Features of the disease
A hernia often appears as a consequence of scoliosis and osteochondrosis. Also, an intervertebral hernia can appear as a result of injury, excess weight, which places a serious load on the spine and all joints, and a sedentary lifestyle, especially in people who are forced to remain in a static position for a long time.
In severe cases, surgery is indicated, which negatively affects the entire body and can contribute to a deterioration in overall health.
Depending on where in the spine the disease is localized, certain symptoms can be identified. A hernia in the lumbar region is accompanied by pain in the same area radiating to the lower extremities. Nausea, dizziness, and pain in the neck and shoulders indicate a cervical hernia. Pain in the chest area and heart characterizes a herniation of the thoracic part of the spinal column.
What if I had plastic surgery?
After plastic surgeries that do not affect vital organs (rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, etc.), recovery requires 1-1.5 months. You can steam when the stitches have healed.
The operation to remove veins will require 1-2 months of rehabilitation; the surgeon who operated will determine the more precise timing.
If we are talking about surgery with the insertion of implants, breast or buttock, then you will have to take a break from the “bath life” for 4-6 months. Otherwise, there is a risk that the implant will move out of place - did you dream of such beauty?
Is a bath useful for a hernia of the lumbar spine?
It has long been known that water procedures in the bathhouse help fight most ailments, as well as diseases of the musculoskeletal system. What benefits can warming up in a steam room bring?
- The body warms up, as a result of which blood, saturated with nutrients and oxygen, is intensively directed to the damaged parts of the body, and lymphatic drainage occurs in time.
- It turns out that with a hernia of the spine, it is possible and beneficial to take a steam bath, since toxins are quickly destroyed and removed from the body, while new cells are also formed quickly. Thus, the restoration process in the human body is activated.
- Inflammation is reduced, swelling of the affected tissues is eliminated, muscle tension is reduced. Back discomfort goes away easily.
- As a concomitant point, the immune system is strengthened.
- If you steam a spinal hernia with a broom, you can replace a massage with this procedure.
- The restoration of cartilage tissue in the joints occurs faster and the lumen of the artery expands.
Is it possible to heat a herniated disc?
Like any other obviously therapeutic procedure, warming up in a bathhouse has a number of indications and contraindications that must be taken into account before resorting to the help of a steam room in treating a hernia or easing the symptoms of the disease.
Benefits of the method
Of course, bath procedures have many beneficial properties , but if you have an intervertebral hernia, you should definitely consult with your doctor before going to the sauna or bathhouse.
The individual characteristics of your body, as well as some features of the course of the disease that are specific to your body, may not be combined with the high temperature and humidity of the bath.
The beneficial properties of the bath are well known and are good for many diseases . Bath procedures:
- stimulate metabolic processes in the body;
- remove toxins and waste products from the body;
- reduce swelling;
- relieve muscle tension;
- improve blood circulation in the diseased area;
- improve overall well-being and lift your mood.
Important! After the procedure, be sure to wrap yourself warmly and avoid drafts, since otherwise you can only aggravate the symptoms and chill the already inflamed area. If you are diagnosed with a herniated disc, you should not visit the bathhouse after eating (or drinking).
Contraindications
Any kind of heating during exacerbation of a hernia is strictly contraindicated. In addition to the beneficial properties of bath procedures, there are a number of contraindications in which you should under no circumstances visit a steam room or warm up a hernia by any other means.
Warming is contraindicated when:
- acute inflammation in the body;
- pinching of the spinal cord membranes;
- high temperature;
- the presence of tumors and the pain they cause;
These are just general contraindications that apply to all patients . In addition to these recommendations, there are cases of individual contraindications in a specific clinical case, so you should definitely consult with your doctor before starting thermal procedures. Warming is a rather controversial method of treating hernia, so you need to be very careful when choosing this therapeutic route.
Video: “What you need to know about warming up the spine?”
Is there any harm from a bath?
It is important to study the physiological reasons here. With an exacerbation of the disease, the swelling of the affected area increases and the painful phenomena intensify; for this reason, it is impossible to heat the herniated spine and take a steam bath.
