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

Osteochondrosis - today the phenomenon, unfortunately, is far from rare. Whereas earlier the elderly and old people suffered from this ailment, today it is increasingly affecting young people. This is due primarily to the wrong sedentary lifestyle or to 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 at first does not make itself felt, but its consequences are very serious, and can reach surgical methods of treatment, as is the case with a hernia and protrusion of the intervertebral discs. Causing changes in the tissues of the cartilage and vertebrae, osteochondrosis can lead to pinching of the nerves and blood vessels. A particularly striking example of this is frequent headaches and dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis.

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

In order to prevent and treat osteochondrosis of the spine, systematic classes of special physiotherapy exercises are important. Let's take a closer look at what gymnastics is in 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 that you consult a specialist (traumatologist, orthopedic traumatologist, neurologist). This is due to the fact that the course of the disease is specific to 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 with osteochondrosis of the spine is very useful in the morning. You can perform several exercises immediately after sleep, break off into the morning toilet, and then finish the remaining exercises.

Clothing for exercise, you must choose a light, not restricting movements, which is not cold.

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

In addition, it is very important to understand that the pain that appeared during the exercise is, first of all, a signal to reduce the load and intensity of movements and, possibly, even to stop them. 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 of performing physiotherapy exercises for osteochondrosis of the spine. For example, gymnastics for the neck or gymnastics for diseases of the lumbar region will differ in a set of exercises within the framework of one technique. Some experts prefer Shishonin gymnastics with cervical osteochondrosis.

Execution Rules

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

1. Exercises are done stably: daily or thrice a week, strictly on the same days.
2. Exercises must be carried out diligently, at a normal pace, without sudden movements, clearly in form, without initiative.
3. When performing it is necessary to monitor breathing, it should not be delayed.
4. Consultations with a doctor should also be regular to monitor the course of the disease and the healing process.

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

Cervical osteochondrosis

According to statistics, in 40% of patients in the age range from 50 to 60 years old, suffering from cervical osteochondrosis, this disease is already severe, with significant spinal dysfunctions and structural damage. After 60 years, more than 60% of such patients become. And treatment does not always bring relief in this case, even surgical intervention. Medical gymnastics with cervical osteochondrosis will help to avoid such an unenviable future. Stable execution of a set of exercises helps to cope with the symptoms of the disease and gradually defeat the disease itself.

Shishonin’s therapeutic exercises for neck for osteochondrosis were developed by specialists in medical institutes and clinics. The methodology is based on many years of practical experience.

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

The principles of gymnastics

The basic principles for 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 begin to engage in therapeutic complexes of exercises with such classes with specialists. This can be done during periods of remission or when the pain subsides.
2. The complexes usually contain several dozen basic exercises, but exercises are individually selected for each patient taking into account the specific course of the disease and the presence of other problems in the body.
3. It is recommended to start classes with the smallest load and range of motion. The load should be increased gradually, dosing. If you immediately give a large load to the body, the condition can deteriorate sharply, and injury is not excluded.
4. Exercises should be beneficial and contribute to improving the condition, and if this is not observed, you should understand the causes and, possibly, change the composition of the complex of exercises. But you don’t have to talk about the results right away, since a steady improvement comes in a few weeks, or even months, of the exercises.
5. Gymnastics with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine 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 increased impairment.
6. It is necessary to warm up the diseased areas well before exercise (using a warm shower or a warm towel). This relieves muscle tension in the cervical region, improves blood circulation, helps to 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 spine, you can carefully start to do it during a period of acute pain, but it’s better after the pain subsides. You need to start the exercises with the minimum number of repetitions that you can do, then gradually increase the amount over time.

1. Gently turn your 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. Throw your head back, no sudden movements.
4. In a sitting position, it is better on a chair, we raise our shoulders as high as possible, as it turns out, and linger in this position for ten fifteen seconds.

Thoracic Exercise

A set of exercises improves mobility of the thoracic vertebrae, the work of the joints connecting the ribs with 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 the back is pressed against the back of the chair. Then lean forward and exhale.
2. IP - we lay down on the floor, we hold our hands behind our heads, under the thoracic spine we put in a moderately rigid roller (for example, from a rolled towel). We bend and raise the upper part of the body, take the starting position.
3. IP - sitting. Wrap the lower part of the chest with a towel or a suitable piece of cloth. First, take a deep breath, then exhale, and pull the ends of the towel at that moment. Weaken the towel tension and exhale.
4. Starting position - standing, arms raised above the head, legs apart. Grasp the wrist of the left hand with the right and tilt to the right, while slightly sipping the hand. We return to the starting position, change hands and make a tilt to the left.

Gymnastics for the lumbar spine

This gymnastics with osteochondrosis of the spine helps to get rid of chronic pain in the lumbosacral region. Regular use strengthens 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 with a minimum, and then - by well-being.

1. Starting position - lying on your back, lower your hands along the body, tighten the 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 our legs from the floor, we return to IP.
3. Starting position - lying on your back, legs slightly bent at the knees. Pull the left hand forward and put it on the right knee. We bend the right leg, trying at the same time to counter it with a hand. We repeat the same with the other leg.
4. Starting position - lying down, hands lying along the body. Without tearing the head and shoulder blades off the floor, we shift the legs first to the left, then to the right, while bending the lumbar.
5. Starting position - we kneel in front of a low support, we put our hands and head on it. We bend first up and then down.
6. Starting position - we get on all fours. 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 the exercises, especially for the lumbar and thoracic regions, rest for an hour is necessary.

Spinal prophylaxis

Almost all people after long sitting in the office or after prolonged strong physical exertion in the evening feel back pain of various strengths.

This happens due to the fact that under the influence of the load, the muscles tighten and the vertebrae come 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. This helps the evening exercises for the spine.

Preventative exercise for the back

If you do not suffer from osteochondrosis or intervertebral hernia, then to maintain the health of your back you need to spend only 10-15 minutes to perform several not difficult, but very useful exercises.

There are rules that should be followed when charging for the spine:

1. Each exercise must be performed calmly, without rushing, smoothly and without jerking. It’s great if at the same time you feel how the muscles of the back and spine are stretched.
2. To perform the exercise, you need to get on all fours, take a breath and slightly bend your back, while trying to look up. Doing this exercise, you will feel how the muscles of the back stretch along the spinal column from the bottom up.
3. Hold your breath in this position for a few seconds, then exhale and arch your back feline. At the same time, pull the abdomen into yourself, tensing the abdominal muscles. After doing 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 perform the second exercise, you need to lie on the floor, place your hands under your head. Take a full exhale and while inhaling bend your leg in the right knee. In this case, the left leg should be kept straight, pressing the thigh to the body. Wrap your arms around your knee. In this position, hold your breath for several seconds, then exhale and return to the original lying position. It is necessary to perform 5-10 repetitions for each leg in turn.

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

Charging with osteochondrosis and a hernia of the spine

If there are no pathologies, then to maintain back health 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 diet will help to cope with the disease. After all, treatment is always more difficult than preventing the disease. The set of exercises must be agreed with a competent specialist on the basis of medical research showing the degree of destruction of the spinal tissue. In no case can you choose the exercises yourself without an accurate diagnosis. This can seriously harm the body.

Charging with a hernia of the spine is a special case. It is necessary to approach this issue cautiously, since correctly selected exercises will only benefit, but rash overloads 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 to stay always alert and cheerful.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worth noting that gymnastics with osteochondrosis of the thoracic, lumbar or cervical should be necessarily included in the course of treatment of this disease. A qualified specialist should choose individual exercises for each case.