Gymnastics for osteochondrosis: a set of exercises and recommendations for prevention

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

Osteochondrosis is a phenomenon today, unfortunately, far from rare. If earlier this disease mainly affected the elderly and the elderly, today it is increasingly affecting young people. This is primarily due to the wrong sedentary lifestyle or the specifics of work. In this article, you can learn how to do gymnastics with osteochondrosis.

General information

Osteochondrosis most often occurs in the cervical and lumbar regions. The disease develops slowly and does not make itself felt at first, but its consequences are very serious, and it can reach surgical methods of treatment, as in the case of hernia and protrusion of the intervertebral discs. Causing changes in the tissues of cartilage and vertebrae, osteochondrosis can lead to pinching of nerves and blood vessels. A particularly striking example of this is frequent headaches and dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis.

Gymnastics for osteochondrosis for the spine is an excellent tool for the treatment and prevention of the disease.

In order to prevent and treat osteochondrosis of the spine, systematic exercises with special physiotherapy exercises are important. Let's take a closer look at what gymnastics is for osteochondrosis.

Features of gymnastics

You can do gymnastics on your own at home, or you can go to special medical centers. But in any case, before starting independent studies, it is strongly recommended to consult with a specialist (traumatologist, orthopedist-traumatologist, neuropathologist). This is due to the fact that the course of the disease is specific for each person, and an individual approach is required both in the selection of exercises and in the degree of load.

There are some rules for performing gymnastics with osteochondrosis. Exercises can be performed at any convenient time. Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the spine is very useful in the morning. You can do several exercises immediately after sleep, break for a morning toilet, and then finish the rest of the exercises.

Exercise clothing should be light, loose, and not cold.

There are exercises in gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the spine, which are good to do during the working day, when tension and fatigue are felt in the muscles of the back.

In addition, it is very important to understand that the pain that appeared during the exercise,this is primarily a signal to reduce the load and intensity of movements and, possibly, even to stop their implementation. This means that at this stage the body is not yet ready for the load, it needs to be reduced for a while.

There are quite a few methods for performing physiotherapy exercises for osteochondrosis of the spine. For example, gymnastics for the neck or gymnastics for lumbar disease will differ in a set of exercises within the same methodology. Some experts prefer Shishonin's gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis.

Execution rules

It all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism and the preferences of the person himself. The main thing is that gymnastics for lumbar osteochondrosis or any other is beneficial and enjoyable, and for this you need to follow a number of rules. They are as follows:

1. Exercise is done consistently: daily or three times a week, strictly on the same days.
2. Exercises should be done diligently, at a normal pace, without sudden movements, clearly in form, without amateur performance.
3. When performing, you need to follow your breath, it should not be delayed.
4. Consultations with a doctor should also be regular to control the course of diseases and the recovery process.

In any case, for the spine, gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical, thoracic or lumbar remains the best, and most importantly, affordable remedy.

Cervical osteochondrosis

According toAccording to statistics, in 40% of patients in the age range from 50 to 60 years old, suffering from cervical osteochondrosis, this disease is already in a severe form, with significant spinal dysfunction and structural damage. After 60 years of such patients become more than 60%. And treatment does not always bring relief in this case, even surgery. It will help to avoid such an unenviable future therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis. The stable implementation of a set of exercises helps to cope with the symptoms of the disease and gradually defeat the disease itself.

Shishonin's methods of therapeutic exercises for the neck with osteochondrosis were developed by specialists in medical institutes and clinics. The methods are based on many years of practical experience.

Below you can see on the video how Shishonin's gymnastics is done for the neck with cervical osteochondrosis.

Principles of gymnastics

The basic principles of performing therapeutic exercises for the neck are as follows:

1. In special medical institutions, vertebrologists conduct physical therapy classes according to an individual or group plan. It is better to start practicing therapeutic exercise complexes with such classes with specialists. This can be done during periods of remission or when the pain subsides.
2. Complexes usually contain several dozen basic exercises, but exercises are individually selected for each patient, taking into account the specifics of the course of the disease and the presence of other problems in the body.
3. It is recommended to start classes with the smallest load andrange of motion. The load should be increased gradually, dosing. If you immediately give a large load to the body, the condition may deteriorate sharply, and injury is possible.
4. Exercise should be beneficial and help to improve the condition, and if this is not observed, you should understand the reasons and, possibly, change the composition of the set of exercises. But you don’t have to talk about the results right away, since a steady improvement occurs after a few weeks, or even months of doing the exercises.
5. Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical region should not cause increased pain. If the exercises are accompanied by an increase in pain, then it is worth reviewing them with a specialist. Pain is a signal of increasing disturbances.
6. You need to warm up the sore areas well before starting exercise (with a warm shower or warm towel). It relieves muscle tension in the cervical region, improves blood circulation, helps reduce pain and increase the effectiveness of training.

Gymnastic exercises

Gymnastics shown for the cervical spine

These exercises will help to cope with chronic pain in the cervical region, you can carefully start doing during the period of acute pain, but still better after the pain subsides. You need to start the exercises with the minimum number of repetitions that you can handle, then gradually increase the number over time.