Causes:
- Due to the acceleration of all processes in the body, too much blood flows to the sore spot;
- Swelling of areas of the body increases;
- Painful sensations intensify significantly, inflammation in the nerve canals compressed by the hernia increases.
That is, in some cases it is impossible to take a steam bath with a herniated spine.
Bath after inguinal hernia surgery
Do not rush to try all the procedures on yourself on your first trip to the bathhouse.
For those with an inguinal hernia, there are no restrictions on visiting the bathhouse. If the hernia has been operated on, thermal stress is prohibited for two months after the operation. After 3 months, doctors allow you to visit the sauna and bathhouse, but without fanaticism. The final word here, as with any postoperative rehabilitation, remains with the doctor. As a rule, surgeons allow bathing procedures to be resumed when the scar returns to normal. True, sometimes the process of complete healing drags on for a year.
Do not rush to try all the procedures on yourself on your first trip to the bathhouse. At first, you need to refuse massage. Prepare your body before entering the steam room: do a few simple exercises, drink a cup of herbal tea, take a warm shower.
Experienced bath lovers know that the effectiveness of bath procedures is increased with the help of a broom. The best option is a broom made from birch branches: it is light and flexible, and its leaves contain beneficial essential oils, tannins, vitamin C and provitamin A, which have a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels.
First hold the broom in warm water, and only after that put it in boiling water.
See where in St. Petersburg and Moscow you can take a steam bath with a broom:
Sauna on Yuzhnaya
“Uslada”
Dnepropetrovskaya st., 14
Prazhskaya 23 min
1000 ₽/hour
Bath complex
"Kirochny Dvor"
st. Kirochnaya, 36
Chernyshevskaya 4 min
1050 - 1550 ₽/hour
Cottage and bath complex
"Pargolovskaya Usadba"
village. Pargolovo, Central lane, 6
Parnassus
3000 - 3500 ₽/hour
Bath complex
"Medvezhka"
village. Murino, st. Zarechnaya, 26
Devyatkino 21 min
2500 - 3000 ₽/hour
Hairdresser, massage therapist, family SPA
“Visiting Jussi”
village. Yukki, Leningradskoe shosse, 273, lit. C
Parnassus
1000 - 1500 ₽/hour
Bathhouse
“On Bolshoi Prospekt”
Bolshoy pr. V.O., 96
Primorskaya
1000 ₽/hour
Sauna
“Marlin”
Grechesky Ave., 5
Vosstaniya Square 7 min
1500 ₽/hour
Sauna
"Sandy Grotto" on Alpisky
Alpisky lane, 30
Slavy Avenue 9 min
1100 - 1600 ₽/hour
Rules for visiting the bathhouse
- With such a pathology, it is not allowed to use cool water or wipe with snow, even if the disease is not exacerbating;
- Monitor the temperature of the water, it is important that it is at room temperature (for dousing);
- Also keep the temperature in the room under control, about 45°;
- Do not exceed the time spent in the steam room, the approximate time is up to 15 minutes;
- After taking water procedures, you need to get dressed or wrap yourself in a blanket and stay in this position for about one hour so that the body does not cool down immediately and complications do not arise;
- After such events, do not walk on the street;
- The following approach can have a good effect in case of a vertebral hernia: stay in the steam room at a temperature of no more than 45º, then pour water over the body at 20°C for 10 minutes. After these activities, it is recommended to warm up again. This will protect your spine and hernia from sudden temperature changes;
- Warming up the hernia is also useful because with this disease there is a strong muscle spasm, as a result of which small capillaries are compressed, blood circulates with difficulty, especially in the affected area, and this is a secondary factor, which also causes an increase in pain. By the way, it is also possible to heat the sore spot with the help of sunlight, but here, just like in the bathhouse, you need to adhere to the rules of warming up - warm your back for no more than 15 minutes. In addition, warming up the back in the sun promotes the production of vitamin D, which is so necessary for our bones;
- Acute phase of any disease;
- If a sequestered hernia is observed. When the nucleus pulposus does not simply fall out into the spinal canal, but a small piece is separated from it. In this situation, the steam room is a direct contraindication, since heating such a hernia leads to serious consequences - a sequestered hernia often leads to disability;
- Severe compression of nerve canals;
- Feverish state;
- Painful sensations of unknown origin;
- Oncological disease;
- You should not go to the steam room after drinking alcoholic beverages or eating a large meal.
