Gymnastics is used to treat many diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Simple and safe practices save us from various diseases. What exactly should I do if my neck hurts? In this case, the exercises help with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
The neck is one of the most vulnerable places
The neck is indeed very fragile and requires careful treatment. It travels through the blood vessels that feed the brain, as well as the nerves through which signals that regulate our activity (such as motor activity) enter the body.
Our necks are tense most of the day as the muscles have to keep the head constantly weighing 2kg or more. Normally, the muscles cope with their task. But to this must be added the awkward and irregular postures we tend to assume, the extensive immobility. We strain the muscles unevenly, deprive them of rest, and impede blood supply.
The first problems with the cervical spine arise precisely because of the excessive fatigue of the cervical muscles. Typical symptoms are leakage and muscle fatigue. We will solve this primary problem with a simple massage, which will be discussed a little later.
People often do not pay attention to such symptoms, so we are talking about treating a problem that has turned into a disease - cervical osteochondrosis.
Therefore, it is important to fill the neck in osteochondrosis.
How can physiotherapy save you from pain
With the development of the acute stage of cervical osteochondrosis, above all, the pain syndrome must be removed. When the symptoms of pain go away, you can start treatment with exercise therapy. It is a set of exercises for cervical osteochondrosis that includes a number of head movements, including isometric exercises for the neck.
Osteochondrosis cervical exercise is mandatory. Without it, the treatment will not bring the desired effect. In fact, without a strong muscular corset, the spine will continue to suffer from the vertical pressure of gravity.
The natural cause of all spinal diseases is gravity. Vector perpendicular to the earth's surface. Now imagine what happens to the spine if this load is not pushed strictly vertically. For example, this happens when you are hunched over, sitting at a table, diving into different papers.
The neck is bent, inclined 45 degrees from the vertical when averaged. Due to the severity of the head, the vertebrae move slightly diagonally relative to each other. The intervertebral cartilages receive an unusual load on them, wiping and deforming over time.
Normally, even this position is compensated by strong neck muscles, but what strong muscles can we talk about when one is barely moving? This is the problem.
If we delve deeper into this issue, the lack of nutrition, more specifically the lack of joint-forming substances in food, will complicate the situation. Cartilage tissue is already slowly regenerating, and if the body lacks the necessary substances, it has nothing to regenerate.
So the cause of osteochondrosis is gravity. But strong muscles can hinder this process. This means that weak neck muscles are already secondary causes of osteochondrosis. It follows that once cervical osteochondrosis has begun, exercises will help solve this problem.
Gymnastics strengthens the muscles of the neck, relieves tightness and improves blood circulation. This is an effective way to treat osteochondrosis and prevent future progression.
Thus, the problem can be solved by taking a comprehensive look at all the reasons for its appearance:
- Strengthen the neck muscles with neck exercises for osteochondrosis. Exercises for cervical osteochondrosis are given below.
- Avoid improper posture and prolonged, stationary sitting in one place.
- Eat special joint supplements or create a complete diet for yourself.
You better do it all at once.
In addition to osteochondrosis, another unpleasant thing can happen in the neck - hypothermia. In this case, no exercise will help until the inflammation subsides. Do not delay treatment for long.
And another option is limited head movement. In this case, you should gently knead the neck and make it to the osteochondrosis neck to an amplitude that allows the pain to be performed painlessly.
About dizziness
Thinning of the intervertebral plates in the cervical spine leads to pinching of nerve endings. In addition to the nerves, the blood vessels also suffer. This leads to a lack of oxygen supply to the brain and manifests itself in the form of dizziness. There are other symptoms - headaches.
There are also exercises for dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis. In fact, they are the same as for osteochondrosis. Their meaning is to stretch and strengthen tense muscles, freeing nerves and blood vessels from the clamps.
In general, any physical exercise for osteochondrosis (without exertion) improves blood circulation throughout the body, including more intense blood exchange between the body and the head. Our brains get more nutrients and oxygen, and this affects productivity.
Resistance exercises are not recommended for cervical osteochondrosis. They certainly won’t save you from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, but they can speed up the process of cartilage degradation.
For various diseases of the spine, weightlifting exercises should usually be performed with great caution. Depending on the disease, movements that give a vertical load to the spine, flexion, etc. can be ruled out.
How long does practice therapy take?
Human laziness has no limits. We often stop learning as soon as the problem goes away. A person is doing fitness while losing weight. Once you have achieved the desired result, everything stops. In the case of diseases, this approach is not only ineffective but also fraught with recurrence of the disease.
