THE SCIENCE OF GRAVITY
By Nicky Bertollo, PhD, Gravity scientific adviser
Orthopaedic Biomechanics Researcher
“The unique Gravity system triggers the body’s natural ability to relax and realign itself, relieving tension in the tissues that may be the source of pain and limited mobility. Gravity Life exerts a unique profile of pressure to the skin through each individual silicone sphere located on each of the components, stimulating subtle stretching and decompression of the underlying tissues and fascia, helping in the relief of pain, restoring posture and enhancing mobility. The Gravity Life can be thought of as a self-massaging tool because this complex interaction between the device and the body continues even with the user lying still, such is the power of Gravity.”
THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION
Chronic back pain
Back pain affects people of all ages and leads to disability in as much as 10% of the population. As back pain does not have a known cause, treatment then focuses on reducing and managing pain and its symptoms. Conservative management includes education, prescribing pain medications and can also involve manipulation and mobilization therapy, such as physiotherapy and osteopathy. Manual interventions target and relieve the build-up of tension and stress in the deeper fascia of the back, which is thought to be the source of pain. Fascial tension is also believed to limit mobility, which can restrict movement and affect posture.
Clinical trials
Experiments conducted at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) have measured these pressures. These experiments using pressure films on healthy volunteers have confirmed that the maximum pressure exerted on the skin over a 20 min period are stable, peaking at a level approximately one-quarter of the pressure exerted on the heel and ball/sole of the feet when standing barefoot in an upright position. Use of the Gravity Life has not been associated with adverse skin outcomes across the community user-base of several thousand people, which is continuing to grow.
A randomized clinical trial of the Gravity device is currently being undertaken (Sydney, Australia). The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with lower back pain referred for physiotherapy can achieve similar pain relief and improved mobility using the Gravity device. In this study forty consecutive lower back pain patients will be randomly allocated to manual physical therapy and Gravity Life groups. Primary outcome measures of the study include pain intensity and disability scores (Roland Morris questionnaire) over a two-week period. If this home therapy device is shown to be as effective as manual physiotherapy at alleviating symptoms, it holds great promise in the management of pain, allowing a return to normal activities whilst offering substantial savings to the public healthcare system.
Clinical survey
By Dr.Helen Jones BSc (Hons) MB ChB (Hons) DTM . H MRCGP
Helen is our NHS GP and Medical team advisor recently supervised a survey with her own patients and Gravity customers, gathered statistics regarding the need for Gravity system and why patients choose to use Gravity, and what they had to say about it.
Of 219 participants, 87 people primarily chose Gravity for relief of neck pain. 170 for back pain. 61 for relaxation, and 17 for sleep improvement, to name a few of the larger groups. Their feedback was very positive and reduced symptoms in chronic pain and discomfort cases to great effect, satisfactory to their expectations.