Bath after eye surgery
After cataract surgery and lens replacement, you can go to a “non-hot” bath in a month, and take a steam bath in two.
Those who have undergone laser vision correction, says ophthalmologist Tatyana Iskusnova, should refrain from visiting the bathhouse and sauna, as well as swimming in open water, for one month.
Patients often ask which bath after surgery is better - dry or wet. Most doctors advise giving preference to a Russian bath, where the temperature is lower than in a sauna, so moist air is easier to tolerate.
- Limit your first entry into the steam room to 3-5 minutes; if everything turns out okay, make a few more entries
- Start steaming at a temperature of 50-60 degrees
- Sit on the bottom shelf first, and then gradually move higher
- After the steam room, you should not immediately douse yourself with cold water - instead, it is better to take air baths in the dressing room or rinse under the shower with water at room temperature.
Main contraindications to visiting a steam room
Be sure to consult with your treating specialist so that he gives you permission to visit the steam room if you are ill. A consultation with a doctor will certainly answer your question about whether it is possible to go to the bathhouse with an intervertebral hernia in your case, taking into account concomitant pathologies, the degree of disc damage and the stage of the disease, as well as possible complications. The doctor will also explain to you how long you need to stay in the steam room and what temperature is desirable for your body.
If you have not consulted with your doctor, it is best to avoid visiting the steam room to avoid the serious consequences of an intervertebral hernia.
Other methods of warming up a herniated disc
If you do not have the opportunity to visit a bathhouse or sauna, then you can try other methods of warming up the hernia, which will certainly suit most patients.
Hot bath for spinal hernia
Particular care must be taken when using hot baths for spinal hernias. Water procedures are a fairly effective method in the treatment of spinal diseases.
But when it comes to hernia, you need to be very careful.
Doctors do not recommend warming up the hernia in a hot bath, since too high a water temperature can cause increased swelling in the sore area , which in turn will further increase pressure on the nerve roots of the spinal cord.
Even more severe pain will appear, and no one needs this.
Therefore, doctors recommend warm baths , with the addition of various components: herbs, oils, salts, etc.
Such therapeutic baths will relax muscles, relieve swelling and pain, and also improve blood circulation much better than hot water.
Heating pad for intervertebral hernia
Another method of warming up a hernia, which is available to everyone, is a heating pad. The gentle warmth of a heating pad will help relax the muscle corset, relieve tension and swelling, and reduce pain in the affected area. But you need to take into account that the heating pad should not be too hot ; you can use the heating pad together with a woolen belt to achieve a gentle thermal effect on the sore area.
Important! Do not apply boiling water to the affected area under any circumstances; heating should be moderate and gradual. You can use several heating pads so that the heating is symmetrical and covers a larger area.
As the water in the heating pads (or on the towels) cools, you need to remove the compresses. Such warming procedures need to be carried out every day for 2-3 hours.
Do you know how warming up the back affects the body in other diseases? Read the following articles:
- Is it possible to warm your back in a bathhouse if you have spinal chondrosis?
- How heat affects the condition of the back with radiculitis is described on the page nevralgiya/radikulit/vygrevanie-radikulita-kak-vliyaet-na-organizm-goryachaya-vanna-i-banya-v-period-bolezni.html
- The use of physical therapy for spinal hernia is described here
Bath in the postoperative period
Immediately after the operation, visiting the bathhouse is not recommended, as are other thermal procedures. As the patient recovers and is allowed to exercise, he can visit the bathhouse.
ATTENTION! It is important for patients in the postoperative period to follow lifestyle recommendations in order to prevent relapse or other complications.
In this case, special attention should be paid to the temperature regime. In case of a vertebral hernia, it should not exceed 40 degrees, since excess blood flow can cause tissue swelling. Patting with a broom is also prohibited due to possible tissue trauma.
Hernia of the lumbar spine
Since hernia localized in the lumbar region is most common, patients need to be careful about their well-being. In the case of pain that bothers the patient for a long time, a safe visit to the bathhouse is possible only after a preliminary examination and consultation with a doctor. The specialist will determine whether it is possible to heat the herniated disc.
