Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects not only the elderly, but also the young. It is most common in those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. This disease affects the spine, and more specifically its different departments. It occurs due to improper metabolism and is dystrophic for intervertebral discs. They undergo degeneration, lose their elasticity and plasticity. The discs can grow together, and there is also insufficient cushioning.
Features of the disease
The disease affects various areas of the human skeleton. At first, it does not manifest itself in any way, but over time, a pain syndrome occurs. It is accompanied by inflammation of the area that is affected.
Osteochondrosis manifests itself in such areas of the spine as:
- cervical;
- chest;
- lumbar;
- shoulder girdle;
- lower and upper limbs.
Sometimes the pain syndrome is localized in the region of the heart. These may be false symptoms of heart disease. In fact, such pain may indicateabout osteochondrosis. Also, this disease is today considered a disease of the century. Its treatment is difficult due to the late manifestations of pain symptoms. Prevention of the disease are constant exercises for osteochondrosis.
Signs of osteochondrosis of the spine
As mentioned earlier, the disease affects not only the elderly, but also young people. From this it follows that the correct diagnosis and diagnosis will help to avoid a large number of problems. But it is very important to monitor your body on your own and listen to the various signals that it gives. The disease is fraught with many dangers. At first glance, it seems that only intervertebral discs and cartilage are deformed, but this is not so. With the development of the disease, the vertebrae also undergo very strong changes, thereby completely depriving the affected area of mobility. The intervertebral discs grow together, change and pinch the nerve endings that lead to the brain.
Osteochondrosis brings not only discomfort and pain, but also affects the general well-being of the patient. The main signs of the disease include:
- frequent dizziness;
- back pain;
- fatigue and back pain;
- crunching of the vertebrae when moving the body;
- numbness of lower and upper limbs;
- goosebumps that appear for no apparent reason;
- severe headaches;
- feeling cold in hands and feet;
- muscle spasms.
All of the above signs are only a small part of the disease. If you do not start doing exercises for osteochondrosis in time, the disease may worsen, and the symptoms will become much brighter.
Causes of the disease
Today, there are several main causes of this disease. People who are constantly faced with loads and stresses already automatically fall into the "risk group" of this disease. Also susceptible to this disease are people who:
- There are a variety of spinal injuries.
- Bad posture.
- Subject to strong physical exertion.
- Smokers.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Stress on the spine due to constant vibration (drivers).
- Strong emotional upheaval and stress.
- Diseases associated with the endocrine system, as well as somatic.
- Hormonal disorders in the body.
- Improper and irrational nutrition, in which the body does not receive enough vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
And this is only a small part of the factors that can contribute to the occurrence of osteochondrosis.
Treatment and prevention of spine disease
Treatment consists of several stages. At the first sign of discomfort in the back, it is recommended to immediately consult a specialist. He will help to establish the cause and give recommendations regarding the further course and getting rid of the disease.
The first stage is medication. Doctorwill prescribe special drugs that will help relieve inflammation and restore cartilage tissue. Next comes a set of exercise therapy exercises, restoring the mobility of the spine. Massages and manual therapy are also prescribed. In particularly difficult cases, experts recommend surgery.
One of the main factors in the prevention of spinal disease is a properly equipped bed. The mattress on which the patient rests should be hard, preferably with an orthopedic base. Also important are preventive exercises for osteochondrosis. If you engage in a complex, then the disease will not only stop progressing, but the functionality of the vertebrae will also improve.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae
Specialists identify several dangerous sections of the spine that are affected by osteochondrosis. And that includes the neck. The reasons for this are obvious, since in this area there are the largest arteries that provide nutrition to all internal organs. Also very close are the vessels and nerve fibers that feed and supply nerve impulses to the brain. And this can lead to very serious problems and, in turn, to complications. Sometimes, against the background of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, mental illness and a variety of depressive conditions can develop. Also, frequent symptoms that a person has osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:
- headaches in the occipital area;
- nausea;
- dizziness;
- increased blood pressurepressure.
