressure on and then off again, etc. This is also somewhat enjoyable as well. On a side note, I put my wife on this teeter for the first time yesterday and she also tetter tottered as well and laughed the entire time. My daughters love the machine.

Anyway, once I warm up by tetter totting, I hang completed inverted and then do slow turning stretches. Yesterday I started to incorporate a few crunches into my routine. I let myself get about 30 pounds over weight during the past few years of repeated surgeries but I am hoping this machine will help my joints feel better so I can work out more. So far, I have had no ill effects from this machine and my shoulders and hips feel better. My neck is still stiff, but they already told me I need another surgery for that.

One comment on the adapter and boots. I purchased them because I saw the comments of others that the non boot option was not to comfortable. According to everyone on my family, the boot option is not all that comfortable either. Perhaps I am making them too tight for my family while I gain confidence in the safety of the boots but all find the boots uncomfortable after a few minutes of inversion and some lose of sensation in their feet for a few minutes after being off the machine. The teeter totting seems to reduce this discomfort somewhat with the alternative pressures.

I am giving this a four star as the boot adapter seems to force my feet too close together as to somewhat crunch my hips while on the table.

I am sure you are tired of reading my post but I just wanted to share thoughts of one who has a ton of the medical issues they say users of this machine should avoid.

Take care.

I'm 61 years old and decided to buy this product after seeing it in a store (at a higher price). It does exactly what they say. It is helping relieve the discomfort from my compressed disks. A couple of weeks getting used to inverting and I'm pretty comfortable in the fully inverted position. I'm also doing some of the inverted crunches, which is really strengthening my abs. It's a great product.

I developed back problems about a year ago. I was diagnosed with a disc bulge in my L5 Vertebrae. It was very uncomfortable to sit for extended periods of time. My doctor wanted to give me steroidal injections to ease the pain with a hint that surgery would help me. I also went to a chiropracter/physical therapist who wanted me to undergo expensive treatment, and I thought I was at the limit of all my options when a couple of friends on different occasions recommended this table to me. Oh gawd! I sound like an infomercial, but I have to say its true. Spending even a few minutes in the morning makes a world of difference to how I feel thru out the day. I was definitely a skeptic, being that I tried all other options but it is actually amazing, and i'm not the type to write a review.

I have a 3-4 disk issue, but most of my problem has to do with muscular system, poor posture, no abs and weak back muscles. I hate exercise. I don't see Chiropractors. I have never purchased any kind of home exercise/gym/yoga thing.My Orthopedist subscribed PT, which kinda helped but it was all about building up muscles in order to correct my spine. I take no drugs except ibuprofen.

My back usually goes out once a year, but most of the time I am just in some kind of pain. I still go to work and even remain active and even play tennis, but last week I couldn't stand up for two days. It was so bad that I contacted all my friends that have chiropractors and was about to arrange a visit when I remembered the infomercial. Most folks that I know that are my age 60+, all have some back issue, but none had tried the device.

The other reviews that I have read were very helpful - strange that there were no negative ones, which is really unusual on Amazon. I bought the 550 and hanging boots(haven't used them) last Sunday, it was delivered Tuesday, assembled in 10 minutes, and after 15 minutes with the DVD, I was inverted. It is a quality, solid product and very well built. It costs about 4 visits to the chiro. I followed all the first timer and start up advice. Very pleased with the whole experience. My back feels really good, but very different, and I am a little taller, and more important, almost painless. My abs feel tighter. Inverting has proved to be very calming. I love the fact that I can 'exercise' wearing normal clothes, probably even with a suit. I do 3 or 4 ten-minute sessions a day. My wife is about to try, as are several of my friends. The real test will be how my back feels in a month, and if I can maintain interest in maintaining a regular schedule.

Stay tuned

Update 2012 - after three years - The machine has been a big help and my back is in better shape. However, I use the teeter more tactically now - if I lift heavy objects I spend time on the teeter to decompress and this minimizes the recurrence of spasms. In my case this will get me by. I now that if I used this machine regularly I would have few back issues.

As many of you and looking for back relief, I purchased an inversion table. I have been using one of them for about a month and since day one it provides me an awesome relief for my L5 lumbar herniated disc. However, there are side effects. I detail them below:

I started using the table gradually for 5 minutes and increasing a bit every day. However after 2 days I started developing a curious headache that will persist thru the night. I was quite surprised and I couldn't find any explanation. I visited a doctor who let me know that inversion tables, while good for you back are well-known to increase blood pressure. He pointed me to an study (that you can find if you g-o-o-g-l-e "inversion tables side effects") where it was scientifically demonstrated that spending only 3 minutes in an inversion table raises your blood pressure so people with any type of cardiovascular disease need to be very careful, even people who never had any type of hear related diseases may have significant increases of blood pressure. He also mentioned that they are known to cause eye injuries.

One of the first studies to look into the effects of inversion tables on the eyes was published in 1985 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers evaluated healthy volunteers using inversion therapy and discovered that the intraocular pressure in the eye more than doubled, increasing to levels well within the range associated with glaucoma. There were also increases in pressure in the central retinal artery, as well as redness in the conjunctiva tissue that lines the inner surface of the eyelids and small red hemorrhages on the outside of the eyelids. The report concluded that--although long-term effects on the eyes of healthy volunteers were unknown--if you already have retinal vein abnormalities, macular degeneration, ocular hypertension, glaucoma or any other eye disorder, you should avoid inversion altogether.

A study published in 1983 in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association treated healthy volunteers from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine with three-minute periods of passive inversion. The volunteers experienced an increase in systemic blood pressure from 119/74 mm of mercury before inversion to 157/93 mm of mercury during inversion. For this reason, if you suffer from congestive heart failure, carotid artery stenosis, high blood pressure or other heart or circulatory disorders, or are on anticoagulants or aspirin therapy, inversion therapy is not recommended.

One of the most potentially serious side effects from inversion therapy is a stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the neck or brain becomes blocked or bursts. Due to the increased blood pressures involved in inversion therapy, as well as the pooling of blood into the neck and head areas, if you are already at risk for a stroke or transient ischemic attack, the inversion could trigger an attack. Symptoms typically include paralysis, difficulty speaking, memory loss and impaired thinking.

So keep an eye on potential side effects and make sure the damages are not exceeding the benefits.

This product is built great and really works. Easy to put up and feels wonderful to stretch out the back. Also great for doing exercises on it. I stand on my feet all day cutting hair and it feels great to get my feet above my heart on a long day. Takes the pain out of my feet and back. I love it.

The manufacturer of this machine knows how to provide a quality product, which is rather refreshing in this low-grade import world that we have created. Excellent - definitely worth the money!