Does swimming help with osteochondrosis? Doctors recommend moderate physical activity for degenerative processes in the spine. Swimming in the pool can benefit the patient. Indeed, during swimming, a person’s blood circulation increases and the muscles of the back strengthen. This helps restore normal spinal function and reduce morning muscle stiffness. It is only necessary to dose physical activity and follow the rules of therapeutic swimming.
Benefit
Why is swimming useful for osteochondrosis of the spine? This type of physical activity contributes to the following healing processes in the body:
- Relieve spasms. Muscles relax in water. This helps to reduce the unpleasant feeling of stiffness in the neck and lower back, which usually worries patients in the morning.
- Strengthening musclesback and neck. With regular swimming exercises, special muscles that support the spinal column are trained. Fabrics become stronger and more resilient. As a result, pathological processes in the spine are suspended.
- Improve metabolism. Swimming with osteochondrosis helps to normalize metabolism in tissues. Active movements in the water stimulate blood circulation. This starts the repair processes in damaged cartilage.
- Stretching the spine. During swimming, the spaces between the vertebrae increase. This process in water occurs painlessly and gradually. As a result, there is less pressure on the cartilage and on the nerve endings. This helps to reduce pain and normalize the functioning of internal organs.
- Getting rid of excess weight. With a large body weight, the load on the spine increases. Active movements in the water help to lose weight.
In addition, swimming with cervical osteochondrosis improves the blood supply to brain tissues. This allows you to get rid of a headache.
Classes in the pool can bring even more benefits than regular therapeutic exercises. After all, it is much easier to perform movements in water than on land.
Contraindications
Swimming with osteochondrosis is not always useful. Classes in the pool can only be carried out during remission. With severe pain and difficulty in movement, it is necessary to abandon physical activity. You can start water exercises only after stopping acutesymptoms.
Swimming is also contraindicated in the following diseases:
- Skin diseases. With dermatological pathologies, bathing is absolutely contraindicated. Chlorinated water can cause allergies.
- Epilepsy. If the patient suffers from seizures, then swimming alone is quite risky. In this case, classes in the pool can only be carried out under the supervision of another person who, if necessary, can remove the patient from the water and provide first aid.
- Severe pathologies of the heart, blood vessels and lungs. With such diseases, it is necessary to exclude physical activity.
- Colds. In this case, swimming in the pool can only be resumed after a full recovery.
Choosing where to swim
Swimming with osteochondrosis is beneficial only if the person is not supercooled. Otherwise, an exacerbation of the pathology may occur. Therefore, doctors do not recommend conducting classes in natural reservoirs with cool water. This can provoke an increase in pain. In addition, in river water, a person has to overcome the current, which creates excessive physical exertion.
Swimming in open water is allowed only when the water temperature is high and the weather is hot. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to douse with cool water. This can nullify the entire therapeutic effect of bathing. Cold drinks and drafts should also be avoided.
Not Recommendedvisit outdoor pools. The patient may become hypothermic when leaving the water. Experts recommend therapeutic swimming only in indoor pools.
Rules of therapeutic swimming
How to swim with osteochondrosis? Doctors advise to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Before starting classes, you need to do a little gymnastics. Such a warm-up will help prepare the muscles for the load. It is useful to carry out a light massage of the back and neck, this will increase the flow of blood to the spine.
- You can start classes only at a water temperature of about +30 degrees. This will avoid hypothermia. In the future, the water temperature is gradually lowered to +23 degrees.
- Sudden movements should be avoided. While exercising in the pool, water often gets into the ears and eyes. This causes the person to shake their head violently. To avoid such a nuisance, you must purchase special goggles and a swimming cap in advance. With osteochondrosis of the cervical region, sudden movements of the head are especially undesirable, this can provoke an attack of pain.
- It's very important to watch your breathing while exercising. It is necessary to inhale smoothly and deeply, and then sharply and quickly release the air from the lungs. Such exercises have a positive effect on the mobility of the spine and reduce nerve compression.
- You need to swim for 50 - 60 minutes, at least 2 times a week.
- What if a person can't swim? In this case, it is useful to purchase an inflatable pillow. Can also be used for swimmingcircle for children. Holding hands on this device, you can perform gymnastic exercises in the water. This option is also suitable for older people with weakened muscles.
Swimming style
It is very important to choose the right swimming style. With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, it is useful to move through the water on your back. This will help to relax the muscles as much as possible. Breaststroke is also recommended.
After each push with your hands and feet, you should try to slide on the surface of the water as long as possible. This will help stretch the spine and relieve stiffness.
With lumbar osteochondrosis, breaststroke swimming brings maximum benefits. Active leg movements help strengthen the muscles that support the lower sections of the spinal column. If the patient is diagnosed with a lesion of the discs in the thoracic region, then it is necessary to swim lying on your back.
Water gymnastics
Water treatments are best taken under the guidance of a therapeutic swimming instructor. The specialist will help you choose an individual gymnastics complex for each patient.
While in the water, it is useful to do the following types of exercises:
- Holding your hands on the side of the pool, you can hang a little. This allows you to stretch the intervertebral spaces and release the restrained tissues.
- If you want to relax a little, you can put your feet on the side and hang on your back for a few minutes. In this case, you need to try to relax the muscles of the neck and arms. It is forbidden to make sudden movements, they can damage the spine and muscles.
- It is useful to make swinging movements with arms and legs in the water, as well as turns of the torso.
- If swimming lessons are held in a shallow pool, then walking and running along the bottom, as well as squats are recommended.
Increase the load during water gymnastics should be gradually and carefully. Excessive physical activity can lead to increased pain and stiffness.
Expert Opinion
How effective is swimming with osteochondrosis? Doctors conducted a study among patients who regularly visit the pool. It was found that in this category of patients, the spine was significantly lengthened. With the help of MRI diagnostics, a decrease in degenerative processes in cartilage was revealed. Also, patients showed an increase in height by about 0.5 - 1.5 cm due to stretching of the spinal column.
Patient testimonials
You can find a lot of positive feedback about swimming in diseases of the spine. Patients report that they have significantly reduced chronic back pain, muscle stiffness after waking up in the morning. Patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical region also note the normalization of blood pressure and the disappearance of dizziness with regular visits to the pool.
However, in some patients, there was an increase in pain after swimming. Typically, this is associated withoverexertion during exercise or lack of warm-up. Pain after swimming was also observed in patients with vertebral hernia. With such a complication of osteochondrosis, classes in the pool should be supervised by an exercise therapy instructor.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that swimming is useful during remission of osteochondrosis. However, before starting classes, you should consult with your doctor. It is necessary to make sure that there are no contraindications to classes. Exercise in the pool can only be beneficial if all the rules are followed and with a gradual increase in physical activity.
