Therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis

Previously, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine was considered an age-related disease - it was extremely rarely diagnosed in people under 40 years old. Today, this disease is increasingly common in 20-30-year-old men and women.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely get rid of osteochondrosis, however, well-chosen therapeutic measures help to improve metabolism in the affected area, normalize blood flow and, in general, significantly improve the patient's quality of life. One of the leading places in the treatment and prevention of the occurrence of this disease belongs to physiotherapy exercises.

What is osteochondrosis. Causes and mechanism of development

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a progressive degenerative-dystrophic disease in which the intervertebral discs are mainly affected 5, 6 and 7 cervical vertebrae.

There are a lot of reasons for the occurrence of this pathology, but the following are considered the most common today:

• physical inactivity - a sedentary lifestyle, especially in combination with constant static loads on the cervical spine (for office workers who spend a lot of time at the computer, for drivers);
• violation of posture;
• history of back injury;
• untrained muscles of the back and neck;
• improperly organized training process among athletes;
• sudden cessation of training in athletes;
• metabolic pathology;
• overweight;
• frequent psycho-emotional stress;
• hypothermia;
• infectious diseases.

All of the above causes contribute to the development of a spasm of the muscles of the neck, as a result of which the blood supply to the spine worsens and posture is disturbed. These changes become the triggering factor for osteochondrosis: processes leading to dystrophy are activated in the cervical vertebrae and intervertebral discs, the interarticular gaps and intervertebral foramens narrow, the nerve roots and blood vessels passing through them are bent and compressed. Clinically, these changes are manifested by pain, symptoms of impaired blood supply to the brain, and other signs.

Cervical osteochondrosis: symptoms

The manifestations of this disease directly depend on which cervical vertebrae are involved in the pathological process.

Most often, patients complain about:

• pain in the neck and other parts of the body - upper limbs, heart, chin, and so on; pain can be in the nature of a backache - be sudden, acute, intense, and sometimes it is constant, aching;
• hand numbness; in combination with pain in the region of the heart, it can direct the diagnostician along the wrong path - he will suspect angina pectoris; however, in the case of osteochondrosis, these symptoms are not eliminated after taking nitrates;
• headache of a compressive, pressing nature, which in some cases radiates to the eyes and temples;
• decreased visual acuity, fog before the eyes;
• dizziness that occurs with sharp turns of the head (this is the so-called vertebral artery syndrome); sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting;
• noise in ears;
• violation of sensitivity in various areas of the head, neck, oral cavity.

Diagnostic principles

The specialist will suspect cervical osteochondrosis already at the stage of interviewing the patient based on his complaints, history of life and disease. Instrumental research methods will help him confirm or refute the diagnosis - x-ray of the cervical spine, computed or magnetic resonance imaging.

Directions of treatment

Therapy of osteochondrosis should be comprehensive and include both drug and non-drug methods. In some cases, the patient may even be recommended surgical treatment.

Medical therapy

In the treatment of osteochondrosis, drugs of the following groups can be used:

Surgery

In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis can only be eliminated surgically. Indications for surgical treatment are such changes in the spine as protrusion of the intervertebral discs or intervertebral hernia. It is used exclusively after the relief of pain.

Physical exercises help strengthen the muscular corset of the spine, increase muscle plasticity, and reduce their spasm. Gymnastics also activates blood flow in the muscles, improving blood supply to the bones, joints and ligaments of the spine itself - this is a measure to prevent further progression of the dystrophic process.

Exercises can be done independently at home. However, only a specialist - an exercise therapy doctor - will help you choose the complex that is most suitable for you. In addition, the first training session will also be carried out correctly under the supervision of a doctor or methodologist. The specialist will show you how to properly perform this or that exercise so that it brings as much benefit as possible and in no case causes harm.

The exercises that are most commonly used to treat cervical osteochondrosis are listed below.

• Starting position (hereinafter referred to as IP): lying on the floor, on your back, one palm on the stomach, the second on the chest. Slowly inhaling, raise the lower back, behind it - the chest, exhaling smoothly, return to the starting position. Relax. Repeat 10 times.
• IP - lying on the floor, on the stomach. Rest your palms on the floor, slowly raising your head, then your torso. Hold in this position for 60-90 s, slowly return to the IP. Relax. Posture during the exercise must be correct.
• IP - lying on the stomach with arms extended along the body. Gently turn your head to the right, pressing your ear to the floor, then in the opposite direction. Repeat 5 times. If you feel pain during the exercise, skip it.
• IP - lying on its side. Raise the head by 3-4 cm, hold it in this position for 10 s. Return to IP, relax. Repeat 4-5 times on each side.
• IP - sitting on a chair. Exhaling slowly, tilt your head forward, trying to reach your chest with your chin. Exhaling smoothly, tilt your head back as far as possible. Repeat 10-15 times.
• IP is the same. Exhaling, press the forehead to the palms, providing them with the maximum possible resistance. The duration of 1 exercise and a break between them is 10 s. Repeat 5-10 times.
• IP - sitting on a chair, back and neck - straight. Gently turn your head to the sides as far as possible, ideally reaching your chin to your shoulder. Repeat 5-10 times.
• IP is the same. Without straightening the neck, move it back, pulling the chin. Repeat 10 times.
• IP - sitting at the table, the back is straight, one arm rests with the elbow on the table. Put the palm of this hand on the temporal region, try to tilt your head to the side, counteracting the tilt with your hand. The duration of 1 exercise is 10-12 s, followed by a break of 10 s. Repeat 10 times on each side.
• IP - sitting or standing, back straight, arms extended along the body. As far as possible, raise your shoulders up and freeze in this position for 10 seconds, return to the PI, relax. Repeat 10 times.
• IP - standing. Imitate crawl swimming: with outstretched arms, perform rotations in the shoulder joints forward and backward. Repeat 5-6 times in each direction.
• IP - sitting or lying on the floor. Use your fingertips to intensively knead the neck muscles for 3-5 minutes. You can not perform massage on your own, but seek help from others.
• IP - sitting or lying on the floor. Massage the interscapular and suprascapular areas for 5 minutes.
• IP - sitting. Perform circular movements with your fingertips in the temporal region, above the ear and up to the back of the head.

It is necessary to perform exercises smoothly, without making sudden movements, avoiding overwork.

Exercises of therapeutic gymnastics are available to everyone, regardless of their age. Most of them can be performed both at home and at work.

The effectiveness of therapeutic exercises has been proven at any stage of cervical osteochondrosis. With daily exercise, even without the use of other physiotherapeutic methods, patients note a decrease in pain, headache and dizziness. Gymnastics, carried out for the purpose of prevention, can reduce the likelihood of developing this pathology even by 90%.

Mini-complex of exercise therapy for cervical osteochondrosis: