The Glisson loop is a device made of belts, fastenings and weights for the treatment and prevention of spinal pathologies. The loop received its name in honor of the London physician Glisson and became known in the middle of the 17th century. The design can be purchased at a specialized salon or made independently, taking into account individual characteristics. The loop is attached to the patient's head and suspended from the crossbar. The counterweight in this case is its own weight. The device has a number of indications and contraindications that should be taken into account before starting training.
What is the secret of such a high effectiveness of the neck traction procedure?
The answer is simple. Many vital vessels pass through the cervical spine. By tidying up the spine in the neck area, the patency of blood vessels is normalized, resulting in significantly improved brain function.
It is not a discovery for medical specialists that the initial cause of cardiovascular diseases is associated with disorders in the lower part of the cervical spine, where the innervation of the heart comes from.
People who sit at the computer for a long time, one way or another, will face the problem of numbness in the tips of their fingers, they will have pain in the heart area and their blood pressure will jump. Spinal traction and special exercises are the only sure way to solve the problem.
However, there is one more important addition. For the normal condition of the cervical spine, body weight . It would seem that there is a connection between excess weight and the neck. It turns out that it is the most direct one. If a person is overweight, then it is usually distributed throughout the body and the most vulnerable place is the stomach. When a person has a huge belly, his center of gravity shifts from the navel forward and the lumbar spine begins to protrude. Since the head must be held straight, the curvature of the neck also moves slightly forward, which causes a deterioration in the passage of nerve impulses and blood flow through the vessels. In this case, it is possible for the intervertebral discs to sag and the formation of hernias in the cervical spine.
So huge beer bellies are not only pride, but also a lot of problems!
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Description
This is one of the hardware simulators, with the help of which traction (extension) of the spine is carried out. This device is easy to use, can be used without the help of others, does not require the role of other persons during installation, is affordable, and is usually available in all medical centers, dispensaries and even in massage rooms. The Gleason loop is named after a British doctor who lived in the 17th century and proposed using his invention for healing purposes.
What is a Glisson loop structurally, and how is the traction process carried out?
There are various modifications of this device, usually involving the use of complex structures and loads, which is unsafe and not very convenient.
The Glisson loop presented on this site is devoid of such disadvantages, is effective, easy to use and allows for the possibility of dosed traction.
A special device is put on the head, which is fixed on a horizontal bar, anchor or other place, resulting in a tension force, which, in fact, creates traction. The degree of traction is regulated by your body.
During traction, decompression of the discs and roots occurs. To reduce muscle spasm, before starting the neck traction procedure, massage of the cervical spine and collar area is recommended.
When performing the traction procedure, dosage is important. It is necessary to take into account that muscle tone after traction for 1-2 hours is reduced. Therefore, during this period it is advisable to avoid static loads and movement in general.
Is it possible to make a device?
How to make a Glisson loop at home? Many people ask this question.
In essence, it is just a bandage made of dense fabric, preferably elastic and springy, tapering towards the ends and with a cutout in the middle. Therefore, it is quite possible to make the device with your own hands. The loop should be wide enough to secure the chin and the back of the head. It is better to sew elastic bands or straps to the area of the bandage under the ears to connect the pieces of fabric between the jaw and the back of the head. This is done so that the bandage does not move from the back of the head.
You can do it even simpler - take two strips of fabric about the width of your palm and about 25 cm long, sew them up at the ends, thread two laces - and the loop is ready. If necessary, the laces are tied at the top of the head. The angle between the stripes on the chin and the back of the head should be approximately 45 degrees. Is a pattern necessary for such an apparatus as the Glisson loop? Such a product can be sewn without a pattern; it is enough to have an example before your eyes.
Next you will need straight hangers for clothes. You need to drill holes at the ends and attach ropes or straps in them that hold the loop itself. They must, of course, be strong enough to support your body weight. This is not the best option, but you can use it.
It would be more convenient to make a hook from thick wire or a metal rod, attach it to the door, and hang a Glisson loop on this hook.
The downside is that metal of such strength is very difficult to bend as needed. But, in the end, you can find suitable metal for the device in hardware stores.
Here's how to make a Gleason loop at home.
Symptoms of problems in the cervical spine:
- Periodic aching pain in the back of the neck, aggravated by sneezing, coughing, turning the head;
- Impaired memory and attention;
- Pain in the shoulders and/or shoulder blades;
- Headache;
- Unstable blood pressure;
- Pain and numbness in the hands and fingers;
- Dizziness, sometimes with loss of consciousness;
- Constant or periodic noise in the head, increasing when turning the head;
- Weakness in the hands;
- Gait instability and lack of coordination;
- Discomfort in the throat;
- Fast fatiguability.
