Stamina InLine Traction Control System, Spine Decompression Workout Machine

I have spinal stenosis at disks L4/L5 and L5/S1 and had surgery 12 years ago with excellent results. At this point, I do find that I naturally get sciatica pain after I work too many overtime hours sitting at my job. The best treatment for me is ice and spinal traction. I have owned the Nubax for 5 years now. A few years ago I had a bad reoccurance of the sciatica and was worried I'd need another surgery. I researched back traction on the internet and the Nubax was given one of the best reviews and looked the most promising. I purchased sight unseen (only in videos) and it arrived well packed. I was very easy to unpack and assemble, about 10 minutes, and came with a video on proper use. When I have a lot of pain, I use it 3 times a days, about 2 to 3 minutes at a time. I think I would probably avoid all back pain if I just used it faithfully every day, rather than just when needed. Compared to the Stamina InLine, the metal frame is much lighter weight, but the finish (paint) is more durable. With the Nubax, you have to get on your hands and knees, and over time, this became a huge draw back. Also, I over time, the shoulder pads were hard to move in and out of the frame, and the little metal button came loose. Also, the stretchy fabric has torn. Overall, it is a much lower quality than the Stamina InLine, but itI still saved my life. Also, I have trouble getting up from the Nubax when I'm really stretched out and have had to call a family member to help me get out of it. I do also get more pain in the shoulders, because I find it doesn't have as much adjustment for the should width. After browsing on Amazon, I found this Stamina InLine a year ago on Amazon, and the price was $299. I put it on my wish list, because I liked the fact that you use it standing up, not down on the floor. Then about 3 weeks ago, I was cleaning out my wish list and found that price had dropped to $159, and jumped on it and purchased one. Based on the reviews of others, I was scared that the box would be a mess and product would be damaged, but I took my chances anyway, as I know Amazon has excellent customer service. To my delight, the shipping box was only slightly beat up, as I would expect it would be based on the weight the box size. When I opened it, I found the all the parts were included, all the pieces were nicely wrapped and packed, and it pristine condition. I'm 53, female, and I had very little problem assembling this. Yes, it is a LOT more complicated to assemble than the Nubax, but for me, it was realitively stress free. I have put together a number of pieces of exercise equipment and also RTA furniture (2, 5' tall double glass door china cabinets, OMG, each one took me a full day). I am one of those people who does read the directions. I pick a time when I'm going to have a lot of uninterupted time and I set up in a comfortable place with a good tv show, and all the tools and a glass of water. I do understand how to read the assembly diagrams, and I start by taking all the fasteners out and laying them all out, organizing and counting to make sure I have all the parts prior to starting. I try to put the pieces in front of me in I same position as the diagrams. I know at one point in the process I will put a part together wrong, and have to remove it and turn it around and reassemble it. I prepare myself mentally and make sure it's a time when I have patience. Going at my slow and steady pace, it took me about an hour to assemble. I had one problem. At the connection that others had noted, where parts were not aligned and welds were not good, the bracket was not wide enough to accept the arm that was supposed to fit into it (it was about a 1/16" too small. The arm had a tube sleeve welded to the end, which was supposed to slide into the bracket and secure with a bolt thru the bracket and sleeve. There are 2 black plastic parts on each end of the sleeve, and I found that if I took one plastic end off, it would fit in the bracket, but I would not be able to secure the joint. I couldn't bend the bracket open, so I got a course nail file, and filed a flat tiny bit off of each end cap, and BINGO, I could slide it in the bracket and secure it properly. This is MUCH easier to use, no getting down on the floor. Also, my shoulders don't hurt as much, as I can adjust the pads closer for me. Also, I find it MUCH easier to get up from, and I have more confidence using it. For me: the issue with the shoulder pads: You HAVE to have contact of your entire arm from your elbow to wrist on the should pad. Keep your arms parallel to your body, not perpendicular to your body. Look at the Nubax reviews, they will tell you the same thing. DO NOT just let the pad make connect with only your arm pits, or part of the back of your upper arm, or you WILL feel pain in your shoulders. Also, on both machines, there's 2 small arms and a place on each which looks like a hand hold. Forget it. The length of my arm from the elbow to hand is too long, and I don't ever try to hold on to the hand hold completely, just partially. I have to say I felt much more confidence about being able to get back out of the stretch. I noticed in another review, someone else had a lot of trouble. Perhaps this happened by accident for me, but I have the height adjusted just a bit low, so I have to bend my knees to start the stretch. When I'm fully stretched, I'm almost on my toes. To get back out of the stretch, I simply bend my knees, and I naturally come upright, and I'm NOT using any muscles in my back to get up. I like how it naturally stretches my hamstrings as well. All in all, I'm much more satisfied with the Stamina InLine than with the Nubax. It's built of a heavier metal, I can do it standing up!!!! and I can get back out of the stretch myself much easier. I just checked again today 1/18/15 and the price dropped again to $138, so I ordered a second one for my mom house, to use when I'm on extended visit there.

