Answer. A height adjustable portable table’s only benefit over a fixed height portable table is in the value of the height adjustments to the practitioner using the table. There are many important considerations discussed below to assess the benefits and practicality of portable height adjustment for individual practitioners.

Not necessarily. It is important that the benefits of an adjustable height portable table are not confused with the benefits of an electric power driven stationary table. An electrically operated table is infinitely adjustable and will therefore be precisely adjustable for each practitioner in a matter of seconds, even while the patient is still on the table.

Portable adjustable height tables have a very limited number of adjustment positions (usually four or five adjustments), none of which may be the ideal for a particular practitioner. Table height requirements can vary from 60 cm to 80 cm (some practitioners require tables outside this range). Just because it is an adjustable height table does not automatically mean it will suit you. If you are short in stature, an adjustable height table may only suit you at its lowest adjustment, you will not be able to adjust the table downwards to suit a thicker torso patient. The adjustments above this point will not be of any use to you. You may as well purchase a fixed height portable table and save your money. Similarly a very tall practitioner may find the highest setting is not high enough, particularly for slim patients.

Take care when looking at the way different manufacturers specify the adjustment range of their portable tables. Some of them give a misleading picture by including as the lowest adjustment, the height with the adjustable section of the legs completely removed from the table. In practice it is unlikely any practitioner would ever use a table with the adjustable section of the legs removed. For one thing, the hollow upper section of the legs would dig into whatever surface the table is on with the weight of a patient on the table.

The vast majority of practitioners (19 out of 20 in our experience), who purchase a portable adjustable height table, rarely ever adjust the height after the table is initially set up. Getting down on your hands and knees to adjust the height on each of four legs is often more trouble than it is worth for one unusual sized patient; then after the treatment having to repeat the process to return the table to the practitioner’s normal height setting. It is also completely impractical to attempt to adjust a portable table after the patient has got on to the table (you can hardly ask them to get off during the treatment!) This means you have to guess the height to adjust the table before the patient goes in to the treatment room, or undresses.

It is advisable to check with a few practitioners who have already purchased an adjustable height table. Apart from the obvious benefit of getting independent answers to some of the questions arising from this discussion, ask them how often they have personally adjusted the height of their own table since purchasing it. Their answer to this question is often more revealing than their opinion on this subject.

The majority of problems associated with unusually sized patients are normally to do with very stout patients, (where the table height needs to be lowered, or the practitioner raised). This makes it difficult for the practitioner to get their body weight over the patient without straining their back. Often, such stout people, while very thick in the torso do not have extraordinarily thick arms or legs (consider the "beer gut" person). In this case if the table is lowered to accommodate the big torso, then it is far too low to work on the arms and legs without back discomfort.

A more practical approach is to simply remove or put on shoes, depending on your normal working mode, or to use a "step up stool". This is a simple little wooden stool about 10 cm high that can be easily moved around a table with your foot. It provides the extra height and reach to comfortably treat a larger than average patient.

Other factors to consider:

[Q6.4] Weight. An adjustable height portable table will always be heavier than the equivalent fixed height portable table. An adjustable height table made from steel will weigh between three and six kilograms more than an aluminium-framed adjustable height table, or a timber-framed fixed height table.

[Q6.5] Price. Adjustable height tables are always more expensive than their fixed height equivalents. This is because of the different leg assembly with telescopic sections and specialised hardware items such as locking pins and cable construction.

[Q6.6] Reliability, noise and stiffness. There is more to go wrong with an adjustable height table because of the additional mechanism. For the same reason they are usually noisier and have a shorter warranty. Adjustable height tables are generally not very stiff in the middle because they lack centre legs - this makes them less suitable for modalities such as chiropractic where even a small amount of flex in the middle of the table can interfere with the treatment.

A. Where people of many different heights are going to use the same table.

Where a number of people of quite different heights/arm lengths are working on the one table, e.g. in a classroom situation or where two massage partners vary greatly in height. Even then, if the difference in correct table height (see question 7) for the people using the table is less than 7 cm, then a single fixed height table (where the shorter/longer armed person wears shoes, and the other person is barefoot) usually works very satisfactorily. If this difference (in measured height requirement) is greater than 7 cm, then it is recommended that an adjustable height table be purchased (providing it can be adjusted to suit all practitioners).

B. Modalities that require different working heights. Where the one practitioner works in more than one modality, each of which requires quite different working heights, e.g. chiropractic and massage. Remember however that a table without centre legs is likely to have more deflexion in the middle and this may influence your choice, depending on the modalities you employ. (In our experience this is very much the exception rather than the rule - fewer than 1 in 100 practitioners would purchase an adjustable height table because they work in more than one modality).

C. If you want to use the table flat on the floor for Shiatsu. An adjustable 4-leg cable stayed table can easily be folded flat on the floor. Conversely a fixed height 8-leg table would need to have the pivot points of its centre leg hinges unscrewed to achieve the same effect. (In practice very few Shiatsu practitioners actually use a table in this way, although it sounds like a benefit. Most Shiatsu practitioners work on a proper Shiatsu mat, which has a much bigger surface area than a portable table).

D. You are one of those practitioners who would always go to the trouble of adjusting the height of your table for different patients.

For the majority of modalities the short answer is yes, keeping in mind the contra arguments outlined above. Refer to Question 7 for calculating the correct working height, or check the chart in Question 8 for an average measurement.

Most people don’t realize just how important it is to get a table that suits their height and arm reach. It can save back problems and strain to the arms, and help keep fatigue to a minimum. There is an optimum height, just as there is an optimum width, for your modality, and your physical characteristics.

There is nothing worse than having to use a table that is the wrong height. In the same spirit, avoid any table manufacturer who tries to tell you that "one size fits all", or that a portable adjustable height table will always be better than a portable fixed height table, or anything along these lines. Also avoid any manufacturer who only offers a very limited height range in their fixed height tables. Such manufacturers are not concerned with your comfort as a practitioner, but only with keeping their own costs to a minimum by offering a limited range (as are manufacturers who only offer the more expensive adjustable height tables!).

If you cannot have a table that is exactly right for you, it is better for massage therapists to have a table that is slightly low, rather than slightly high. The reason for this is that you need to use your upper body weight in massage and you will strain your lower back if the table is too high. You can always place your feet further apart, or bend your knees more, and still get your body weight over the patient on a slightly low table. (For other modalities such as reiki,

beauty therapy and energy work, that do not require downward pressure, the reverse may apply and it may be better to have a slightly tall table to reduce stooping).

There is a tendency for people newly involved with the massage profession to want to order a table that is too high for them. Do not fall into this trap or you will regret it very much, and probably wind up having to pay to change the height of your table. If you are at all unsure, seek professional advice.

Ensure that the manufacturer you purchase from offers the service of changing the height of your table if it is required. Reputable manufacturers usually provide same day service and offer a discount if you purchased the table from them. Within a specified period after purchasing a table, some reputable manufacturers will even change the height of your table without charge if you feel it is not the right height for you.

A reputable manufacturer who makes both fixed and adjustable height tables will give you good advice based on your specific needs. Beware of manufacturers who have a vested interest in pushing one type of table over another, because they only make one kind, or simply want to sell you a dearer table, or one that is in stock!

Carefully consider all the points in this discussion. If on balance an adjustable table is better for you, and you can afford it, then go with your instincts. As we have discussed there are certainly circumstances when an adjustable height portable table makes sense.

Alternatively, if there is no logical reason for you to need an adjustable height portable table, then save yourself some money, and buy a lighter weight, stiffer, fixed height table.

In the end the decision on fixed versus adjustable height is a very personal choice that only you can make. The purpose of this chapter is at least to make you aware of all the factors that should be taken in to account in reaching that decision. Unfortunately many people are only aware of a few of these factors, and often make hasty decisions, which they later regret.