How to sew a trainer at home
There are many instructions that can be found on the Internet in written form or in step-by-step video instructions on how to create a spinal traction loop at home.
In the case of a doctor with a specialization in rehabilitation, this is quite possible, the doctor knows all the nuances. At the same time, he must also have designing or sewing skills.
In the case of a simple patient, creating such a simulator at home may be a bad idea. The design may simply fail or become a dangerous tool in the hands of an inexperienced, unknowing person.
If it is not possible to purchase or go for rehabilitation to a specialized center, then you can practice exercise therapy and other methods of improving nutrition and spinal regeneration at home without the risk of creating a dangerous situation.
Spine with osteochondrosis in comparison with a healthy spine
Improper traction can damage the spine, cause disruption of innervation and lead to a worsening of the condition than it was with osteochondrosis. There is a risk of injury, which is why doctors recommend that most rehabilitation methods be supervised.
Causes of problems in the cervical spine:
- CERVICAL INJURY sustained during childbirth.
- NECK OVERLOAD The head puts all its weight on the cervical spine in a vertical position.
- HIGH MOBILITY The cervical region has greater mobility than other parts of the spine.
- THIN VERTEBRES The cervical region contains the smallest vertebrae and the narrowest canal in which the spinal cord passes.
- VERTEBRAL ARTERIES Only here, in the lateral processes of the vertebrae, do the vertebral arteries pass, carrying oxygen to the brain.
Preparation for execution
The best time for traction is in the evening, approximately 1.5 hours after dinner. After finishing the function, it is better to go to bed right away. You need to lie on your back without a pillow at all or purchase an orthopedic one so that the stretched neck does not return to its reverse curved position.
Before you start, you need to warm up the muscles of the neck and upper spine so as not to injure them. To warm up, apply a warm heating pad or a heated towel for a couple of minutes, then perform a light massage and rub the muscles.
The process may make you feel a little dizzy. This is explained by the fact that the vessels became free and began to flow into the brain (the central part of the nervous system of animals, usually located in the head of the body and representing a compact accumulation of nerve cells and their processes)
more blood
(the internal environment of the human and animal body)
, and, accordingly, oxygen.
If dizziness (Dizziness is a feeling of uncertainty in determining one’s position in space)
does not increase and remains at an applicable level and does not cause discomfort, then everything is in order.
Advantages of our Glisson loop:
- Pain in the lower back, back, neck completely disappears or is significantly relieved;
- Surgery becomes unnecessary;
- Numbness and other symptoms associated with impaired innervation disappear;
- Blood supply to the brain improves, headaches go away, blood pressure normalizes, and mental activity increases.
- Functional disorders of internal organs and the genitourinary area caused by intervertebral hernia are eliminated;
- The mobility of the spine increases, performance and physical activity improve;
- Motor activity of the legs and arms is restored;
- Disability is prevented.
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Be careful! The main condition is gradualness and testing the feeling of comfort.
Important nuances of treatment of the cervical spine
The cervical spine has significant differences in the anatomical structure of the vertebrae themselves, their tighter articulation in the spinal column, the absence of a powerful muscular frame and the significantly smaller size of the vertebral bodies, which makes it more vulnerable compared to other parts of the spine.
In the lateral processes of the II-VI cervical vertebrae there are openings through which the vertebral artery passes, supplying the brain. If some degenerative processes occur in the cervical spine, the stability of the cervical vertebrae is disrupted and they become displaced in the intervertebral discs, which leads to compression of the vertebral artery.
At the stage of compression syndrome, when it has not yet reached organic damage to the structures of the brain (persistent ischemia), a person may feel a headache, manifestations caused by disorders of the vestibular apparatus are possible, such as dizziness, swaying of the body, and visual disorders often occur ( darkening of the eyes, feeling of sand in the eyes).
The headache intensifies, spreading from the back of the head to the frontal part, as soon as the position of the head is slightly changed, it has a burning, pulsating character.
As a result of a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc and a decrease in the elasticity of the fibrous ring in different segments of the cervical spine, radicular syndrome develops, causing motor and sensory disorders.
