Exercise for osteochondrosis

Exercise is an effective method of treating osteochondrosis: it helps to bring the muscles into tone, improve the functional function of the musculoskeletal system, joints. It is recommended to use in parallel with other methods, such as massage, manual therapy.

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, characterized by degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, leading to loss of their density and integrity (cracks appear). The load on the spine can cause the disc to move toward the spinal canal (disc protrusion) or the protrusion of the nucleus pulposus from the surrounding fibrous ring (intervertebral hernia).

As a rule, the development of the disease is encouraged by an inactive lifestyle, infrequent physical activity (the tone of the muscles-ligaments of the spine is reduced). Special training can slow the course of osteochondrosis.

Regular exercise therapy aimed at stretching the vertebrae has a positive effect on the condition of the spine and the body as a whole:

• back muscles strengthened;
• the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the cartilage and bone tissue of the spine is improved;
• normalize blood circulation, metabolism in cartilage;
• the process of toxin removal and toxins are accelerated.

A set of therapeutic exercises is used to alleviate the condition with osteochondrosis, and to prevent the onset of the disease.

The figure shows part of the spinal column, the area where the intervertebral disc is located (between the vertebrae) is rounded in black. The intervertebral disc plays a role as a shock absorber - it protects the vertebrae from friction with each other when walking, sitting, and exerting themselves. With an inactive lifestyle, in the human body, metabolism is disrupted, as a result of which the intervertebral disc does not receive the required amount of nutrients - this is how degenerative changes begin, the nucleus pulposus loses moisture, and the elasticity of the disc. This, in turn, leads to an increase in load on the vertebrae and, in fact, on the entire spine and back muscles.

The effects of exercise

In the acute period of the course of osteochondrosis, therapeutic exercises are not used. To improve the well -being of the patient, a stretch of the spine along its axis is prescribed. Increased distance between vertebrae leads to muscle relaxation, decreased nerve root irritation (reduced pain). With the exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to change the soft beds to hard ones.

Therapeutic exercise has a positive effect in the early stages of the development of osteochondrosis. It stimulates biological and physiological processes in the body: blood circulation is improved, muscle tone is improved, the function of the spinal movement segments is restored.

In general, the regular use of therapeutic exercise helps:

• strengthens the muscles of the hands and musculoskeletal-ligamentous apparatus;
• improve blood flow and lymph circulation;
• enhances metabolic processes in the affected spinal tissues;
• correct wrong posture;
• restore spinal support and motor function.

In the early stages of osteochondrosis, physiotherapy aims to reduce nerve root irritation in contact with the affected intervertebral disc. Despite the positive results from the use of gymnastics, it is necessary to do only exercises that do not cause an increase in pain.

Indications for exercise therapy

The main goal of exercise is to strengthen the muscles, the cartilage tissue that supports the vertebrae. Exercises must be done slowly, without sudden movements, completely relaxed.

It is not worth too much work during class: only a moderate load contributes to recovery (improved metabolism, improved muscle condition, resumed spinal work, shock absorption function of the intervertebral disc).

It is not recommended to do exercises with acute pain and without first consulting a doctor. It is better to engage in physical education under the supervision of a qualified specialist (physiotherapist), but you can do it yourself.

To achieve positive results, training must be carried out daily. First, all exercises are repeated no more than 5 times, then the number of approaches increases to 10-12 times (as the muscles strengthen).

Frequency of physiotherapy exercises

All exercises prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of osteochondrosis should be done regularly. In addition, patients whose activities are related to sedentary work are recommended to warm up directly at work (if possible, but preferably hourly).

Strengthening muscles is necessary at any opportunity. Even light exercise with their regular performance will help to prevent recurrence of the acute phase of osteochondrosis, reducing the intensity of pain.

The effects of the use of physiotherapy exercises for spinal diseases are felt immediately after class (with properly chosen gymnastics). The choice of a set of exercises should be carried out by the doctor from the general picture of the disease (stage of development of osteochondrosis, the type of damaged structure, the form of the disease).

You don't have to stop exercising. If you feel unwell, there is no relief, you should contact your doctor: he will prescribe a new set of exercises.

When is exercise contraindicated?

Doing exercise for osteochondrosis helps improve well -being, preventing vertebral fusion during the destructive process in the spinal disc. Basically, its use is recommended for all patients, but exceptions are possible.

