Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is an insidious disease. The age limit of the incidence is decreasing every year, so now the problem of treating cervical osteochondrosis is more acute than ever.
Unfortunately, the penetration of medicine in different parts of our country leaves much to be desired, so self-prevention of the disease and maintenance therapy at home are extremely relevant now.
Various exercises for the prevention and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis and professionally designed exercise therapy (physiotherapy complexes) help us.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis is massage and self-massage. Warming techniques such as massage, rubbing, tapping, restore blood flow to the muscles, relieve tension in the neck muscles. The massage can be self-administered by kneading and rubbing the neck and base of the skull, which eliminates congestion and restores blood flow to the head.
The workplace should be comfortable. An ergonomic chair should be used. Elbows should be at table level, back straight, computer monitor slightly above gaze. At work it is necessary to take breaks to reduce the static load on the back.
A preventive measure against osteochondrosis is to perform exercises for the cervical spine. Less dangerous are isometric exercises, which consist in counteracting the load for 5-6 seconds. The head resists the pressure of the palm. The exercises are performed smoothly without sudden movements.
- Sit at a table with your back straight. Place your elbow on the table, press your ear to your palm, tilt your head towards your shoulder and counter with your hand. Hold for 10 seconds, 10 reps. The lateral neck muscles are strengthened. Repeat the same number of times on both sides.
- Sit at the table, put your hand on your elbow, lean your forehead on your palm, rest your hand and press your head for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
- Lie on your back on the floor. Press the back of your head to the floor. Hold the position for 5-6 seconds.
- Lie on the floor on your stomach, press your forehead to the floor.
- Lie on the floor on your left side, your left hand is on the floor, rest your head on it and press your head onto your hand.
- Same for the right side.
- Sit on a chair with your back straight, interlace your fingers in the lock, lay on the back of your head, press the back of your head onto the clasped fingers.
- Stand close to the wall and press the back of your head against the wall.
All of the above isometric exercises must be performed with effort for 5-6 seconds, after which slowly release the tension and relax. Do 5-10 repetitions.
Beneficial effect on the condition of the cervical section of the implementation of hangings on the horizontal bar. You can hang with a wide grip and a narrow grip for 30 seconds. Under the influence of your own weight, all the vertebrae in the spine are stretched.
Watch your habits, don't bend down at the table, keep your posture when you're on the phone, don't put your ear to your shoulder. Be sure to take breaks every hour. Swimming is a good preventive measure.
To prevent the disease, you can do small, simple exercises every day. The program contains exercises that are easily accessible. To determine the condition of the cervical spine, you can do small tests: bend your head back and forth, tilt your shoulder, and turn your head left and right.
Normally, a person should bend their head 45 degrees and relax 50 degrees. Tilt head to shoulder should be 45 degrees, rotate head 90 degrees in either direction.
Therapeutic exercises in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
You can start therapeutic exercises only after the pain has stopped. You cannot train while attacking. After an attack, low-intensity isometric exercises are allowed, in this case the muscles tighten and resist the load. The neck muscles form a muscular corset that holds the vertebrae in place.
All exercises must be performed slowly, without jerks and sudden movements. Before performing gymnastic complexes, you should choose an individual technique, according to the opinion of a specialist.
Physiotherapy doctor
- Sitting position, back and neck straight. Turn your head left and right as far as you can, but gently, not abruptly. Repeat 10 times.
- Sitting position, straight back and neck. Lower your head down and try to touch your chest with your chin. 10 repetitions.
- Sitting position, pull chin and neck back, 10 reps.
- Seated position, arms hanging freely on the body. Gently raise your shoulders and hold them for 10 seconds. Relax. Do 10 repetitions.
- Lying on a hard surface, knead the muscles of the neck and base of the skull for 4 minutes. Try massaging intensely to improve circulation.
- While sitting or lying on a hard surface, rub the muscle between the shoulder blades and across the shoulder blades.
- Knead the muscles above the ear to the back of the head in circular movements.
A series of exercises combined with slow, calm breathing. Breathing helps focus on the exercise, helps increase its effectiveness. It is advisable to repeat several times a day. The range of motion is small. The prone position helps reduce the load on the vertebrae, you can't strive to do everything at once. The main thing is caution, gradualness and constancy of teaching.
- Lie on your back on the floor. One hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Calm breathing - the abdomen rises, then the chest. Breathe out slowly and long. Try to make the exhale longer than the inhale. Be free and relaxed. Do 10 repetitions.
- Lie on the floor on your stomach. Slowly raise your head, then your shoulders, then rest with your hands in front of you and linger for 1 minute. Try to always remember posture.
- lying on my stomachThe hands are along the body. Turn your head freely, slowly, and try to touch the floor with your ear. Repeat left and right 6 times.
- sitting position. Tilt your head forward, then slowly tilt it back until it stops, but not sharply and not to the point of pain. Repeat 10 times.
- To sit at the table. Put your elbows on the table, rest your head on your palms, press your forehead on your palms. Try to push yourself as hard as you can. Do the exhalation exercise. Repeat 10 times.
- Rotate your head left and right alternately 5 times. If pain occurs, one should limit the movement of the chin to the left to the shoulder and then to the right to the shoulder. Repeat 6 times.
Video manuals on therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis
From the many video tutorials on therapeutic exercises presented on the network, you can choose the most effective one for the treatment of the cervical spine. It is better to contact a specialist, follow the recommendations of existing chiropractors and trust their experience.
By combining massage, self-massage, the achievements of medical massage technology, controlling your posture and performing simple exercises for the cervical vertebrae, a person will gain lightness, freedom, looseness of movements and, possibly, forget about the existence of cervical osteochondrosis.