Upon completion of the procedure, it is necessary to prevent hypothermia of the lower back. To do this, you need to tie a woolen scarf and quickly put on dry clothes so that the body cools down gradually.
Contraindications
Despite the benefits of bath procedures, there are also contraindications, which can lead to complications. Patients with back pain can take the plunge by first undergoing an examination, which will allow the doctor to make the correct diagnosis and give recommendations on lifestyle.
In case of acute pain in the back, heating can worsen your well-being
The main contraindications for visiting the bathhouse include:
- An increase in temperature with severe pain, which is a sign of pinched nerve endings. During an exacerbation of the disease, additional heating of the affected area can cause a sharp deterioration in health and the development of complications. This is due to increased tissue swelling.
- An increase in body temperature, as well as the presence of signs of an acute inflammatory process in the body.
- The presence or suspicion of a malignant process in the body. Warming up the tumor will lead to accelerated growth of malignant cells.
- Benign tumors in the spine. Thermal effects on a benign tumor can lead to an increase in its size, damage to the vertebra, as well as compression of nerve endings and blood vessels.
Is it possible to do breathing exercises with GERD?
Singers, especially opera singers, who practice deep breathing techniques may have better protection against GERD symptoms. This is due to the fact that during inhalation, the diaphragm contracts as the chest expands (abdominal breathing). In this case, the legs of the diaphragm, which encircle the esophagus at the diaphragmatic opening of the diaphragm, together with the lower esophageal sphincter, contribute to the activation of the protective mechanism against reflux. This is very clearly visible during retroversion gastroscopy, when the patient is asked to take a deep breath, a tighter compression and clasping of the esophageal diaphragm by the legs occurs.
Gymnastics is based on the transition from the usual thoracic type of breathing movements to the abdominal one. Treatment for belching is also based on this.
Is it possible to smoke if you have GERD?
Chronic smokers (from 15 to 60 cigarettes per day) showed a decrease in pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter, which caused them to complain of heartburn; they also had a lower pH of gastric juice (i.e., a more acidic environment), a decrease in bicarbonate in saliva, which neutralizes acid during reflux (this is why with heartburn the patient often swallows saliva). Additionally, the esophagus is cleared of acid that entered during reflux by coughing and taking a deep breath, and by clearance (the mechanism of increased peristalsis of the esophagus).
Many studies confirm relief and disappearance of reflux symptoms after quitting tobacco smoking. This relationship is especially pronounced in individuals with normal body weight.
Can you drink alcohol if you have GERD?
Experiments have clearly demonstrated that alcohol directly inhibits the contractile function of the esophagus and leads to a decrease in pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter.
Here's some interesting data: alcohol with an alcohol concentration of less than 5% may stimulate gastric acid production, while drinks with higher alcohol concentrations (5-40%) have no proven stimulating effect and may actually suppress stomach acid production. With chronic alcohol consumption, this effect is no longer unpredictable.
Overall, there is conflicting and inconsistent evidence regarding the role of alcohol in the progression of GERD symptoms and the effect of abstinence from alcoholic beverages on disease relief. Attention should be paid to excessive alcohol consumption in patients, and then for reasons of general health, and not as a prevention or treatment for GERD.
Treatment
At the First Medical Clinic, modern non-surgical approaches are used for cervical hernia, including:
- manual therapy;
- reconstruction of the spine is a method based on the introduction into the disc of a complex of medicinal substances that inhibit degenerative processes in tissues and activate the self-regeneration of affected areas;
- therapeutic blockades, local injection therapy (including the introduction of anesthetics, muscle relaxants, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs into the affected area) ;
- autoplasmotherapy;
- reflexology;
- treatment with Karipazim;
- chondroprotectors;
- “liquid implant” – the introduction of drugs based on hyaluronic acid and its derivatives;
- hirudotherapy , etc.
The required amount of therapeutic assistance can only be determined by a specialist after diagnostic procedures. If signs of a herniated cervical spine appear, we recommend that you contact the First Medical Clinic in a timely manner.
You can make an appointment for a consultation and appointment by phone