Beneficial properties of exercises for thoracic kyphosis
Kyphosis is a pathology characterized by pathological curvature of the spine. It appears as a bulge that appears in the spine area. At the same time, kyphosis of the thoracic region is more common (cervical and lumbar are quite rare). Treatment and gymnastics will help eliminate kyphosis of the thoracic spine. To combat this disease, special physical therapy is used, which has a lot of useful properties:
- helps strengthen the back muscles;
- increases flexibility and mobility of the spine;
- normalizes blood circulation;
- helps improve the patient's overall well-being.
You should know that exercises for kyphosis of the thoracic spine will help the patient only if we are talking about grade 1 or 2 of the disease. With an advanced stage (stage 3 or 4), gymnastics will not help. This requires surgical intervention.
Which specialist conducts exercise therapy classes?
Physical therapy classes are conducted by a physical therapy doctor - a specialist who has a medical education. It helps restore the child's physical fitness. The doctor must know physiology and pathophysiology and be able to do therapeutic massage.
The doctor’s responsibilities also include conducting special examinations of patients, determining the methodology, form and dosage of physical therapy. loads, selection of individual motor mode and special physical exercises.
As for the exercises themselves, the exercise therapy specialist establishes their quantity and intensity, evaluates the effectiveness of the procedures performed. The doctor reflects the entire treatment process with the help of physical education and gymnastics in the patient’s chart.
Implementation principles
When treating and doing gymnastics aimed at kyphosis of the thoracic spine, patients should follow some rules, which boil down to the following:
- the exercise therapy program must be compiled by a person with the appropriate qualifications;
- training should not exceed 30-40 minutes;
- Before exercise, the muscles should be warmed up;
- During the exercises, you should maintain correct posture;
- the load should be increased gradually;
- Exercise therapy should involve various exercises: both active and passive.
The above principles should be adhered to, regardless of the severity of the pathology.
Static and dynamic exercises
When doing therapeutic exercises for kyphosis of the thoracic spine, a sick person should combine exercises of varying degrees of mobility. So, dynamic ones will help improve blood circulation and also increase muscle tone. While static gymnastics helps strengthen the spinal column and pectoral muscles.
Increase in amplitude and strength of movements
You should start exercising with light loads, gradually increasing the range of movements. This will allow the body to get used to new stress. If you perform all the elements of physical therapy in one session, the muscles will quickly get tired, and it will not bring the expected effect.
Taking a bath or relaxing massage
In order to enhance the effect of exercises for kyphosis of the thoracic spine, it is recommended to first lie in a relaxing bath or do a relaxing massage. This will help relax the muscles and also better prepare them for the upcoming load.
Symptoms
External changes. In most cases (92% of all congenital deformities), children have a funnel-shaped pathology of the sternum, which is characterized by inadequate development of the costal cartilages, resulting in the formation of a depression in the lower or middle zone of the chest. The sternum is significantly enlarged in the transverse direction. As the child's body grows and develops, the disease becomes more pronounced. As the ribs grow, the chest cavity clearly decreases, which, in turn, irreversibly leads to curvature of the spine and disruption of the cardiovascular system and lungs. In newborn babies, this pathology is mild and becomes more pronounced at the age of three. When inhaling, periodic sinking of the ribs is noted, and paradoxical breathing intensifies, which leads to the development of respiratory failure. Compared to their peers, children lag behind in their physical development, are susceptible to colds and vegetative disorders, and quickly get tired when playing sports or physical activity. In the case of deformation of the upper or middle part of the chest, a scaphoid depression is noted, in which motor functions may be impaired.
A set of exercises for illness
Currently, a fairly large number of different techniques have been developed to combat thoracic kyphosis. At the same time, a basic set of exercises for kyphosis of the thoracic spine involves performing the following elements:
- We place our feet shoulder-width apart, take a gymnastic stick in our hands and carefully place our hands behind our backs. Now let's squat. When going down, we inhale, when returning to the starting point, we exhale.
- We take the same starting position. After this, inhaling, we stand on our toes. Then we lower ourselves as we exhale.
- Again the same starting position. We hold the stick against the shoulder blades, then throw back our heads and straighten our arms as we inhale. When returning to the starting position, exhale.
- We get on all fours. We try to bend in the chest as low as possible. We place our elbows on the sides. We crawl about 50 steps.
- We lie down on our backs. We stretch our arms along the torso. After this, we bend in the spine, leaning on our arms, which are bent at the elbows, and the back of our head. We inhale at the moment of effort, returning to the starting position - exhale.