Conducting exercise therapy is contraindicated in such cases:

• acute period of osteochondrosis course;
• postoperative period (in the first stage of spinal rehabilitation);
• neurological diseases accompanied by impaired coordination of movements;
• high blood pressure;
• disorders of the vestibular apparatus;
• blurred vision (severe myopia), elevated intraocular pressure;
• dysfunction of the cardiovascular system (e. g. , arrhythmias);
• deterioration of the patient's condition due to complications of chronic diseases, severe illness.

Physical education is not carried out: on an empty stomach, after meals or too much physical work.

Positive results from the use of physical education are possible with an integrated approach to the implementation of therapeutic training. In this case, only such exercises need to be done, after which the muscle condition improves significantly (work capacity increases, tension decreases).

If you feel worse during or after gymnastics, it is better to stop it and make sure you go to the doctor.

Cervical osteochondrosis: what is effective exercise?

The disease manifests itself in different segments of the spine, but most often degenerative-dystrophic changes are observed in the structure of cartilage and bone in the cervical region. The main reason is to remain constantly in an uncomfortable tense position. The most susceptible to this disease are people over 25 years of age.

To engage in physiotherapy training with cervical osteochondrosis, special physical training is not required. Each patient can easily perform the following exercises:

1. We sit on chairs, straighten our backs, stretch our necks. Then we do 5-10 slow turns of the head: to the left and right (we try to rotate the neck as much as possible). The result of physical education is an increase in the motor function of the cervical vertebrae.
2. In a standing position, tilt your head down, trying to convey your chin to your chest. Repeat the slope 10 times. (If we can't reach the chest, we try to get our heads as close as possible).
3. We sat at the table, leaning on it with our elbows. We place the palms to the temples, tilt the head to the side, while creating resistance with the hands (keep in this position for about 10 seconds). We do the exercise no more than 10 times with an 8-10 second break. The effect of doing such gymnastics is to strengthen the side muscles of the neck.
4. We lay on our stomachs to ensure complete relaxation of the muscles. We place the hands along the body (palms up). Then, with a slow motion, we turn our head to the left, then to the right (up to 10 turns in each direction), always returning to the starting position: facing down.
5. We sit, lean forward, take a deep breath (head reaches chest). On exhaling, we return to the starting position, throwing back the head. We repeat the exercise 10-15 times.

All exercises are recommended to be performed in combination with other types of therapeutic exercises. Systematic conduct of such physical education with cervical osteochondrosis strengthens muscles, helps relieve pain.

Exercises for the shoulder girdle muscles

The shoulder joint connects the clavicle, shoulder blade, arm bone, thus providing greater mobility to the upper limbs. Incorrect posture, which has been formed over the years, leads to a decrease in its function: stooping and stiffness of the shoulders appear. With chronic tension of the shoulder girdle, rib mobility worsens, breathing becomes difficult.

Exercises aimed at developing the shoulder girdle muscles are used as a prevention of the onset of spinal diseases: osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernias.

It is not recommended to start exercising after an injury or damage to the shoulder joint without consulting a doctor.

While doing gymnastics, it is necessary to monitor posture, correct leg position (they should be shoulder width apart) and body (you can not lean forward). Only after that the load on the back, arms, neck muscles and shoulder girdle will be evenly distributed.

The first exercise is done slowly, then gradually increase the speed of movement. This technique of doing gymnastics prevents the appearance of muscle pain after exercise.

Exercises for the development of the shoulder girdle, shoulder, consist of the following exercises:

1. We put our feet shoulder -width apart, put our hands on the belt. We make turns with the shoulders forward, then in the opposite direction.
2. I put the injured hand on the healthy shoulder. We placed a second hand on the elbow of the unhealthy limb, carefully pulling the injured arm upwards.
3. We took our hands behind our backs, we connected them into the locks so that the diseased limb was on top. Slowly pull the affected arm with the healthy limb down.

This kind of exercise improves blood circulation, speeds up metabolic processes in damaged tissues. Gymnastics from school physical education programs has a similar effect.

With osteochondrosis, power load is undesirable, as it can increase pain. Normal light warming has a positive effect: a cheerful feeling appears, the pain subsides.

In case of cervical and shoulder diseases, in addition to exercise, the use of compresses based on Dimexide and Bishofit is allowed.

A set of exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis

Spinal deformation in the thoracic area is the result of poor posture, weakening the spinal muscles due to lack of regular exercise. Degenerative changes in this part of the spine often lead to disorders of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems: angina pectoris, arrhythmias, pulmonary and heart failure appear.

That is why physical therapy is so important. Doing a properly selected set of exercises will allow you to resume motor function of the spinal segment, release clogged vertebrae, and reduce pain attacks.

Removal of the main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine contributes to physical education, which consists of the following exercises:

1. To do the exercise, you need to take a roller with a diameter of up to 10 centimeters (a rolled towel will do). We lay on our backs, placing the roller under the thoracic area (the bottom of it). Place your hands under the back of your head, slowly lift your back (repeat several times). Next, we moved the roller along the spine (upper), doing a re -exercise. Uniform study of different parts of the thoracic region stretches the spine, tightens the muscles.
2. Stand on all fours: bend your back as much as possible, lingering in this position for a few seconds (while keeping your head straight). After that, we took the starting position, then repeated the exercise.
3. Lying on your side, bend your knees. We pull the right leg up (we tense the muscles, we move the thigh to the side to the maximum), correct the position of the leg for 5-10 seconds and lower it. We repeated the same thing with the second leg.
4. We lay on a flat surface with our stomachs, placing our hands under our heads. While inhaling, we raise the shoulders and body, while exhaling, we return to the starting position. We do exercise at least 3-4 times. When the muscles strengthen, we increase the number of approaches.
5. We sat on a chair (with our backs), leaning on it with our backs. We leaned back to feel how the thoracic muscles stretched. After that, we made a smooth forward bend. It needs to do 4-5 such approaches.

Doctors do not recommend straining the muscles during exercise therapy. Only moderate gymnastic exercises can bring benefits and fun, helping to restore the spine after an illness.

Exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis

There is an opinion that back pain is a human payment for walking upright. After all, it is this part of the spine that bears the entire load when walking, acting as a shock absorber.

As practice has shown, people who neglect an active lifestyle experience back pain more often. Daily exercise not only helps to relieve unpleasant pain, but also to prevent the development of degenerative-dystrophic processes in the bones and cartilage tissue of the musculoskeletal system.

Therapeutic exercises for lumbosacral osteochondrosis strengthen, stretch the dorsal and abdominal muscles. In the first lesson, the exercises were performed in a lying position: in this position, the load on the back was small, there was no risk of increased pain.

The positive effects of the use of gymnastics are shown in the following:

• increased blood and lymph circulation;
• normalization of metabolic processes in bone, cartilage tissue of the spine;
• elimination of congestion in the pelvic organs;
• muscle strengthening;
• spinal cord nerve root attraction;
• restoration of musculoskeletal system function.

Gymnastics promotes protein production in muscle tissue. Entering the body, they stimulate the work of major systems.

The following exercises can alleviate the condition with lumbar osteochondrosis:

1. We lay on our backs, press the lower back firmly to the floor, bend our knees. We stretched our arms to our legs, trying to hug her (while we didn’t rip our lower backs off the floor! ). We linger in this position for 5 seconds, lower, relax the muscles. Repeat the exercise 40 times (for two sets).
2. We unite the legs, pull to the abdomen, bend at the knees. We gripped our legs with our hands, correcting the position, after which we slowly stretched our heads to our knees. We sank to the floor (slowly), returning to the starting position.
3. Stand on all fours, keep your back straight. We crossed with our hands to the left, bent the body in the same direction, and then to the right (when turning, we kept the body bent for a few seconds). Repeat the exercise (at least 10 times).
4. Starting position - crawling. Lift your head while bending your back. Then we do everything in reverse order: we lower our heads, smoothly curving the spine.
5. We stand upright: we keep our legs straight, we put our hands on the belt. We lean forward and backward as much as possible. You need to do 10 deep inclines in each direction.
6. We sit on the floor: we raise our hands (palms "look" forward), we bend to the feet, trying to touch the toes with our hands. This type of gymnastics helps strengthen the muscles of the spine and abdomen: when leaning forward, the back works, while moving backwards, press.

Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis should be aimed at restoring spinal function, eliminating pain and carried out in a complex way. In addition to drug therapy, massage procedures, traction, physiotherapy exercises have a positive effect. It strengthens the muscular corset, helping to reduce the load on the spinal discs.