Is it possible to swim with a herniated disc?
Swimming with a hernia of the lumbar spine cannot be called a fashionable innovation - just a few decades ago, medical experts unanimously spoke of its benefits. It is also important to understand that sometimes this sport remains the only one that patients with pathologies of the musculoskeletal system can afford. But if left without physical activity at all, a person will feel much worse, and the disease itself will begin to progress.
The benefits of swimming for a herniated disc
Swimming with a spinal hernia performs several important functions at once. First of all, it is aimed at strengthening the musculoskeletal skeleton: being in good shape, the muscles will more actively resist negative changes. Swimming without performing exercises relaxes and helps to achieve not only physical, but also psychological comfort. If the patient is overweight, then exercise will help you lose unnecessary pounds without putting much effort into it. By the way, the effectiveness of swimming for lumbar hernia is most eloquently demonstrated by the reviews of patients who have already tried this type of rehabilitation therapy on themselves.
Is it possible to go to the pool if you have a lumbar hernia?
Recent studies show that swimming in the pool is beneficial and can prevent the development of dystrophic processes. While in water, the human body transfers part of the load on the intervertebral discs to the muscles. By regularly attending courses in the pool, you can:
- Reduce or even eliminate pain when moving;
- Relax tense areas of the back;
- Carry out good stretching not only for the muscles and ligaments, but also for the spine, which benefits from such decompression;
- Restore normal blood circulation.
An accompanying positive effect will be muscle strengthening, without putting pressure on the discs.
How to swim?
Only your surgeon
,
orthopedist
or exercise therapy specialist. But general advice will be useful for all patients who have been diagnosed with a herniated disc. The most important thing is no sudden movements! Exercise for your own pleasure.
Backstroke
Swimming on your back with a lumbar intervertebral hernia is recommended for those who are just starting to engage in physical therapy and are still afraid of aggravating the situation, or simply cannot perform other exercises due to pain or due to weakness of the musculoskeletal skeleton.
Breaststroke
A more “advanced” type of swimming, which, unlike the previous one, uses several muscle groups at once. During strokes, both arms and legs work, in addition, the swimmer must maintain posture: this helps prevent other diseases of the spinal column.
Crawl
Crawl swimming is recommended only for those patients who already have experience in performing aquatic exercises. Such methods are contraindicated for beginners; this is due to ignorance of the technique and, as a result, the risk of aggravating the course of the disease rather than coping with it. When swimming crawl, you should keep in mind that the load that back exercises carry with a hernia should alternate with periods of rest when you simply lie in the water of the pool and relax all the muscles of the body.
Water aerobics for intervertebral hernia: the benefits and harms of exercising in the pool
Intervertebral hernia is a common disease that most often occurs due to a sedentary lifestyle, heredity, uneven physical stress on the back, as well as injuries and metabolic disorders. This is a serious disease, which, with a properly selected treatment and recovery regimen, allows the patient to live without pain and discomfort. Intervertebral hernia is treated with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors and vitamins, as well as non-drug methods, including:
- exercise therapy;
- Manual therapy;
- Massage;
- Physiotherapy.
Therapeutic gymnastics and all sports approaches to the treatment of hernia are aimed at strengthening the back muscles.
Water aerobics for spinal diseases
Water aerobics and swimming in general perfectly stretch the back and strengthen the muscle corset, improving blood circulation and metabolic processes in the body. Thanks to water, sudden movements and possible injuries are excluded when performing exercises. The general health-improving effect of water sports on the health of a person with musculoskeletal problems is expressed in the following:
- Relaxation of the body in water, due to which the load on the muscles, joints and, in particular, the spine weakens. With regular exercise in the pool, the clamps between the discs decrease, reducing pain.
- Improved joint mobility due to the absence of habitual compression. In water, all movements are performed easier, joints experience less pressure and, if deformed, recover faster.
- When swimming in the pool and doing water aerobics, all the muscles of the body are used, including the deep back muscles that support the spine. Strengthening these muscles reduces the stress on the spinal column, relieving pressure on the intervertebral discs and herniation.
- Improving blood circulation in the painful area contributes to an improved flow of nutrients and rapid regeneration of injured tissues.
- Water aerobics is an excellent prevention of spinal deformities.
Important! Under no circumstances should you engage in water aerobics without consulting a doctor, since exercise in water has a number of contraindications for back problems.
Contraindications to water aerobics classes
Practicing this sport in all respects is beneficial both for healthy people and for those who have diseases of the musculoskeletal system. But in what cases are patients with intervertebral hernia strictly forbidden to engage in water aerobics:
- If pain worsens or the hernia worsens, you should not engage in water sports. It is necessary to wait for remission before starting classes;
- Postoperative period. Some time must pass after surgery for the body to recover before going to water aerobics;
- If, in addition to intervertebral hernia, a person has some other diseases of the heart, lungs, etc., swimming should not be considered as a possible method of recovery;
- If there is a possibility that the patient may experience convulsions or epileptic seizures, water aerobics is contraindicated in order to avoid injury, including to the spine.
