Inverts = Eye Problems???!!!

spinnyfox started this discussion · 12/1/2009

I've been poling now for almost 2 years in "spurts", meaning I'll practice very consistently for a couple of months then take a couple weeks break, practice hard for another couple months, and so on. And I'm starting to see a pattern in a health issue for me. I've noticed that anytime I practice inverts the next day my eyes will be all red and cloudy, and I'll have little busted blood vessels around my eyes. If I practice every other day consistently I've noticed that my eyes will stay cloudy and red, and I'll also develop "eye headaches". All of these eye issues go away if I take a week or two break from the pole. Does this happen to anyone else??!!!! I don't feel like this is a normal thing to have happen, and it's worrying me just a little. Any ideas as to why I'd be struggling with this? 😕 Just a little for info for ya, when I invert, I use correct form, no kicking up, I lift myself with the strength of my abs, and I don't hold my breath or anything like that when I'm upside down, so that eliminates those potential reasons. Any thoughts would be MOST appreciated!!! Thanks!!!! 🌈

5 replies

SissyBuns · 12/1/2009
Wow Spinny, the first thing that I want to say to you is to STOP INVERTING! I am no pole pro and have not been doing it for that long but I do know that eye pain and bursted blood vessels after inverting is definitely not normal. Have you ever done anything else that required you to be hanging upside down and if so did you have a problem with that? I'm a nurse and I'm waiting for the doc I work with to get off the phone so I can ask him what he thinks could cause that but you definitely need to see your doctor and stop inverting until you get it figured out.
Mary Ellyn · 12/1/2009
Spinny fox..I would check with your physician and an eye doctor as well. Health problems should be checked in person by a professional. While I've never personally heard of this in anyone else, if it's related to your poling, make certain there isn't something else going on that needs to be taken care of.
spinnyfox · 12/1/2009
thanks, ladies! Yeah, I didn't think it was a normal occurrence. 🙁 Sissy, that would be so awesome of you to ask your doc!!! I actually don't have any ins (times are hard), and I can't afford to go to the doc right now.
azriel · 12/1/2009
i agree with everyone else about putting your inverts on pause & going to your doctor! i'm so sorry that's happening to you, i can't imagine how frustrating it must be. And you know, after reading your post, i vaguely remember reading somewhere (unrelated to pole) that being inverted for long periods of time can have some detrimental effects on the optical nerve.. but i don't remember the details, as i thought it didn't apply to me or poling, so i didn't pay much attention to it. I'll try to google it or something & see if i find anything, but you should DEFINITELY go get it checked out! good luck 🥂
azriel · 12/1/2009
Ok i looked at a couple sites.. i know you can look yourself, but thought i'd post a couple links here since i did it anyway. Here's a quote from one of the articles: "We believe that the substantial elevation of intraocular pressure during gravity inversion may pose potential risks to the eyes, and we recommend that inversion for extended periods of time be avoided." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3579708 http://www.ehow.com/facts_5021764_negative-effects-inversion-therapy.html http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/back-inversion-table-1200358.html From what i gathered in a few minutes, seems that a minority of people's eyes are affected during inversion (one article said this is true for those who have glaucuma of the eyes)- i don't know how accurate this is or how much it applies to you, since the only condition/effect i saw mentioned was "a detachment of the retina from the optical nerve", which doesn't sound like that's your case, but i'm no ophthalmologist, so idk. PLEASE dont invert & look into this more & let us know what you find out!!
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