Osteochondrosis of the cervix is a common disease that causes many unpleasant symptoms and significantly worsens the quality of life. Without surgery it is almost impossible to cure. But you can stop the development of the process and get rid of a significant part of the symptoms. Only physiotherapy can help you with this.
Scheduling exercises to treat osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is the degeneration of the tissues of the spine and cartilage (intervertebral discs). As a result, its discs are deformed, bulging between the vertebrae, forming growths on the vertebral body.
As a result, the nerve endings are twisted, the blood vessels leading along the spine are twisted, and the surrounding tissues are damaged by bone growths. Poor blood supply and immobility due to pain accelerates the development of pathology. As a result, the patient gets a whole "bouquet" of unpleasant symptoms:
- Acute pain ("lumbago")
- Visual and auditory impairment.
- Vertigo.
- Changes in intracranial pressure.
- Blurring.
- Nausea attacks.
- Limited mobility in the neck.
Medications can reduce inflammation and pain. But they can not free the restrained nerve roots and blood vessels, put the intervertebral discs in the right condition, and restore mobility. He can only do special exercises. Therapeutic exercise is therefore the most important component in the treatment of osteochondrosis.
Indications for the use of gymnastics
Therapeutic exercises are useful for any stage of osteochondrosis (there are four in this disease). However, it gives noticeable results only in the early stages. The presence of the disease and its stage are determined by a doctor. The reason for passing the examination and conducting therapeutic exercises should be any of the symptoms listed above, as well as neck cramps during movement.
Cervical osteochondrosis was previously thought to be a disease at puberty (40-45 years), but in recent years it has become markedly "younger" and is found even in adults. The reason is prolonged motionless sitting at a computer or desk. Therefore, even healthy young people do not bother to study the set of exercises shown during cervical osteochondrosis and perform it for preventive purposes. It does not require any equipment and sportswear, you can do this at lunch or instead of a "smoke break".
Contraindications to therapeutic exercise
This does not mean that physiotherapy exercises at any time and anyone can. Osteochondrosis can be acute, subacute, and in remission. The acute stage is characterized by the clear manifestation of several symptoms of the disease (they occur in different people in different sets) and, of course, with strong pain when moving.
In the acute stage of osteochondrosis it is necessary to remove pain and inflammation with medication (prescribed by a doctor) and physiotherapy procedures in the clinic. Physical education is strictly contraindicated.
Only at the sub-acute stage can you start doing gymnastics. There should be no sharp pain, dizziness, "flies" in front of the eyes, noise in the ears when moving the neck. Minor discomfort is acceptable. Also contraindicated:
- Serious disorders of blood pressure.
- Malignant tumors.
- Fever conditions.
Lessons in remission are needed (at least 3 times a week). If treatment is started at an early stage, there is a chance that with a conscious reliance on physiotherapy exercise, the acute stage of the disease will not return for many years.
Rules for performing therapeutic exercises
Exercises are easy for patients with cervical osteochondrosis. These are movements of the head, shoulders and arms. But they must be carried out by following a number of rules. Only then will they get the result.
- It is essential to warm up the muscles before exercising. The easiest way to do this is to self-massage.
- The movements should be performed with maximum amplitude. At first it may be small, but it should increase as it progresses.
- The movements should be smooth, without cartilage.
- Number of repetitions of each exercise 5-10 times. If it is symmetric, the repetitions are counted separately in each direction.
- You can do gymnastics while sitting (with the obligatory support on the back of a chair or chair) or while standing. The first is even better, so it is convenient to do gymnastics in the office at work.
- There should be no break in class. The exception is the transition of osteochondrosis to the acute stage or the emergence of a disease accompanied by high fever.
- Minor discomfort should be tolerable (unexplained light pain, tingling sensation, convulsions), especially at the beginning of lessons. But if there is severe pain or other pronounced symptoms of osteochondrosis, you should stop exercising immediately and consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Often doctors recommend doing therapeutic exercises always at the same time. Adherence to this rule is desirable but not necessary. If for some reason you can not do this at once, you can do it at different times. It is important not to miss lessons at all.
If you do not follow the rules of the above classes, not only will gymnastics not help us, but it can also give the opposite result. Improperly performed movement can cause the nerve to stretch or the intervertebral disc to move.
A basic set of cervical osteochondrosis exercises
There are many systems available today to treat osteochondrosis with the help of physiotherapy exercises. The choice can be made by yourself or on the advice of a doctor - all systems give results. There are also some basic exercises that are included in almost every complex.
- Tilting his head towards his shoulders.
- Turns the pages (in this case, the chin should reach to the shoulder).
- Turns the pages using the hand simultaneously on the opposite shoulder.
- Leaning back and forth. It is good if you lean back while holding the head of a chair or chair, overcoming a small resistance.
- Shoulders rise and fall.
- Bend your head over your shoulder while lifting the other shoulder.
- Stretching in front of the neck and pulling back (so-called "chicken out of the nest").
- Stretching the neck forward, followed by turning to its side (so-called "goose").
- Bending and twisting the head with the arms raised to the sides and gathered together with the head (so-called "fakir").
- Stretching the neck back and forth with the back of the back with simultaneous grasping of the straight arms (so-called "seagull").
Also, patients with osteochondrosis are advised to lean their head to the sides and forward, as well as to turn the pages to a very small amplitude. In such cases the number of repetitions should be more (at least 10 times). These exercises are sometimes called "ay-ay-ay", "yes-yes" and "no-no". It is especially recommended for those who have the so-called "widow's hump" (or "housewife roller") - swelling in the area of the 7th cervical spine.
It is best if the first few lessons are conducted under the guidance of a physiotherapist. He will teach you to perform the exercises correctly, and then the patient himself will be able to do it. If it is difficult to come to such a specialist, you can use a video tutorial.
The implementation of such a complex (following all the rules) will take no more than 20 minutes. So, obviously - it's better to start exercising quickly than to endure all the troubles prepared for patients with cervical osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis of the neck is a disease that a doctor cannot cure. Without the active participation of the patient in the treatment process he can not. But, if you start therapeutic exercises on time, you can avoid the unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis for a long time.