Gymnastics for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home

Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease that can be considered “occupational” for people whose work involves working in an inclined position or prolonged sitting (cleaners, office workers, gardeners). The disease is characterized by degeneration of intervertebral discs - a gelatinous pulp that acts as a shock absorber and connects the vertebrae to each other. With osteochondrosis, pinching and compression of the radicular endings, deformation and degeneration of the vertebral body with their subsequent destruction occur, which is accompanied by intense pain and discomfort in the neck.

Pain with cervical osteochondrosis

You can reduce pain and stop the progression of the pathological process with the help of physiotherapeutic treatment, massage, thermal procedures, and mud therapy. Physical therapy is of great importance in creating a favorable prognosis for such patients . The exercise therapy complex should be selected individually, taking into account the degree of compression of the intercostal nerves and the presence of individual contraindications. Gymnastics for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis can be performed at home, but it is important to do it correctly and first consult with your doctor.

Gymnastics for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home

Prices for mats for yoga and fitness

What is cervical osteochondrosis?

Cervical osteochondrosis is the most common form of osteochondrosis. The disease occurs not only in people of the older age group (over 40 years old), but also in young people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, often remain in one body position (sedentary work, playing on the computer) and do not monitor their diet. Among the causes of damage to the cervical vertebrae, experts also name excessive consumption of salt and fatty foods, endocrine disorders, back injuries, smoking, and alcohol addiction. This part of the spine is the most mobile, so the release of nerve endings from the spinal column occurs more actively compared to other vertebrae, which increases the risk of pinching them.

Beware of osteochondrosis if you work at a computer

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis most often do not have pronounced clinical manifestations and can “masquerade” as heart disease and pathologies of other internal organs. Patients with this diagnosis often complain of headaches, pain in the neck and upper back, nausea, and dizziness. If the initial diagnosis does not reveal cardiac diseases, the patient is sent to a neurologist, who prescribes a comprehensive examination and further treatment.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Exercises for back and spine pain

The spine consists of 33-34 vertebrae, which are in an upright position and connected in series to each other. All internal organs of the human body are attached to it. Through the nerves that extend from the spine, the brain sends signals to them and receives feedback.

From here it becomes clear that if some nerve connection fails, then the entire system of internal organs is disrupted. What is the main component of the human body’s frame responsible for? Yes, absolutely for all the work of the body!

During his life, a person makes a huge number of movements: with his arms, legs, head and body in general. Every movement in space occurs under the control of the spinal column and cannot but affect its physical health. Maintain your health, join the Health and Strength Club!

Many people suffer from back pain due to their own fault, forgetting to pay due attention to their health. So what should you do if your back hurts? People at any age need to look after their spine, take care of it, and do everything possible for its proper functioning. Simple exercises for back pain, which we will look at today, can help with this.

What to do if your back hurts

Exercises for home

Gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at stretching the spine, strengthening the musculoskeletal corset and increasing the tone of the muscles that support the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Exercises that help stretch the spinal column can reduce compression of the intercostal nerves and eliminate pinching, as well as correct posture and normalize blood circulation. Below is a set of gymnastic exercises recommended for daily performance for cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis. They should be performed after preliminary warm-up at a slow pace, without jerking or sudden movements.

Set of exercises

Simple turns and tilts

This is the simplest exercise that allows you to unload the cervical vertebrae, increase their mobility and eliminate painful sensations of varying intensity. Neck rotations are included in the complex of physical therapy for cervical osteochondrosis, as well as a list of exercises required for schoolchildren and pupils of preschool educational institutions.

You need to start the exercise with turns to the right and left, after which you can smoothly move on to tilts: forward and backward and left and right. Each exercise must be repeated 10 times.

Head turns (photo 1)

Head turns (photo 2)

Axial rotation

Rotating the head allows you to stretch the neck muscles, increase their elasticity, and stimulate blood flow through the blood vessels. This exercise is recommended for people with sedentary work. It should be performed 2-3 times during the working day - this will help improve the microcirculation of fluids in the vascular bed and ensure sufficient oxygen supply to the brain cells (an important prevention of hypoxia and the resulting headaches).

The neck rotation must be performed in the following order:

• tilt your head to the side;
• use your chin to describe a circle (without throwing your head back);
• stop at the end point and repeat the exercise in the other direction.

It is useful for the cervical spine to rotate the head

A total of 10 repetitions must be performed.