You need to treat your neck regularly to prevent osteochondrosis of the neck. This is easily done at home. Plus, it doesn’t take much time. The process is very pleasant - the warmth and relaxation of the muscles will not wait.
You can also buy a neck brace and wear it during acute periods. But there are some delicacies here. By getting used to artificial support, you can live a lifetime because the corset holds the head instead of the muscles. And this is not at all beneficial for the cervical spine. As a result, the muscles eventually lose their tone.
The therapeutic effect of the practice against cervical osteochondrosis lasts from 2 weeks to one month. If you stop training as soon as your muscles lose their tone again, you run the risk of experiencing headaches and headaches. Therefore, exercises that strengthen the muscles of the neck play a huge role in maintaining comfort in this case.
So decide - do exercises for osteochondrosis or not.
Nyaktorna complex
It is better not to do any exercise with worsening cervical osteochondrosis. Your doctor should treat the acute symptoms first. After all, if you move your head, any gymnastics will be painful.
The most effective practices for cervical osteochondrosis are very simple: head movements plus isometric muscle tension. Everything is very simple - at home, at work, on the road.
Here is an approximate sequence of exercises (agree that the starting position should be sitting upright with your hands on your knees):
- In the starting position, smoothly turn your head to the right until it stops, then to the left. Feel the muscles in your neck stretch. The hue here is this: turn your head and try to turn it a little further without grabbing, hold this tension for 5 seconds. Generally, all exercises in the spine should start with exercises that strengthen the muscles of the neck. These include developing your flexibility and strength. Make 5 turns in both directions.
- Now tilt your head to the side so that your ears are close to your shoulders. No need to lift your shoulders! As with the previous move, keep the tension. If your neck is flexible, pull your ear to your shoulder with your hand. If it hurts, perform the movements with painless amplitude. Drive 5 right and left.
- Now make circular movements with your head in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. 8 movements in all directions. Slowly! You can hold your head with your hands. It is an effective exercise in osteochondrosis of the neck.
- The warm-up is over and now you are doing strength exercises: put your right hand on the right temple. Try to tilt your head to the right and use your hands to prevent this movement. Strive to be heavy, but keep your head in the right direction. 10 times in both directions (use the other hand to move left).
- Now grasp your head from behind (occipital region) and try to tilt your back of your head back 5 times through the resistance of your hands, then move your head back 5 times in a horizontal plane. It is issued a total of 10 times.
- Now place your palm on your forehead and tilt your head through the resistance of your hands (pull your chin to your chest). Do this 10 times and then move your head horizontally forward through the resistance (like pigeons while walking).
- Finally, you can stretch the trapeze by raising and lowering your shoulders. Raised - with a delay of 2-3 seconds (pull-up), lowered - relaxed. Perform 10 repetitions.
- Pull your neck in different directions, the gym is over. All this once a day. It is an excellent factor for osteochondrosis.
What other exercises can you do? For example, for neck flexibility. They also exercise the muscles of the neck, but also pull the tendons. This will make your neck more flexible.
More exercises for flexibility
This exercise should be performed not only with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, but in principle also at the age of 30-40 years. It is at this age that the breakdown of muscle fibers begins, and the loss of flexibility takes a particularly rapid toll if one does not deal with its physical form.
- Extend your chin to your chest, help your head with your hands.
- With your hands, tilt your head to the side so that your ears touch your shoulders. Stretch the side of the neck with your hands.
It is enough. And remember what you can’t do with cervical osteochondrosis - work through the pain.
Massage items
If your head hurts or your neck is stiff, you can grind and knead your muscles.
Remember:
- The muscle that holds our head is connected to the back of our head. Using your index and middle fingers, pull the muscles down from the back of the head with moderate pressure (so as not to hurt, but to be pleasant). Sweep this muscle up to shoulder level.
- Now let’s feel the trapezoids by hand and knead them. The trapezoid is located at the back between the neck and the shoulder. After such simple manipulations, you seem to have been reborn.
Among other things, make sure that your neck does not blow. After the massage, it warms up and is more exposed to the cold than ever before.
And finally, we remind you that while cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself acutely, therapeutic exercises do not need to be performed.
In summary, if you perform the exercises listed in the article, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will not disappear completely (after all, the cartilage is already damaged), but the condition will noticeably improve, the clamps, the symptoms of pain will disappear, and the disease will stop. This way you can forget about this unpleasant disease and live a full life.
But keep in mind that neck exercises for osteochondrosis should be performed regularly.