- We lie on our stomachs, put our hands on our shoulders. We throw our heads back, raising our chest above the floor, while leaning on our forearms. Inhale with effort, exhale with return.
- We kneel down and lower ourselves, placing emphasis on our palms. Next, bend your arms at the elbow joints, lower your chest to the floor, pushing your body forward. We return to the starting position.
- We lie on our back in a relaxed state, with our arms along our torso. Then we put our hands behind the back of our heads and stretch up as much as possible. We hold at the top point for 3 seconds. We take the starting position.
- We complete the bunch of exercises by stretching the muscles. We stand on our toes and stretch our arms as high as possible. You should definitely feel your back muscles. The listed exercises are basic and are selected depending on the individual characteristics of the patient.
How to correct a chest deformity
In the treatment of the spine and joints, a distinction is made between conservative and surgical treatment methods. The tactics are chosen based on the severity of the pathology and the presence of concomitant diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Treatment of chest deformity at home includes performing a set of exercises that strengthen the muscle corset, physical therapy complexes, breathing exercises, swimming, wearing a corset, and a massage course. Conservative methods cannot completely correct the situation, but they can significantly slow down the process and maintain the normal function of internal organs. Treatment should be carried out under the constant supervision of an orthopedic surgeon. Drug therapy is aimed at eliminating those problems that have arisen in the internal organs as a result of their deformation under the pressure of the bone skeleton.
In traumatological practice, three stages of deformation are distinguished. With age, the child’s pathology will progress, so conservative treatment can give results only at the first stage. At the second and third stages, conservative methods do not show effectiveness, so doctors recommend surgical reconstruction of the chest. In this way, further deterioration can be avoided and normal conditions for the functioning of the heart and lungs can be created. As a rule, surgery is performed when the child reaches 7 years of age. In the treatment of chest deformity in adolescents, the method of placing two magnetic plates has been actively used over the last few years. One is implanted behind the sternum, and the second is placed on a special corset. The outer plate attracts the inner plate due to the magnetic field, and a gradual change in the position of the bones occurs.
Contraindications
You should know that exercise therapy prescribed and developed for you with kyphosis of the thoracic spine has a number of contraindications. As a rule, they are associated with acquired or congenital diseases that are present in the patient.
Infectious pathologies
As you know, when an infection (flu, RVI, etc.) enters the human body, the immune system begins an active fight against pathogenic and opportunistic pathogens. During this period, it is important that the person is completely at rest. The immune system is already under a lot of stress, and additional efforts can only worsen the situation.
Mental health problems
If a person experiences an exacerbation of any mental condition (for example, schizophrenia, neurosis, psychosis, etc.), then during this period it is recommended to refrain from excessive physical activity.
Rise in body temperature above 37.5 degrees
As a rule, an increase in body temperature above the established norm (36.6-37.5) is the body’s reaction to a certain disease, the nature of which must be determined by a doctor. In this situation, it is better to refrain from performing exercises with thoracic kyphosis, since the body may perceive the effect on the muscles as an irritant. As a result, headache, vomiting, and deterioration in the patient’s general condition may occur.
Increased blood pressure
You should know that static exercises are contraindicated for people suffering from hypertension. This is explained by the fact that with prolonged muscle tension, blood pressure can jump. Of particular danger are the possible consequences and complications of hypertension. So, heart failure, stroke may develop, blood circulation in the head may be impaired, etc.
Causes
Most chest deformities in children are a genetic pathology. In other words, the genes already have a program that triggers abnormal growth and development of chest cartilage. Quite often, parents tend to blame themselves for the appearance of any deformities in their baby. But, for the most part, chest deformation is a genetic congenital defect, which, fortunately, can be corrected. If the deformity is congenital, then in such situations the shape of the anterior part of the chest is changed. Such disorders are accompanied by underdevelopment of the ribs or their absence, underdevelopment of the muscles and sternum. The causes of acquired deformities include various diseases (rickets, scoliosis, chronic lung diseases, bone tuberculosis), injuries, burns that occur in the chest area. When the formation of bone structures is disrupted, the most severe forms of deformation can occur.
Diagnostics
The development of deformation is easily determined by a specialist based on many external signs. Instrumental diagnostics include methods such as radiography, which allows us to identify the type of pathology and the degree of its development. Computed tomography reveals bone defects, compression of the lungs, mediastinal displacement, as well as the degree of development of the disease. And with the help of magnetic resonance imaging, you can obtain extensive information regarding abnormalities in soft and bone tissues. If there is a suspicion of a disturbance in the functioning of the lungs and heart, then echocardiography, cardiac monitoring using the Holter method, X-ray of the lungs and other studies are performed.