The Story of Gravity Pal®

LOW Angle Inversion vs. Higher Angle Inversion

Gravity Pal was born out of my personal need and the requests from our clients who wished to have a comfortable and convenient option of LOW Angle Inversion in their lives.

My story is told in the video below. Please watch:

In my journey I have talked to many people who had tried or still own High Angle Inversion Tables or Gravity Boots and said they no longer used them or they were collecting dust in their basements or garages.

These people repeatedly reported the following reasons High Angle Inversion Tables were abandoned:

• Higher angles (manufacturers recommended 60 degrees) were too scary
• Even though the angle could be “lowered” to 20 to 30 degrees, these angles were still too scary
• People did not like having their feet put in boots or strapped in and for some people they experienced pain in their ankles after High Angle sessions
• A second person, a “spotter”, was recommended to approach High Angle Inversion safely, making use of such a table less convenient and practical to use
• People reported feeling unstable in some way while on the High Angle Table
• They did not feel they were physically fit enough to engage in higher angles – this was a very big issue for some people
• They simply did not like going upside down or inverting at higher angles

PLEASE NOTE: Gravity Pal inversion tables provide a LOW Angle of approximately 13 degrees which is very effective and does not evoke a fear response called “muscle guarding”. You feel safe and secure from the first second you are on it.

Some older clients also mentioned that their doctor or chiropractor had cautioned them against using a High Angle Inversion Table out of fear of ligaments or other tissues being stretched too far.

The closer we looked at Inversion Tables we also met many people who liked them, used them and claimed they gave great benefit to them.

But… Why was it so many people weren’t using the High Angle Inversion Tables they purchased, especially when they claimed they had seen the benefits at some time in the past?

We identified the following reasons of what was missing in these High Angle Inversion Tables for some people:

• Comfort, especially in their ankles
• Convenience with NO Hassles – the need for a spotter
• Convenience of using it smaller spaces as well as being able to travel with it
• Feeling of Safety and Security from the first seconds of use

We also wondered why High Angle Inversion Tables recommend “working up to” 15 to 20 minutes on the device? Was this much time really necessary? Why were we and our clients getting excellent results from using a Gravity Pal a mere 2 to 3 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day?

We believe the answer is clear – it is simply how the human physiology works.

When we feel unsafe, in pain or suddenly unstable our muscles snap to attention to protect and guard us from injury. We all know the feeling of losing our balance or unexpectedly bumping into someone and instantly having muscles tighten up. This is called “Muscle Guarding” and it is a normal protective response we all have.

Muscle Guarding is defined by an online medical dictionary as “a protective response in muscle that results from pain or fear of movement.” [1] My personal experience with High Angle Inversion is that it takes several minutes to get beyond this initial “Muscle Guarding” reaction phase. In other words, I initially get MORE tense than I was before I got on the High Angle Inversion table.

This seemed flawed to me. Why start out that way – creating MORE tension?
Why not immediately feel relief?