I don't usually write reviews, but this time I had to. I have suffered from back pain since I was around 11 years old (I'll be 40 in a few months). I can't even remember what it feels like not to be in pain. I have tried everything from skeptical as seen on TV devices, inversion tables, to pain killers and Yoga and meditation (Anything to stop the constant pain). So when I saw the Stamina Inline traction system I though..OKAY yet another device with high hopes that will probably end up at a yard sale some day, but like all the others before I decided to give it a try. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH THIS DEVICE. Of course there are a few little things that are not perfect, and the construction is not aircraft quality or NASA certified, BUT for the price you can't go wrong. I owned an inversion table for 15 years and rarely used it. It was time consuming to take everything out of my pockets, find the space for it to swing wildly in the air, clamp my ankles in and have the blood rush to my head. And of course it never seem to work on the area that was in pain amd seemd to cause more pain in my ankles and legs than anything else. The Stamina is different. It's simple and fas., I can use it 10 times a day if I want, for a quick pressure release or a longer stretch. Best yey, IT ACTUALLY TARGETS THE RIGHT AREA. It takes a little getting used to and a little experimentation, but you can adjust the machine to stretch exactly where it needs to stretch. As a hint... Adjust the height high on your waist and the belt/strap close you waist to target the upper back and lower the height and move the belt back for lower back, somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot that gets the entire back. Hold your elbow close together for the upper back and farther apart for the lower back to allow more of a forward stretch. Bend your knees for lower back, straighten them for the upper back. So if it isn't stretching the right spot, experiment until it does. This isn't the machine to end all of your back pain for good, but if you are like me and live a life of constant pain, and have known your chiropractor and acupuncturist longer than your wife or husband, and know more about your massage therapist than your brothers and sisters, the Stamina InLine will be a great addition to your arsenal of healing if you take the time to learn how to use it. It's strong, affordable, reliable, simple, strong (I'm 6'0 200lb) and effective. I am completely satisfied and would give it a higher rating if I could.

I've had the InLine Flex Station for about a month now; I didn't want to write a review until I'd used it for a while. My back problems are in the lumbar and thoracic areas: arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and other related issues. I can say that I do think I'm glad that I purchased this item. I set myself back a little bit at first as I was a bit too enthusiastic, using it too frequently and for periods that were too long. Now I use it twice a day, for two minutes at a time. I plan to increase this slowly. I tried using an inverter that was set up in an equipment store. To be frank, it was just too weird and uncomfortable. Maybe it would do the trick but after a few seconds it feels like your head is going to explode. Plus, the trainer/salesperson said it's probably not great for people with high blood pressure, which I do have, albeit under control. I'd seen an ad in an in-flight magazine for a stretcher that you lay on the floor to use and ratchet up the pressure. I was going to order one of these on-line when I came across the InLine Flex Station. I figured it might be easier to use than rolling onto and off of the thing on the floor. After a month, I can't say that it's the miracle cure, and its usefulness is hard to quantify since I'm also currently on anti-inflammatories. Still, I am clearly experiencing some relief with the InLine Flex Station. I think it's probably a bit more effective on the thoracic than on the lumbar, since you are in a standing, bent-forward position when using it. It does stretch the lumbar a little but I don't think it stretches it to the max. The InLine Flex Station is not hard to assemble and I'm impressed by its sturdiness. It's not bad-looking, and it's easy to move it around if you need to. Adjusting the belt and other parts to precisely fit your body takes a bit of trial and error. You'll think you've got it set just right and in a couple days you'll decide to readjust it a little; but once you find the right spot you'll most likely know it. It will take a little practice to feel comfortable using it and to try to relax your back as much as possible, which is greatly affected by concentrating on your breathing. When stretching, I am occasionally aware of an extremely faint popping sound in my spine, which is sort of gratifying (whether on a physical or a psychological level). I paid $200 for this on sort of a gamble, never having seen one in person, so I had my fingers crossed that it would be worthwhile. I'd say that it is.

