Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is an insidious disease. The age incidence threshold falls every year, so now the problem of treating cervical osteochondrosis is acute like never before.
Unfortunately, the penetration of medicine into different parts of our country leaves much to be desired, so disease self-prevention and home maintenance therapy are now extremely relevant.
We are aided by various exercises for the prevention and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis and professionally designed physical therapy (physical therapy complexes).
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis is massage and self-massage. Massage heating techniques, rubbing, stroking, restore blood circulation in the muscles, relieve tension in the neck muscles. The massage can be done on its own, kneading and rubbing the back of the neck and the base of the skull, thereby eliminating blood stasis and restoring blood circulation to the head.
The workplace should be comfortable. An ergonomic chair should be used. The elbows should be level with the table, the back is straight, the computer monitor is slightly above the eye. In work, it is necessary to take breaks to reduce the static load on the back.
A preventive measure of osteochondrosis is to perform exercises for the cervical region. Less dangerous are isometric exercises, which consist of countering the load for 5-6 seconds. The head resists the pressure of the palm of the hand. Exercises are performed without sudden movements, smoothly.
- Sitting at a table with your back straight. Rest your elbow on the table, press your ear to the palm of your hand, tilt your head on your shoulder, contrasting it with your hand. Hold for 10 seconds, 10 reps. The lateral muscles of the neck are strengthened. Repeat the same number of times on both sides.
- Sitting at the table, put your hand on the table on your elbow, lean on the palm of your hand with your forehead, rest your hand and press your head for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
- Lie on the floor on your back. 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 the left side, the left hand lies on the floor, put your head on it and press your head to the hand.
- The same for the right side.
- Sitting in a chair with a straight back, interlace your fingers in the lock, put the back of the head, press the back of the head on the joined fingers.
- Standing close to the wall, press the back of your head against the wall.
All of the above isometric exercises should be performed with effort for 5-6 seconds, after which slowly relieve tension and relax. Do 5-10 repetitions.
Beneficial effect on the state of the cervical section of the implementation of hangings on the horizontal bar. You can perform hangings with a wide, tight grip for 30 seconds. Under the influence of its own weight, all the vertebrae of the spine are stretched.
You should pay attention to your habits, do not bend over at the table, maintain posture, while talking on the phone, do not press the receiver with your ear on the shoulder. Make sure you take breaks every hour. Swimming is a good preventative measure.
To prevent the disease, you can perform small series of simple exercises daily. The program contains quite accessible exercises to perform. To determine the condition of the cervical spine, you can do small tests: bend the head back and forth, tilt it on the shoulder and turn the head left and right.
Normally, a person should tilt their head 45 degrees, bend 50. Tilt their head on the shoulder should be 45 degrees, turn their head 90 degrees in both directions.
Therapeutic exercises for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
You can start therapeutic exercises only after the pain has stopped. You cannot exercise during an attack. After an attack, low-intensity isometric exercises are allowed, in which case the muscles tighten, resisting the load. The neck muscles create a muscular corset that holds the vertebrae firmly.
All exercises should be performed slowly, without jerking and sudden movements. Before performing gymnastic complexes, you should choose an individual technique, based on the opinion of a specialist.
Physiotherapy Doctor
- Sitting position, back and neck straight. Turn your head left and right as far as possible, but gently, not abruptly. Repeat 10 times.
- Sitting position, back and neck straight. Lower your head, try to touch your chest with your chin. 10 repetitions.
- Sitting position, pull back the chin and neck, 10 repetitions.
- Sitting position, arms hanging freely along the body. Gently raise your shoulders and hold the position for 10 seconds. To chill out. Do 10 repetitions.
- Lying on a hard surface, knead the muscles of the neck and base of the skull for 4 minutes. Try massaging intensively to improve blood flow.
- Rub sitting or lying on a hard surface of the muscle between the shoulder blades and above the shoulder blades.
- In a circular motion, knead the muscles above the ear and up to the back of the head.
A series of exercises combined with slow, calm breathing. Breathing helps to focus on exercise, helps to increase its effectiveness. It is recommended to repeat several times throughout the day. The range of motion is small. The prone position helps to reduce the load on the vertebrae, you can not force yourself to do everything at once. The main thing is prudence, gradualness and constancy of the classes.
- Lying on your back on the floor. One hand on the stomach, the other on the chest. Calm breathing: the stomach rises, then the chest. Breathe out calmly, for a long time. He tries to make the exhalation longer than the inhalation. Run freely, relaxed. Do 10 repetitions.
- Lying on the floor on your stomach. He slowly raises his head, then his shoulders, then rests with his hands in front of you, lingers for 1 minute. Always try to remember your posture.
- Lying on my belly. The hands are located along the body. Freely, slowly turn your head, trying 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 abruptly and not to the point of pain. Repeat 10 times.
- Sitting at the table. Put your elbows on the table, put your head on your palms, press your forehead to your palms. Try to try as hard as possible. Do the exhalation exercise. Repeat 10 times.
- Rotate your head alternately 5 times on the left and right side. If pain is felt, movement of the chin to the left should be limited to the shoulder, then to the right to the shoulder. Repeat 6 times.
Manual videos on therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis
Among the many video tutorials on therapeutic exercises presented online, you can choose the most effective one for the treatment of the cervical spine. It is best to contact a specialist, follow the recommendations of existing chiropractors and trust their experience.
By combining massage, self-massage, the results of medical massage technology, controlling posture and performing simple series of exercises for the cervical vertebrae, a person will acquire lightness, freedom, smoothness of movements and, possibly, forget about the existence of cervical osteochondrosis.