When the C1 nerve root (cranio-vertebral motor segment) is damaged, sensitivity in the occipital region is impaired. When the C2 nerve root is damaged (segment CI-II) without an intervertebral disc, the pain spreads to the crown and occiput. Damage to the C3 nerve root (segment CII-III) does not occur so often, but pain appears and sensitivity decreases in the half of the neck where the spinal nerve is pinched. In this case, there is a decrease in the sensitivity of the tongue and paresis of the hypoglossal muscles due to anastosis with the hypoglossal nerve, which may be accompanied by speech impairment and uncontrolled language proficiency. Damage to the C4 nerve root (segment CIII-IV) also occurs infrequently and is accompanied by pain and decreased sensitivity in the shoulder girdle and clavicle, and a possible decrease in the tone of the muscles of the head and neck (splenius, trapezius, levator scapulae). The presence of the phrenic nerve in C4 can cause disturbances in the respiratory system, hiccups, pain in the heart and right hypochondrium. Damage to the C5 root (segment CIV-V) occurs in rare cases, with pain spreading to the shoulder girdle and the outer surface of the shoulder. Possible weakness and impaired trophism of the deltoid muscle, as well as weakening of sensitivity in the outer surface of the shoulder. Damage to the C6 root (segment CV-VI) is the most common pathology. The pain radiates from the neck along the shoulder blade, forearm, outer surface of the shoulder, radial surface of the forearm to the thumb. In the corresponding segment of the skin, sensitivity is impaired. Damage to the C7 root (segment CVI-VII) is also a common problem when pain spreads from the neck along the scapula, forearm, posterior surface of the shoulder, dorsal surface of the forearm to the dorsal surface of the II-IV fingers, where skin sensitivity is also impaired. Since the innervation of the triceps muscle is affected, a violation of the reflex with it occurs. When the C8 root is damaged (segment CVII-TI), pain and loss of sensitivity are transmitted from the neck along the shoulder, elbow to the little finger. Possible wasting of the muscles of the eminence of the little finger.
When treating cervical osteochondrosis, conservative therapy methods are used, the goal of which is to relieve a person of pain and eliminate foci of inflammation.
In addition to medications, the treatment process includes: manual therapy, reflexology, leech treatment, and therapeutic exercises.
Spinal traction is considered as one of the most important elements of complex treatment, allowing to unload the spine, reduce muscle contracture, reduce intradiscal pressure, eliminate subluxation in the intervertebral joints, and increase the vertical diameter of the intervertebral foramen. As a result, the root is decompressed and the swelling goes away.
By and large, if a person has only a Glisson loop , then anyone seeking to solve problems with the spine can achieve a remarkable result.
As you know, prevention plays an important role in maintaining health. Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis includes regular morning exercises, an active lifestyle, proper nutrition, giving up bad habits and avoiding heavy lifting. You can find out more complete information on the prevention and straightening of the spine on the “Staging Atlanta” page.
A person with an even posture, following the correct posture in a sitting position, sleeping on a high-quality mattress and a comfortable pillow, has every chance of avoiding problems with cervical osteochondrosis.
Instructions for using the Glisson loop
EXERCISE 1. INCOMPLETE HANG
Hanging on the Glisson loop is performed slowly , with a feeling of comfort.
Having fixed the Glisson loop on your head, feeling that the device is located comfortably, bend your knees, and you should feel the maximum level of stretching of the neck muscles without lifting your legs from the floor .
You can't jump!
After a few seconds, the legs straighten, returning to their original position. In other words, you need to bend and straighten your legs 3-4 times. This removes the traction load from the neck muscles. The sensations may not necessarily be pleasant.
When hanging partially, the muscles of the cervical spine are involved, for which you fix your body with your hands, for example, holding on to the walls, placing your arms to the sides to avoid rotation of the body when turning your head, and with a smooth movement slowly turns your head left - right, then tilting it forward - back 2-3 times.
The appearance of dizziness when turning your head is a signal to consult a doctor.
During the first 7-10 days of doing the exercise, as a result of stretching the neck muscles, pain may occur in the jaws and neck area, which disappears as the muscles become accustomed.
Assembly of the structure
To implement a traction loop in a lying position, it is enough to install 2 hooks yourself on the floor or other flat hard surface, onto which the device is secured. As a standard, the surface must have an inclination so that the spine extends under the influence of its own weight.
If you plan to use a Gleason loop for vertical stretching of the spinal column, you need to figure out how to create a suspension for it. You need to calculate its length yourself. For this, a diagram taking into account the chosen support point will be useful. Usually the support is a door leaf, a Swedish wall or a horizontal bar.
You can make a hanging hook yourself; for this you need to select a suitable alloy that can withstand the weight of a person and not deform.
Typically, the Glisson design drawing provides for 2 methods of spinal retraction: under the influence of a load and with the help of the patient’s own hand. To do this, attach to the upper ring:
- A suspension consisting of a section of rubber cord - a shock absorber, to which the cable is attached. A leather strap with holes for hanging the load is sewn to the end of the outermost one.
- A cable to which a piece of rubber shock-absorbing cord is attached, a loop from a waist tape for the hand is sewn to it.
It is important to firmly fasten the parts of the product.
The cable and rubber cord must be strong enough to support the patient's body weight. Instead of a cable, you can use a narrow cable or a strong rope.