Exercises for Osteochondrosis

Exercise is an effective method of treating osteochondrosis: it helps to tone muscles, improve the functioning of the functions 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, which lead to a loss of their density and integrity (cracks appear). Load on the spine can cause the disc to move toward the spinal canal (disc protrusion) or protrusion of the nucleus pulposus from the surrounding annulus fibrosus (intervertebral hernia).

As a rule, the development of the disease is promoted by a sedentary lifestyle, rare physical activity (the tone of the muscle-ligament apparatus of the spine decreases). Special exercises 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:

• the back muscles are strengthened;
• the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the cartilaginous and bony tissues of the spine improves;
• normalizes blood circulation, metabolism in cartilage;
• the process of removing toxins and toxins is accelerated.

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

The figure shows part of the spine, the area where the intervertebral disc is located (between the vertebrae) is circled in black. The intervertebral disc plays the role of a shock absorber - it protects the vertebrae from friction with each other when walking, sitting and straining. With an inactive lifestyle, in the human body, metabolism is disturbed, as a result of which the intervertebral discs do not receive the necessary amount of nutrients - this is how degenerative changes begin, the nucleus pulposus loses moisture and disc elasticity. This, in turn, leads to an increased load on the vertebrae and indeed the entire spine and back muscles.

The effect of exercise

In the acute period of the course of osteochondrosis, therapeutic exercises are not used. To improve the patient's well-being, stretching the spine along its axis is prescribed. An increase in the distance between the vertebrae leads to muscle relaxation, a decrease in nerve root irritation (decreased pain). With an exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to change the soft bedding to a hard one.

Therapeutic exercise has a positive effect on the early stages of osteochondrosis development. It stimulates biological and physiological processes within the body: improves blood circulation, improves muscle tone, the functions of the movement segment of the spine are restored.

In general, regular use of therapeutic exercise helps:

• strengthen the muscles of the hands and the musculoskeletal system;
• improve blood flow and lymphatic circulation;
• improve metabolic processes in the affected tissues of the spine;
• correct incorrect posture;
• restore the motor and support functions of the spine.

In the early stages of osteochondrosis, physical therapy aims to reduce irritation of the nerve roots in contact with the affected intervertebral discs. Despite the positive result of the use of gymnastics, it is necessary to perform only those exercises that do not cause an increase in pain.

Indications for exercise therapy

The main purpose of exercise is to strengthen the muscle, the cartilaginous tissues that support the vertebrae. The exercises should be done slowly, without sudden movements, completely relaxed.

It is not worth working too hard during classes: only moderate loads contribute to recovery (improves metabolism, improves muscle condition, resumes work on the spine, shock-absorbing functions of the intervertebral discs).

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

To achieve a positive result, training must be carried out every day. First, all exercises are repeated no more than 5 times, then the number of approaches is increased to 10-12 times (as the muscles get stronger).

The frequency of physical therapy exercises

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

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

The effect of using physiotherapy exercises for spinal diseases is felt immediately after classes (with properly selected gymnastics). The choice of a set of exercises should be carried out by a doctor based on the general picture of the disease (the stage of development of osteochondrosis, the type of damaged structures, the form of the disease).

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

When is exercise contraindicated?

Carrying out exercises for osteochondrosis helps to improve well-being, prevents the fusion of the vertebrae during destructive processes in the spinal discs. Basically, its use is recommended for all patients, but exceptions are possible.

Carrying out exercise therapy is contraindicated in such cases:

• acute period of the course of osteochondrosis;
• postoperative (in the early stages of spine recovery);
• neurological diseases accompanied by impaired coordination of movement;
• high pressure;
• vestibular system disorders;
• blurred vision (severe myopia), high intraocular pressure;
• cardiovascular system dysfunctions (eg, arrhythmia);
• deterioration of the patient's condition due to a complication of a chronic illness, a serious illness.

Physical education is not carried out: on an empty stomach, after eating or excessive physical work.

A positive result of the use of physical education is possible with an integrated approach to the execution of therapeutic exercises. In this case, only these exercises should be done, after which the condition of the muscles improves significantly (the working capacity increases, the tension decreases).

If you feel worse during or after gymnastics, it's best to stop them and be sure to go to the doctor.

Cervical osteochondrosis: which exercises are effective?

The disease manifests itself in different segments of the spine, but most often degenerative-dystrophic changes are observed in the cartilaginous and bone structures of the cervical region. The main reason is constant staying in an uncomfortable tense position. The most likely to develop the disease are people over the age of 25.

To engage in physiotherapy exercises with cervical osteochondrosis, no special physical training is required. Each patient can easily do the following exercises:

1. We sit in a chair, straighten our backs, stretch our necks. Then we do 5-10 slow turns of the head: to the left and right side (we try to turn the neck as much as possible). The result of physical education is an improvement in the motor functions of the cervical vertebrae.
2. Standing, tilt your head down, trying to reach your chin on your chest. Repeat the inclines 10 times. (If it is not possible to reach the chest, we try to bring the head as close as possible).
3. We sat at the table, leaning on it with our elbows. We place the palm of the hand on the temple, tilt the head to the side, while creating resistance with the hand (hold this position for about 10 seconds). We don't do the exercise more than 10 times with a break of 8 to 10 seconds. The effect of performing this gymnastics is to strengthen the lateral muscles of the neck.
4. We lie on our stomachs to ensure complete relaxation of the muscles. We place our hands along the body (palms up). Then, with slow movements, we turn the head to the left, then to the right (up to 10 turns in each direction), constantly returning to the starting position: prone.
5. We sit down, lean forward, inhaling deeply (head reaches chest). On exhalation, we return to the starting position, throw our head back. 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 the muscles, helps to relieve pain.