1. Smoothly turn the head from left to right and back.
2. We lower our head down and stretch our chin to the upper edge of the sternum.
3. Tip your head back, no sudden movements.
4. In a sitting position, preferably in a chair, raise your shoulders as high as possible, and stay in this position for ten fifteen seconds.

Exercise for the thoracic spine

A set of exercises improves the mobility of the vertebrae of the thoracic region, the work of the joints connecting the ribs to the vertebrae, and breathing.

1. We take the starting position, sit on a chair, put our hands on the back of the head. Next, take a deep breath and bend back so that your back is pressed against the back of the chair. Next, lean forward and exhale.
2. IP - lie down on the floor, hold your hands behind your head, put a moderately hard roller under the thoracic spine (for example, from a folded towel). We bend and raise the upper body, take the starting position.
3. IP - sitting. We wrap the lower part of the chest with a towel or a suitable piece of cloth. First we take a deep breath, then exhale, and at this moment we tighten the ends of the towel. Relax the towel and exhale.
4. Starting position - standing, raise your arms above your head, legs apart. We clasp the wrist of the left hand with the right and make a tilt to the right, while slightly sipping the hand. We return to the starting position, change hands and tilt to the left.

Gymnastics for the lumbar spine

This gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the spine helps to get rid of chronic pain in the lumbosacraldepartment. Regular use helps to strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, improves posture, flexibility of the spine. The exercises are repeated 10-15 times, but you need to start from a minimum, and then - according to your well-being.

1. Starting position - lying on your back, lower your arms along the body, tighten your abdominal muscles and relax them.
2. Starting position - lying on your back. We raise the upper part of the body, do not try not to tear off the legs from the floor, we return to the PI.
3. Starting position - lying on your back, legs slightly bent at the knees. Stretch your left hand forward and place it on your right knee. We bend the right leg, trying at the same time to counteract it with the hand. Repeat the same with the other leg.
4. Starting position - lying down, arms along the body. Without lifting your head and shoulder blades from the floor, we shift our legs first to the left, then to the right, while bending the lumbar.
5. Starting position - we kneel in front of a low support, put our hands and head on it. We bend first up and then down.
6. Starting position - get on all fours. We bend the back first to the left, and then to the right.
7. To perform this exercise, you need to get a horizontal bar. Starting position - hang on your hands. We begin to slowly rotate the body from side to side.

After finishing the exercises, especially for the lumbar and thoracic regions, rest for an hour is necessary.

Spine prophylaxis

Almost all people after a long sitting in the office or after prolonged strong physical exertion in the evening feelback pain of varying strength.

This happens due to the fact that under the influence of the load, the muscles tense up, and the vertebrae move closer to each other, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerve processes. All this causes pain in the back. To get rid of pain, you need to relieve muscle tension and stretch the spine. Evening exercises for the spine help with this.

Prophylactic exercises for the back

If you do not suffer from osteochondrosis or intervertebral hernia, then to maintain the he alth of your back, you need to spend only 10-15 minutes doing a few simple, but very useful exercises.

There are rules that it is desirable to follow when doing exercises for the spine:

1. Each exercise should be performed calmly, slowly, smoothly and without jerks. Great if you feel the stretch in your back muscles and spine.
2. To perform the exercise, you need to get on all fours, inhale and slightly arch your back, while trying to look up. Doing this exercise, you will feel how the back muscles are stretched along the spinal column from the bottom up.
3. Hold your breath in this pose for a few seconds, then exhale and arch your back up like a cat. At the same time, pull the stomach in, straining the abdominal muscles. Having done this, press your chin to the top of your chest and hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale. This exercise should be repeated 8-10 times.
4. To do the secondexercise, you need to lie on the floor, place your hands under your head. Exhale completely and bend your right knee as you inhale. At the same time, the left leg should be kept straight, pressing the thigh to the body. Grab your knee with your hands. In this position, hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale and return to the starting position lying down. It is necessary to perform 5-10 repetitions for each leg in turn.

This exercise helps to relieve the heavy load accumulated during the day and live a full life, and not suffer from fatigue, pain and irritation.

Exercising for osteochondrosis and spinal hernia

If there are no pathologies, then to maintain a he althy back, you just need to constantly do exercises to relieve fatigue. But if you have osteochondrosis in one of the sections of the spine, then a properly selected complex is vital, since only special exercises and a diet will help to cope with the disease. After all, it is always more difficult to treat than to prevent the disease. A set of exercises must be agreed with a competent specialist on the basis of medical studies showing the degree of destruction of spinal tissues. In no case can you independently select exercises, without an accurate diagnosis. This can seriously harm the body.

Exercising with a hernia of the spine is a special case. It is necessary to approach this issue carefully, since well-chosen exercises will only benefit, but thoughtless excessive loads can harm and aggravate the course of the disease.

Important

In any case, when doing a set of exercises, you must adhere to the following rules:

• start with a minimum amount of exercise, gradually increasing the load;
• be attentive to the reaction of the body, and if this or that exercise causes discomfort, then you should leave it for a while and try to do it again in a day or two.

The right set of physical exercises and diet will help you stay always cheerful and cheerful.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worth noting that gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the chest, lumbar or cervical must be included in the course of therapy for this disease. A qualified specialist should select individual exercises for each case.