Fantastic. For the price of a single session on a DRX9000 spinal decompression machine, this amazing device has made my back feel as good as it did when I went through a whole course of treatments at a spinal decompression center! It did things to my back right after assembling it, that I haven't felt for decades. I've tried hanging upside down, chiropractors, etc. But nothing could touch my hardest issue. My back has a very stubborn spot that only an expensive machine with expensive treatments could treat...until now. This thing is truly ingenious. Watch the product video. There are more videos hosted at YT. As one bends forward, the spine is both stretched and curved opposite to the natural curvature in the lower back. I have a herniated disk that has been debilitating for years. This device not only makes it easy to decompress the spine, it makes it easy to get in and out of the machine, making it much more inviting. This alone makes you want to use it, and in doing so, one discovers how beneficial even the casual quick stretch can be; Especially when your back pops in five different places and you immediately realize how much better you feel after walking around unaware of how much pain you simply learn to ignore without doing anything about it. By far, the best spinal decompression treatment for the money I've ever used! It can occasionally be a little difficult to reach the deeper stretch, but having a spouse or friend to spot you, and give a gentle push forward and hold at the end of the stretch can be very helpful! Got this for my wife who injured her back on vacation. Didn't have much faith that it could help me, but we were desperate, as spinal decompression is not covered by insurance. She made me try it and almost made a grown man cry. We are very thankful to have it!

UPDATE: Replacement unit has worse welding issues than the first. So bad that some joints look to not be connected and I'm not going to put my weight on it. Sending back replacement unit, keeping original for now. I am 6'5" 255lbs, work out a lot not too tubby. I say this so there is some reference point for what follows. I have been trying to rehab a bulging lumbar disc for 7-8 months. I have been to 5 different Chiropractors in my city. All of them had slightly different approaches as-far-as adjusting, stretching, exercises. 3 had Triton decompression tables, and 1 had a Flexson Distraction table. I stayed with each Dr for at least 3 weeks, and I was unable to make any progress toward alleviating my pain with any of them. I tried the Teeter inversion table and it hurt my knees and ankles too much, while giving no relief to my back. I recently tried the Nubax, and found it to be less than useful due to the kneeling position. All of the decompression tables and the Nubax are just too small. This machine, with it's standing position, allows me to get a relaxing stretch of my lower back with little-to-no discomfort anywhere else. The only problem I have found is the construction. It's poor quality construction. The materials are solid but, some of the pieces are crooked and welded on out of square (crooked) as well. There is also a piece of the tubing that looks like it was bent using a mallet or hammer. Even with the whole thing being lopsided, it feels really sturdy and holds my weight without any issues Having this one replaced and hopefully the replacement won't be so sloppily made.

Did not receive what I ordered. When I received my box I was excited until I saw the condition of the box. I have taken several pictures. It actually has holes cut in it with part of the machine coming out of the holes. It is a previously owned opened operated machine. The parts that were supposed to be in the little red bag we’re open and loose and someone had put them in a baggie a green tab dollar store baggie. I should have gotten a discount at the very least. When someone orders something from you and it is supposed to be new if you do not send them one that’s not even all there and owned by someone else first. I really believe this machine would help with my back. I just don’t want to use something that was preowned and I don’t want to pay for something that was preowned for the price of a new one. I do not know how well the machine works I do not know the sturdiness of it and I don’t know how easy it is to use. That is why I gave it one star and all the different categories.

