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.
People who lead sedentary and passive lifestyles eventually realize that osteochondrosis has slowly crept onto them.
The causes of osteochondrosis are the inactivity of the muscles of the back and neck, as a result of which they weaken. Spinal discs left without muscle support are heavily loaded.
A constantly sedentary lifestyle, incorrect posture lead to deformation of the vertebral discs. The deformed vertebral discs pinch the nerve endings. As a result, a person experiences pain in the back, cervical spine.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis and prevent its manifestation? Doctors recommend special exercises that strengthen the muscles and tendons of the cervical girdle, back and shoulder. This is the safest way to treat osteochondrosis.
Benefits of Exercise
As noted above, the causes of osteochondrosis are a sedentary lifestyle, weakening of the muscular corset and curvature of the spine. In the early stages of the disease, exercise will stop its further development. Thanks to regular physical activity, blood circulation improves, the muscles of the spine and the cervical region are toned, the load on the spine is reduced, the distance between the vertebral discs increases, the friction between the vertebral discs decreases and, of as a result, the frequency of pain decreases.
And if the disease has developed to the point of experiencing frequent severe pain, then it is necessary to consult a specialist. He will establish an accurate diagnosis, the degree of the disease, prescribe a course of treatment, massage. After the end of the course of treatment, therapeutic exercises will be prescribed, which you can do yourself at home. Such treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home will quickly allow you to forget about the disease.
Exercises should be chosen correctly and performed in doses. Otherwise, there is a risk of deteriorating your health.
Helpful tips
Before starting the exercise, you need to read the useful tips.
- A set of exercises should be done regularly, regardless of the place: study, work, home, etc. In the beginning, to speed up progress, you should do the exercises every day. And in the future, when the condition improves, you can exercise 2-3 days a week to maintain the result;
- If you feel pain or swelling, this is a sign that it is time to move a little. In this case, you need to get up, walk, stretch, perform exercises against osteochondrosis. You can take a little walk;
- You should constantly complicate the lesson. You can add other exercises to the complex or increase the number of repetitions;
- Exercising regularly is, of course, good, but don't forget your feelings. If during classes you feel severe pain in the cervical region, you need to stop classes;
- To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, you can do a massage and take a contrast shower more often. These procedures contribute to further muscle relaxation;
- Exercises should be performed while maintaining an upright posture and paying attention to the technique of execution. It will be a bit difficult at first, but thanks to the correct execution the muscles will become stronger and it will be easier to exercise.
A set of exercises (warm-up)
Before you start exercising, make sure you start with a warm-up:
- You need to stand straight, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, take a deep breath and exhale several times. After that, you need to perform clean inclinations to the right, left, forward, backward. The backward tilt must be done carefully, without causing pain. If bending backwards causes pain, you can refuse to do them.
- The next warm-up is to turn your head left and right to the limit. Despite its simplicity, this exercise can cause difficulties for those people whose cervical spine does not allow them to turn their heads all the way in one direction or another. In such cases, turning the head is not worth causing pain. Exercise must be performed smoothly, without sudden movements.
- Finally, stand up, stretch your shoulders back, bring your shoulder blades together, stick out your chest. Then reduce the shoulder joints, round the back. Exercise should be done slowly, smoothly, inhaling and exhaling.
Types of exercises
This gymnastics, consisting of a series of exercises, is not difficult. You can do them at home, standing or sitting. The most important thing is to keep the spine straight and relax the shoulders. But it is preferable to perform them standing, since in this position the spine is straightened as much as possible.
Gymnastics # 1
Pressure on the hands with the head forward. The hands should be folded into the lock and placed on the forehead. Hands clasped in the lock press back on the head and the head must resist and press forward on the hands. The neck should tighten. You must remain in this position for 15 - 20 seconds. Then put one hand on the back of the neck and tilt your head back. At the same time, the active muscles of the neck are stretched. This exercise is useful for strengthening the muscles of the neck, which allows you to weaken cervical osteochondrosis.
Gymnastics # 2
Hand pressure on the back of the head. In this exercise, you need to squeeze your hands in a lock and put them in this shape on the back of the head. Then put pressure on the back of the head with your hands and the head should resist the hands. Duration - 15 - 20 seconds. In this case, the muscles of the cervical spine are strained. This exercise can be combined with the first for a harmonious workout.
Gymnastics # 3
Tilt your head to the side. In this exercise, place your right (left) palm over your ear. You must try to reach the right (left) shoulder with the head and resist with the working hand. In this position, you need to linger for 15 - 20 seconds. Then do the same on the other side.
# 4 Gymnastics
Turning the head to the side. In this exercise, you need to turn your head to the side. To do this, place your right (left) palm on your right (left) cheek. Turn your head to the right (left) and the working hand resists. In each position, you need to linger for 15 - 20 seconds.
# 5 Gymnastics
Stretching the neck with your hands. Performing this exercise can be difficult at first, but you can get used to it over time. Put your thumbs on your lower jaw and cover the back of your head with the rest of your fingers. In this position, raise your head, you can perform swinging movements. That is, to simulate an attempt to extract the cork from the bottle. You can't turn your head, it has to look straight ahead. The duration of the exercise is 15 - 20 seconds. Exercise should be repeated several times.
# 6 Gymnastics
Stand straight and spread your arms out to the sides. The hands should be relaxed. Perform rotations of the right and left shoulder joints in turn, then simultaneously. The body should be tilted forward. It is necessary to perform the exercise for each shoulder for 1 minute. This exercise is recommended for those who feel tension in the shoulder area.
Gymnastics №7
Rolling the head. In this exercise, you need to turn your head to the right (left) shoulder and squeeze the neck. Do a head roll to both sides. At the end of the repetition, the head should be turned to the other shoulder. Try to pull your shoulder blades back. Perform the exercise carefully, the movement of the head must be controlled throughout the entire exercise. In case of discomfort, you can simply turn your head to the side. Exercise should be repeated 10-12 times.
This is the whole complex of exercises aimed at preventing osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. It is not necessary to perform all the exercises, you can only choose those that do not bring discomfort and pain. Employees are advised to sit upright while working. Also, you can perform hanging on the horizontal bar in the morning. This will stretch the spine, give the body vigor. Swimming, figure skating, dancing, aerobics also help prevent osteochondrosis and speed up the treatment process. If the classes are regular and the person himself becomes more mobile, you can get rid of pain in the muscles and bones of the cervical region.