Cervical hernia is one of the most dangerous pathologies caused by a sharp uneven force load on the body. Symptoms of this disease in all patients are almost the same. A person begins to feel pain in the neck, head and upper limbs, from the forearm to the fingers.
Signs of a hernia
First of all, patients have tingling and numbness symptoms all over their backs. A hernia in the cervical spine can be felt suddenly. Pain characteristic of an ailment is often attributed to cervical and thoracic spinal osteochondrosis. But, unfortunately, a hernia has more serious consequences.
How not to miss a hernia of the cervical spine
First of all, a person has headaches, sleep disturbances, tinnitus, loss of orientation, frequent dizziness, up to fainting, slowness. The patient becomes inactive due to pain in the cervical spine.
As a result of rupture of the disk (intervertebral cartilage), soft tissue inflammation occurs, which causes pain and tingling. Due to pressure on the blood vessels of a bursting intervertebral disc, a slowdown in blood circulation occurs. Blood enters the brain rather slowly, which can even cause a stroke. The most terrible complication of a hernia of the cervical spine is paralysis of the upper and lower extremities.
Cervical hernia treatment
Treatment of this disease can be not only conservative (the use of drugs to relieve inflammation and muscle tension, to improve trophism (nutrition) of muscles; performing exercises; various methods of physiotherapy, etc.), but also surgical (surgical intervention).
Surgical treatment of a hernia of the cervical spine is carried out only in complex cases of the disease, when nothing else helps and paralysis of the extremities begins.
The basics of conservative treatment, exercises
Exercises with a hernia of the cervical spine must be slow, smooth, without any sudden movements. Otherwise, the pain may intensify.
At the first moment after the onset of the disease, the main events are those aimed at returning the cervical disc to its place, that is, it is important to return the spine to the correct position. This should be done only by a specialist, otherwise there may be unforeseen complications.
All exercises for a hernia of the cervical spine should be carried out under the watchful eye of a physiotherapist or physical therapy instructor . Gymnastics, in the first place, should be aimed at strengthening the muscle corset. At the beginning of treatment, it is very important to tone the muscles by dosing the load. And only after a certain recovery period can the exercises be complicated by adding new elements. The instructor himself must monitor how the patient is engaged, and only with his permission can you continue to gymnastics yourself at home.
Exercises for cervical hernia are very diverse. They can be performed sitting on a chair and on the floor or lying on a hard couch, as well as standing. In no case should you practice on a soft sofa or bed. This position can lead to increased pain.
Exercises for a hernia of the cervical spine
The first movements are performed in a sitting position on a chair at the table. A prerequisite should be the position of the hands. They should lie on the table, resting on the elbows.
1. Raise the shoulders up and slowly pull the muscles of the neck, forearms, head behind them, then also slowly lower the shoulders and, accordingly, pull the same muscles behind them. The number of repetitions each time will depend on the strength of the arising pain (if it is sharp, then 2-3 repetitions are enough, if there is practically no unpleasant sensation, then at least 10-15 repetitions should be done).
2. Pull the shoulders forward, feeling the tension of the muscles of the forearms and neck, and then slowly move the shoulders back to the feeling of “reducing” the shoulder blades. The number of repetitions in all exercises is based on the “mild pain” rule. A person should feel a pleasant warmth in the muscles.
3. We proceed to the circular rotation of the shoulders. Very slowly make a circle forward, then circle back. After this, you can increase the stress and pace with which the patient is doing the exercise. Slowly, then quickly, then slowly again - and so on 4 repetitions in each direction.
4. Raise outstretched arms as high as possible, trying to bend backward, but without touching the back of the chair. It is best to use a chair without a back, so that there is no desire to relax and rest. The back throughout the lesson should be straight. During this exercise, the patient should pull up the neck and head, creating additional tension in the muscles of the cervical region.
5. Tilt your head down, and then raise it. Here you do not need to pull the neck muscles. The head should lower and rise freely, without effort.
6. Turn your head to the right as much as possible. Then we turn it to the left. At the same time, we try to pull and strain the neck muscles.
Please note that with a hernia of the cervical spine, under no circumstances should you make circular head rotations. This can complicate an already dangerous situation.
A set of exercises in the supine position
1. The patient lies on his stomach. Hands should be gathered in the lock and put under the chin. Raise elbows to the sides. Straighten your arms and with all your strength stretch your head up, while pulling your chin down with force. Try not to lift the body and stomach.
2. Put your hands on your belt, then raise your head and shoulders. Without lifting the abdomen from the floor, hold on in this position for several seconds.
3. Hands from the belt as slowly as possible to move to the sides, and then also slowly transfer them to the shoulders.
In exercises for a hernia of the cervical spine, it is necessary to include walking along paths, which first must be very wide, and then gradually narrow. At this point, it is necessary to lower the head down and, straining the muscles of the back and neck, monitor the narrowing of the path. Also for these purposes, you can use a narrow bench.
How to avoid complications
Gymnastics with a hernia of the cervical spine along with massage and other therapeutic agents will help prevent the further development of this dangerous ailment.
Thanks to a timely diagnosis, surgical intervention can be avoided. With confidence we can say that exercise therapy with a hernia of the cervical spine helps to cope not only with the hernia itself, but is also one of the best methods of dealing with any diseases of the spine. These exercises increase the elasticity of the vertebrae, so the risk of developing complications during exercise is significantly reduced.