What are neck exercises for osteochondrosis

Hello dear readers! In the article we discuss exercises for the neck with osteochondrosis, talk about the features of the disease, its manifestations, and the principles of treatment. You will learn how to perform gymnastics correctly, in what situations it is advisable to refrain from exercises.

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, upon the onset of which there is a direct destruction of the intervertebral discs. In the later stages, if therapy was ignored, bone tissue damage occurs.

The main symptom of the disease is pain in the back, neck. Other symptoms include muscle atrophy, problems with sensitivity, malfunctions in the functioning of internal organs.

Osteochondrosis is of 3 types:

• cervical;
• chest;
• lumbar.

The main causes of the formation of osteochondrosis:

1. improper distribution of the load on the spine;
2. incorrectly formed posture;
3. labor activity, in which there is a large load on the spine;
4. obesity;
5. frequent stay in an uncomfortable position;
6. abuse of tobacco and alcohol;
7. flat feet.

In many cases, the disease occurs in people over 30 years of age. It can also occur in young men who carry a heavy briefcase, walk in uncomfortable shoes, and have suffered an injury.

Cervical osteochondrosis

Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease in which the soft intervertebral pulp, which plays the role of a shock absorber between the vertebrae, is converted into ossified tissue. Of particular danger is the involvement of nerve roots, blood vessels in the pathogenesis.

Often such a violation in the work of the body is disguised as various diseases. The patient may experience nausea, jumps in blood pressure, suffer from lack of air, numbness of the limbs and tongue.

Cervical osteochondrosis occurs due to a sedentary lifestyle. Often this type of disease occurs in people whose field of activity is associated with mental work.

Often people of a certain type fall into the risk zone:

• with hereditary predisposition;
• experiencing frequent or temporary hypothermia;
• with hormonal imbalance;
• overweight.

Symptoms and Syndromes

Symptoms of the disease depend on how severely the vertebrae are broken, the nerves are pinched. The main symptom of the disease is discomfort in the cervical, vertebral, lumbar region. They can also affect other organs.

Only a doctor can determine the disease based on the results of the tests. This is due to the fact that such symptoms are similar to a number of other diseases.

Symptoms:

• pain in the neck, radiating to the forehead, ears, shoulders, forearms, chest, increasing during exercise, head rotation;
• migraine;
• tinnitus;
• prostration;
• problems with hearing, vision;
• the onset of fainting with sudden movements of the head;
• darkening in the eyes.

Clinical signs occur as the disease progresses. Doctors distinguish 3 syndromes:

1. Radicular - occurs due to compression of the first pairs of nerve endings. A person develops unbearable pain in the cervical region, radiating to the shoulders.
2. Vertebral artery. With it, there is a throbbing pain in the temples, the back of the head. It increases with coughing, turning the head.
3. Cardiac - a group of symptoms similar to the symptoms of angina pectoris. There is a syndrome due to a violation of the integrity of the root of the diaphragm, the pectoralis major muscle. The main symptoms are discomfort in the heart area, which does not go away after taking medication. The pain can last for several hours, intensifying during deep breaths, movements. Such signs cause human panic due to the similarity with a heart attack.

How is the treatment

Principles of therapy:

• elimination of pain;
• removal of edema;
• stabilization of blood circulation;
• increased muscle tone;
• increased nutrition;
• tissue restoration.

To get rid of pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed: Diclofenac, Ketorol. The method of administration of the drug depends on the clinical signs, their manifestations. Usually, at the beginning, with exacerbations, injections are prescribed, after which they switch to tablets, suppositories.

A prerequisite is the use of local remedies in the form of an ointment, gel. If it is impossible to eliminate pain, Lidocaine, Novocaine, Trimecaine are prescribed.

Psychotropic drugs are used if severe pain is present.

Treatment is carried out with:

1. Aminazina.
2. Phenazepam.
3. Prozac.

In some cases, a regular pepper patch will help eliminate pain. Spironolactone, Aescusan are used to relieve swelling.

Dizziness is the main symptom of the presence of the disease. It occurs due to difficulties with the movement of blood through the vessels of the neck. To stabilize blood circulation, both drug therapy and exercise therapy are required. The main tasks of the exercise therapy are:

• elimination of stress;
• muscle strengthening;
• relaxation of the spine;
• posture correction.

A special set of exercises carried out in the course of therapy is due to the fact that the neck is daily subjected to enormous physical stress due to the constant support of the head. If other departments can be in a calm state, then the neck is always tense.

Exercises, contraindications

Exercises can only be prescribed by a specialist, based on the characteristics of the human body.

It is permissible to carry out a set of exercises at home, devoting a quarter of an hour to this lesson.

An effective technique consists of 2 complexes of 5-10 approaches.

The first complex is focused on the treatment of the chronic stage, while the initial position of the body is always the same as in exercise 1:

1. Sit down or stand, cover your forehead with your palm. Then don't press too hard on it. And immediately lower your head forward. The advantage of this exercise is maintaining the correct position of the vertebrae, increasing muscle tone.
2. Raise your shoulders high. Stay in this position for 10 seconds. Relax, lower your shoulders, take a breath. Wait 15 seconds, then repeat.
3. Put your palms in turn to the temples, press on them, while lowering your head forward. After a few workouts, you will feel how the lateral neck muscles have strengthened, the pain has disappeared.

The next complex is focused on the treatment of the chronic form during remission. In all classes, the starting position is the same as in exercise 1:

1. Choose a starting position, stand up or sit down on a chair. Lower your arms, keep your back straight. Perform slow head turns in different directions. Try to keep your chin at shoulder level. Analyze your feelings. If the pain does not allow you to perform gymnastics, replace it with short head movements in one direction.
2. Tilt your head back. Pull in your chin. Hold this position for no more than 10 seconds, then relax completely.
3. Lower your head down so that your chin reaches the chest notch. In this case, complete relaxation of the back muscles of the neck should occur. Then, with the help of smooth movements, tilt your head lower.

Pain relief methods:

1. Ask your partner to massage the muscles between the occipital bone and the soft tissue of the neck. At first you will feel a lot of pain, but soon it will give way to relief.
2. Take a supine position. Have an assistant massage your upper shoulder blade area. Discomfort will be replaced by relaxation.
3. Stand up straight, then spread your upper limbs to the side, relax your hands. Start rotating your shoulders in turn, tilting your body slightly. After that, start joint rotations with your shoulders. Repeat the exercise for a minute.

Physical activities are contraindicated in:

• acute course of the disease with a pronounced pain syndrome;
• infectious diseases;
• hemophilia;
• diseases of the neurological type;
• recurrence of chronic diseases;
• the presence of malignant, benign neoplasms;
• spinal injuries.

Prevention

Preventive measures include the following set of actions:

• Try to walk, run, dance, swim as much as possible.
• Pay attention to weight, arrange fasting days, diet, eat right.
• Watch your posture.
• Lift correctly, carry weights. Women are not recommended to lift weights more than 6 kg.
• Treat chronic infections.
• If your job involves a sedentary lifestyle, get up every half hour from your chair for a break.

What to remember

1. Timely treatment prevents the development of osteochondrosis.
2. The main factor in the formation of osteochondrosis is an incorrect distribution of severity.
3. Special gymnastics improves health, prevent the development of the disease.

See you in the next article!