Physiotherapy

These exercises are part of a complex of therapeutic and health-improving gymnastics, which is carried out in medical institutions, sanatoriums and rehabilitation centers. They can be performed at any level of physical fitness, but if a person has not exercised before, all exercises should be done at a slow pace, starting with a minimum number of repetitions.

Therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis

First exercise

This exercise is included in the warm-up complex for cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis and allows you to strengthen several muscle groups at once without additional load on the axial skeleton. It must be performed in a standing position.

1. Place your arms behind your back and connect them at the level of your hands.
2. Raise your straightened arms 5 cm and pull them back as much as possible, straightening your shoulder body.
3. During execution, the neck must be pulled up at the same time (the chin is raised).

To achieve a therapeutic result in a short time, you need to start with 5 repetitions, gradually increasing their number to 10-12 times.

How to increase the effectiveness of classes?

For home exercises to be as effective as possible, you need to do them regularly - at least 5 times a week. For people who work at a computer or stay in one body position for a long time, such gymnastics is recommended 2 times a day, since they are at maximum risk for the development of cervical osteochondrosis. After achieving a stable result, exercises for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis should be performed 3-4 times a week.

People who work at a computer need to do the exercises twice a day

Orthopedic chair

You can increase the effectiveness of training with the help of additional measures aimed at strengthening the musculoskeletal corset, increasing endurance and muscle elasticity and preventing salt deposition - one of the main causes of deformation and degeneration of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine.

Nutrition

Patients with cervical osteochondrosis are recommended to exclude from the diet dishes with large amounts of salt, spices, vinegar, herbs and seasonings. During the period of exacerbation, it is recommended to prepare foods without adding salt, and after relief of acute symptoms, limit its consumption to 5 g per day. You should also avoid carbonated drinks, fast food, yoghurts and curds with chemical colors and flavors, and alcohol. Smokers need to fight their habit, since the toxic substances contained in tobacco smoke (and there are more than 100 of them) negatively affect the strength of bone tissue and contribute to the development of myasthenia gravis.

Salt-free diet

Massage

Neck massage is an excellent way to treat cervical osteochondrosis and relieve fatigue. It is better if it is performed by a professional, but if this is not possible, you can massage your neck yourself. The technique of proper therapeutic massage is shown in the photo below.

Neck massage

Massage pillow for neck and shoulders

Table. Approximate cost of neck massage in different cities of Russia.

Cold and hot shower

A contrast shower is beneficial for the whole body, including the cervical spine. The effectiveness of the procedure will be higher if a person directs the stream of water directly to the neck and forearms. The duration of the contrast shower should be about 1 minute (temperature change after 10-15 seconds).

Why does my back hurt?

In our modern age, almost every person suffers from back problems. Some people experience pain temporarily, while others suffer from it constantly. Often people do not think about the reasons and try to cope with the discomfort on their own.

They start taking a bunch of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics and other drugs, without thinking about the fact that they are harming the body even more. Complications and pathologies develop from neglect of one’s health, so you always need to find the cause, and then decide how to treat back pain.

Back pain: what exercises should you do?

Finding out the cause can be quite difficult, and sometimes it takes a lot of time. Our spine is the support and protection of our body. With constant chronic pain, a possible cause lies in the disruption of the proper functioning of internal organs.

Sharp pain can indicate more serious causes, such as inflammation and bruises of the spine, and lower back pain can develop from neuroses. In any case, you need to contact doctors to diagnose the disease, only then will it become clear how to treat back pain.

The reasons are medical (clinical) and non-medical (depending on lifestyle). The main medical causes of low back pain are:

1. Mechanical (muscle spasms, herniated disc, spinal curvature, fractures).
2. Inflammatory (arthritis, spondylitis).
3. Infectious (osteomyelitis, abscess).

Non-medical ones include hernias, protrusions, osteochondrosis, neuralgia, a sedentary lifestyle and poor metabolism. Such reasons lead to diseases that we are able to cope with on our own.

A sedentary lifestyle harms the body and increases the risk of back pain, which gradually becomes chronic. Staying in an unnatural position for a long time increases the chances of back and neck diseases.

Sitting for long periods of time, even if you play sports and move a lot, is a risk factor for health, so you need to do simple exercises for pain in the back and spine.

Give your joints a second life! Take a course that will stop the destruction of joints and help with arthrosis, osteoporosis and osteochondrosis! Poor posture and curvature of the spine also have an impact on the appearance of pain, weight gain and even obesity. With prolonged daily sitting, problems with joints and other diseases appear.

Exercises to correct posture