How to do gymnastics?
Young people over the age of twenty-five are susceptible to the disease. It all depends on whether the person is at risk. Experts note that the best prevention of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will be a complex of therapeutic exercises. It is perfect for preventive procedures and restores neck mobility. But it is important to follow the rules when doing gymnastics:
- Exercises for osteochondrosis are performed only during remission.
- Pain during exercise should be absent.
- All actions are done very measuredly and without harshness.
- You always need to keep your posture and remember that the correct performance of the exercises depends only on it.
- Gymnastics is performed strictly on time, it is recommended to allocate fifteen minutes per group of exercises.
Given all these rules, it is recommended to realize that before giving the body physical activity, you need to consult a specialist.
Cervical exercises
The disease has several forms: acute and chronic. In the acute form, in order to relieve the pain symptom, you need to do everything slowly and consistently. No sudden movements are allowed. A set of exercises:
- Standing or sitting body position. Hands are located along the body. It is necessary to make movements of the neck alternately in different directions. The chin is in line with the shoulders.
- Positionoriginal body. The head moves forward, touching the chest with the chin. The neck is slightly springy.
- Next exercise, same pose. The chin is slowly drawn back, provided that the head remains level.
This entire neck exercise is repeated ten times. In the chronic form, the exercises are somewhat modified.
Exercises for chronic cervical osteochondrosis
Exercise should be done very slowly and carefully. Additional loads, on the contrary, will bring even more damage.
Exercise:
- Body position sitting or standing. With a palm with a gradual load, press on the forehead. In this case, the hand should give resistance to the head.
- The continuation of this exercise is that the hand moves to the temporal zone and presses on the head towards the shoulder.
- The last exercise is a slow and symmetrical lifting and relaxation of the shoulders. Shoulders go up and down. They are tense at the top, when lowering down, you need to slowly relax them.
This exercise for the neck helps relieve pain and stimulates blood circulation in the intervertebral discs.
Exercise therapy for thoracic osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is one of the most problematic in the treatment and prevention. Since the chest with ribs creates a very rigid corset and is practically immobile, it is difficult to get to such vertebrae. There are a number of exercises recommended by the exercise therapy doctor to prevent the disease inthoracic region:
- Starting position - standing. It is required to slowly lean forward, while the back should be flat. When the body remains at floor level, the head should be thrown back and the shoulder blades should be brought together. Fix the position for a few minutes.
- Standing and straightening your posture, you need to take turns raising your shoulders. The exercise is performed ten times on one shoulder.
- In a sitting position with a flat back, put one hand over the shoulder behind the back, the other through the lower back. Fasten your hands into the castle and slowly bend over. After the position of the hands changes. Perform the exercise fifteen times on one side.
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
The lumbosacral spine also suffers from such a disease as osteochondrosis. Basically, the onset of the disease can be provoked by heavy physical exertion. Usually a person has no control when lifting heavy objects. And so the whole load falls on the lower back. Therapeutic gymnastics of the lumbar spine will improve the performance of the back and help avoid complications. The exercise is recommended to be performed slowly and smoothly, without sudden movements.
- From a standing position, you need to do slow forward and backward bends. 15 sets in two directions.
- Starting position on all fours. In turn, and very slowly, you should arch and bend your back.
- Remaining in the same position, put one hand behind your back and slowly turn your torso to the side. Afterswitch hands and do the same.
- Lie on your back, the surface should be firm. Put your hands behind your head and slowly stretch your spine.
Contraindications
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, cervical and thoracic has its contraindications. First of all, you can not perform exercises during an exacerbation of the disease. It is also worth abandoning exercise therapy if you are worried about acute pain and is accompanied by other complications.
It is not recommended to do gymnastics and with acute respiratory infections, inflammatory processes or recent diseases. The body at such moments is still very weak, and physical activity will not allow it to fully recover. And it greatly affects the immune system. It should be remembered that before any physical exercise, the exercise therapy doctor must do a full examination and make recommendations.