...but for me, it has worked wonders. It may not for you...hey, everyone is different. I have never been to a chiropractor, and I don't ever WANT to go to a chiropractor. I have an aversion to doctors, hospitals, and the like, and will do every single thing in my power to avoid them. My brother has been going to a chiropractor routinely for 30 YEARS!!! You'd think that they would have figured out by now what was wrong with him! Yeah, they figured it out, all right. They figured out that they can keep giving him "adjustments" and draining his wallet. Anyway, I have had what I am going to assume is a herniated, or bulging disc, in my mid-lower back, for quite some time. It flares up every so often, and I have dealt with the pain for a day or two, and then it just goes away on its own. Well, this time was different. 2 weeks with zero relief. I was really thinking I was going to have to do the unthinkable and visit my doctor. I did quite a bit of online research, and this thing seemed like it was worth a shot, after reading a ton of the reviews. I would try this, and if it didn't help, then it was off to the doctor. I swear, three times using this thing, and I was at LEAST 75% better. I can't use a Teeter-type device, as I get horrendous vertigo if I tip back on those for 30 seconds. This thing, you just lean over, and make sure you feel a good stretch in your back. You can kinda control the stretch as you go. I find that if I point my toes outward, it eliminates a lot of the hamstring pull issues that some people have. All I know is, it works for me. I haven't had zero pain in my back in forever. Now my back feels like it did 30 years ago. I use it whenever my back feels like it might be flaring up, 5 or 10 minutes, and it totally eliminates any pain. It actually feels GOOD using it. I didn't get paid to write this. I paid full price for the thing (notice how I didn't say "product"....whenever you see a review where they say the word "product" a bunch of times, you can skip the rest of that review), and was skeptical, but it's one of those purchases that I am really happy that I made. And, NO going to the doctor. That's the best part.

I have a herniated disc (L4/L5) which was giving me enough back pain to limit my mobility even after 1+ year of Physiotherapy. Although the doctor and therapist doesn't really believe it would help (because my sciatic nerve wasn't very affected), I talked them into letting me try lumbar traction. Within 3 sessions, my back pain eases noticeably. So I start looking for lumbar traction machines to buy. The sports medicine center machine comes with appropriate body straps and a bed you lie down in, with traction force adjustments. It was a very elaborate one, requires a therapist to strap me in. and almost impossible to find. So I browsed through what amazon has to offer. The lying down versions I found on amazon looks complicated with traction pulling you from the armpit against your ankle, using a hand-cranked ratcheted screw system. There was a lot of comments about arm, knee and ankle pains in the comments. So I decided to give this a try. The traction system works as well as the sports medicine lumbar traction machine, and with this one, if you want more traction force, you just lean over further. Since I can't tell the traction force being exerted, I am just going with how much pull I feel on my back. Not very scientific, but you are just going by what your body remembers. The convenience and ease of use is much better than the lying down versions. I set this up near a high traffic area in the game room at home, where I pass by often. It doesn't take up much room. I don't have to lie down, doesn't require another person strapping me in and whenever I feel like it I go on the machine and treat myself to a few seconds or minutes of traction. Very convenient if you are busy. The system I received doesn't have any welding or manufacturing flaws other buyers have been reporting about. Not sure if the company has got its act together or I was just lucky to get a good one. I will soon find out since I use it very often. If it doesn't last long, I will comeback and add to this review. I am about 6 ft, 200+ lbs, and I can see that it will work for people with different heights with a simple strap adjustment. I am very happy with this one, so far.

This product has been very helpful for me. No regrets!!

I finally pulled the trigger and bought this and am so glad I did, it works really well decompressing my lower back. I read in a previous review that you need to “learn” how to use it and have to agree. After a few tries of playing around with different hight settings, I found what works best for me. Would recommend for anyone with lower back pain.

L’article a été livré très rapidement. Il est bien construit et solide. Le montage est relativement facile. 4 étoiles plutôt que 5? Cet appareil doit être bien ajusté. Puis il demande une bonne perception du corps et de la sensation d’étirement. Il faut « apprendre » à l’utiliser. Cela prend un certain temps. Jusqu’ici, après 2 ou 3 semaines, cela donne de bons résultats. J’attends une expérience de quelques semaines pour me faire une idée plus exacte. Peut-être être alors donnerai-je 5/5. Pour l’instant j’aime bien l’utiliser et il me fait du bien en 1 minutes ou 2, répétées quelques fois par jour. COMMENTAIRE 2: APRÈS QUELQUES SEMAINES D’UTILISATION, LES BUSHING (PIÈCES NO 18) SE DÉFORMENT ET NE SONT PAS SUFFISAMMENT SOLIDES DE SORTE QUE LA SECTION MOBILE DEVIENT BRANLANTE.

I highly recommend this product. Easy to assemble. As soon I was done putting it together I read instructions and my lower back got a good stretch. I have a inversion table that helps my back but my ankles as hurt after using it .so I was looking for a product that was not to expensive but still relieved the pain in my lower back. Thank you for making this product .

Great machine too much shipping cost.