Important note! You can do water aerobics with a herniated disc only under the supervision of a physical therapy specialist.
What exercises are contraindicated for intervertebral herniation?
Depending on the location of the hernia, many exercises may be prohibited. For example:
- Butterfly swimming with a spinal hernia is dangerous, regardless of its position, as it is fraught with microtrauma to the sacrum and lower back. This type of swimming is energetic and sharp, consists of complex elements, if performed incorrectly, a relapse of the disease or new injuries is possible.
- If you have a lumbar hernia, crawl swimming is excluded from activities, as it can cause asymmetrical twisting of the spine, increasing pain and worsening the course of the disease. You can swim crawl only at an early stage of diseases in the neck and chest area.
- Breaststroke is extremely undesirable for a herniated cervical spine. It is well suited for strengthening the pectoral muscles and back, but for diseases in the neck area it can only be permissible at the initial stage, when the deformation of the vertebrae is insignificant.
- If your back is strongly arched, you should not swim on it, so as not to increase the load on the shoulder region, stimulating even greater curvature of the spine.
General recommendations for water aerobics
If you have back problems, you should attend water aerobics classes at least 2-3 times a week. Each workout should last about an hour. It is necessary to pay special attention to breathing technique, since with proper breathing the effectiveness of training increases (inhale deeply, exhale quickly). A course of water aerobics as a therapeutic measure lasts six months, after which classes can be reduced to 5 workouts per month to maintain back health. If it is possible to pay attention to the temperature of the water, then it is ideal to conduct the first classes at a temperature of 28°C, gradually lowering it to 23 degrees. Watch the pace of swimming: with an intervertebral hernia, all movements should be soft, smooth, without sudden swings and jolts. After training, put on a water aerobics belt and, after relaxing, hang vertically in the water for a while.
Thus, with all the undoubted advantages of water aerobics for the health of a person with problems of the musculoskeletal system, an incorrectly selected set of exercises will not only not improve the patient’s condition, but will also aggravate the course of the disease. Therefore, treatment of the spine
water sports should begin with a consultation with a doctor, who will clarify which exercises can be done with this or that type of intervertebral hernia, and which cannot be done.
Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr
Complexes of water exercises for hernia
Rehabilitation therapy is not limited to swimming alone: a variety of exercises that are performed in the pool for lumbar hernia of the spine also bring tangible results. Some of them involve static, while others require movement. It is better to perform exercises under the supervision of a professional.
Neck workout
Gentle bending to the sides, forward and backward, and rotation clockwise and in the opposite direction will help tone the cervical spine.
Back workout
At first, this type of hernia treatment in the pool seems dangerous, but in reality it turns out that everything is not so scary. There are quite a lot of exercises for the thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine: which complex is right for you will be best determined by an experienced instructor or a doctor who has prescribed exercise therapy.
Walking in water
It is much more difficult to move in the water column, since the pressure here is higher than in air. By moving your feet along the bottom of the pool, you use several muscle groups at once, which will help keep them in good shape. Movements should be calm: try to walk at a leisurely pace and under no circumstances start running, even if it seems to you that it will come just as easily.
Side turns
Strengthens the back muscles, helps to gradually get rid of the fat layer on the sides and waist. They should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, as there is a risk of permanent rupture of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc if you approach the exercises with excessive enthusiasm.
General rules
Swimming for various types of hernias is indicated for patients during the period of remission, but not during an exacerbation of the disease in order to avoid excruciating pain during exercise. You should consult your doctor and start exercising only with his consent. So what is the correct way to swim in a pool for your spine when you have a hernia?
Swimming in the pool is carried out under the supervision of a physical therapy doctor using an individual program developed in advance for the patient. It is this approach that will help you choose the most optimal load, duration of classes, as well as a set of exercises.
Among other things, there are certain requirements for carrying out therapeutic measures:
- It is better to conduct classes in a pool, rather than in natural bodies of water, and preferably indoors - this ensures optimal water and air temperature, as well as vigilant monitoring of the patient and timely assistance;
- The water temperature in the pool should be warm - about 30 degrees in the first lessons, then it is recommended to gradually reduce the temperature to 23 degrees, reducing 1-2 degrees at each subsequent lesson;
- It is not recommended to deviate from the given program and overdo it in order to avoid complications and unnecessary injuries. One lesson lasts no more than an hour, the course lasts two or three times a week for six months.
Read more:
What are the benefits of swimming?
Contraindications to water exercises
Swimming for a hernia of the lumbar spine brings visible results, but is not indicated for every patient. For some, this type of activity is strictly prohibited. Among the contraindications are: the presence of infections in the body, skin diseases (atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, neurodermatitis), heart and vascular diseases, the presence of open wounds on the skin, fungal infections, ulcers. ARVI and acute respiratory infections are a relative contraindication - it is better to first cure a headache, runny nose and cough, so as not to infect others and alleviate your own condition.