Exercises for the shoulder girdle muscles

The shoulder joint connects the collarbone, shoulder blade, arm bones, providing greater mobility of the upper limb. The incorrect posture, which has been formed over the years, leads to a decrease in their functions: stooping and stiffness of the shoulders appear. With chronic shoulder girdle tension, rib mobility worsens, breathing becomes difficult.

Exercises designed to develop the muscles of the shoulder girdle are used to prevent the onset of diseases of the spine: osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernia.

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

When doing gymnastics, it is necessary to monitor posture, the correct position of the legs (they must be shoulder-width apart) and the body (you cannot lean forward). Only then will the load on the back, arms, neck muscles and shoulder girdle be evenly distributed.

The first exercises are performed slowly, then gradually increase the speed of movements. This technique of performing gymnastics prevents the appearance of muscle pain after exercise.

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

1. We spread our feet shoulder-width apart, placing our hands on the belt. We make turns with the shoulders forward, then in the opposite direction.
2. I placed my injured hand on the healthy shoulder. We place the second hand on the elbow of the sick limb, carefully pull the injured arm to the top.
3. We put our hands behind our backs, connect them in a lock so that the sick limb is on top. Gently pull the affected arm with the healthy limb downwards.

This type of exercise improves blood circulation, accelerates metabolic processes in damaged tissues. Gymnastics in the school physical education program has a similar effect.

With osteochondrosis, energy loads are not desirable as they can increase pain. Regular heating with light gives a positive effect: a feeling of joy appears, pain subsides.

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

A set of exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis

The deformation of the spine in the thoracic region is a result of poor posture, weakening of the spine muscles due to lack of regular training. Degenerative changes in this part of the spine often lead to disruption of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems: angina pectoris, arrhythmia, pulmonary and heart failure appear.

That's why physical therapy is so important. Performing a properly selected set of exercises will allow you to resume motor functions of spinal segments, release blocked vertebrae and reduce pain attacks.

Removing the main symptoms of osteochondrosis from the thoracic spine contributes to physical education, consisting of the following exercises:

1. To perform the exercise, you need to take a roller with a diameter of up to 10 centimeters (a rolled towel will do). We lie on our back, put a roller under the thoracic region (its lower part). Placing your hands under the back of your neck, slowly lift your back (repeat several times). Then we move the roller along the spine (upwards), do the exercise again. The uniform study of different parts of the thoracic region stretches the spine, tones the muscles.
2. Get on all fours: bend your back as much as possible, stay in this position for a few seconds (keeping your head straight). After that, we take the starting position and repeat the exercise.
3. Lie on your side, bending your knees. We pull the right leg up (stretch the muscles, move the thigh to the side as much as possible), fix the leg position for 5-10 seconds and lower it. We repeat the same with the second step.
4. We lie on a flat surface on our stomach, put our hands under our head. When inhaling, we raise the shoulders and the body, when exhaling, we return to the starting position. We do the exercise at least 3-4 times. As the muscles get stronger, we increase the number of approaches.
5. We sit in a chair (with our backs), we lean on it with our backs. We lean back to feel how the muscles in the thoracic region stretch. After that, we make smooth bends forward. It is necessary to do 4-5 of these approaches.

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

Exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis

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

As practice shows, people who neglect an active lifestyle suffer from lower back pain much more often. Daily exercise not only helps to get rid of unpleasant pain, but also to prevent the development of degenerative-dystrophic processes in the bone and cartilaginous tissues of the musculoskeletal system.

Therapeutic exercise for lumbosacral osteochondrosis strengthens, stretches the back and abdominal muscles. In the first classes, the exercises are performed lying down: in this position, the load on the back is small, there is no risk of increased pain.

The positive effect of using gymnastics is manifested in the following:

• improved blood and lymphatic circulation;
• normalization of metabolic processes in bone and cartilaginous tissues of the spine;
• elimination of congestion in Organs pelvic organs;
• muscle strengthening;
• traction of the spinal cord nerve roots;
• restoration of the functions of the musculoskeletal system.

Gymnastics promotes the production of proteins in muscle tissues. Entering the body, they stimulate the work of the main systems.

The following exercises can alleviate the condition with lumbar osteochondrosis:

1. We lie on our back, firmly press our lower back to the floor, bending our knees. We stretch our hands to the legs, try to hug them (until we pull the lower back off the floor! ). We remain in this position for 5 seconds, lower ourselves, relax the muscles. Repeat the exercise 40 times (for two sets).
2. We bring the legs together, pull to the stomach, bending the knee. We squeeze the legs with our hands, fix the position, after which we slowly stretch the head to the knees. We sink to the ground (slowly), returning to the starting position.
3. Get on all fours, keep your back straight. We cross our hands to the left, bending the torso in the same direction, and then to the right (when turning, we keep the body bent for several seconds). Repeat the exercise (at least 10 times).
4. Starting position - on all fours. Lift your head while arching your back. Then we do everything in reverse order: we lower our head, gently arching our spine.
5. We stand: we keep our legs straight, we put our hands on the belt. We lean back and forth 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), bend our legs, trying to touch our toes with our hands. This type of gymnastics helps to strengthen the muscles of the spine and abdomen: when bending forward, the back works, while moving backwards, the press.

The treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis should aim to restore spinal functions, eliminate pain and is carried out in a complex way. In addition to drug therapy, massage procedures, traction, physiotherapy exercises have a positive effect. Strengthens the muscular corset, helps to reduce the load on the spinal discs.