Rehabilitation for osteochondrosis

Pain in the neck bothered every person. The reasons for their occurrence are simple: a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, prolonged exposure to a computer or TV. And this is not the whole list of reasons leading to the appearance of discomfort in the neck. If such pains often disturb a person, then this indicates the development of cervical osteochondrosis in him. This disease must be treated. But also people with osteochondrosis should not forget about rehabilitation, which has an important role in the treatment of the disease. About what is complex rehabilitation for osteochondrosis, how it is carried out, what it includes, how to perform it correctly - we will tell further.

What is rehabilitation for osteochondrosis

This is a set of measures that help restore the human body, its physical health, performance. In case of a serious illness, when it is not possible to completely restore human health, the rehabilitation of patients with osteochondrosis helps to restore the body after the treatment. Usually, rehabilitation is carried out when a person has been injured or suffered a serious illness. Most often it is performed on patients who have undergone major surgery. It speeds up the recovery process of the patient and restores his normal performance.

Why do we need rehabilitation for osteochondrosis of the spine? She helps:

• strengthen the muscular corset;
• increase the elasticity of the intervertebral discs;
• increase the mobility of the body;
• eliminate asymmetry and curvature of posture;
• restore deep muscles.

Remember: rehabilitation for cervical or lumbar osteochondrosis is required to take place 1 time in 6, 12 months. If this is not done, then the disease will manifest itself again.

Usually, rehabilitation for osteochondrosis includes:

• massage;
• physiotherapy;
• traction;
• physiotherapy procedures.

Let's consider these methods of influence in more detail.

Massage recovery

With osteochondrosis in a person, superficial and deep muscles are overstrained. Because of this, the intervertebral discs are incorrectly fixed to each other. This leads to an increase in muscle tone, the appearance of severe pain in a person. Massage helps to remove spasm from the muscles, restore normal mobility to the vertebrae.

In addition, massage

• improves blood circulation and innervation of the spinal column, spinal nerves and roots. Thanks to this, the development of the disease stops;  
• improves the functioning of internal organs: brain, heart, lungs, kidneys. They are the first to suffer from lack of blood;
• improves the outflow of lymph from the soft tissues of the back;
• relieves swelling, stops the development of the inflammatory process;
• restores mobility and strength of atrophied muscle fibers. Usually osteochondrosis appears in people with weak back muscles;
• strengthens the muscular frame;
• reduces the likelihood of developing pathological mobility of the vertebrae.

Remember: massage should be carried out only by an experienced specialist. Moreover, it is most effective to carry it out in the early stages of the development of the disease. Thanks to him, the mood and state of health of the patient will improve, his pain will disappear, movements will become less painful.

Usually a person with osteochondrosis is given a classic-type back massage. The first 3 sessions are carried out without pressure. Use only light, massaging movements. Next, strength exercises and pressure are used. The procedure is carried out in a specialized medical center. In an office with good lighting, a massage table, a washbasin, a screen.

Massage consists of several main stages. The specialist works like this:

• Stroking, rubbing the back of the patient. This stage lasts 10 minutes. All movements should be soft, they should be carried out in the direction of movement of the lymphatic and blood vessels. Rubbing should first be the collar zone, neck, only then you can move on to the lumbar and pelvic zone.
• Uses techniques of squeezing, deep kneading, vibrations, tapping, percussion. This stage lasts 40 minutes.

Important: if the patient has back asymmetry, then the healthy part of the back is massaged first and only then the diseased part.

Remember: during the massage, the patient should not experience pain. If he has any discomfort, then he should tell the doctor about them.

Some citizens who grew up in Soviet times are trying to get rid of pain with cans. Banks are special balls made of plastic or glass.

The warm-up procedure is as follows. Assistant:

• rubs the back of the patient with a greasy cream;
• heats all cans with fire;
• attaches banks to the place of localization of pain;
• sucked cans moves all over the back.

Cupping massage not only enhances blood flow, but it also helps to get rid of lumbar, cervical osteochondrosis, stop the development of the inflammatory process.

In addition, banks

• relieve spasms, overexertion;
• increase blood flow to the affected area;
• improve lymph drainage.

Cupping massage also helps to get rid of headaches, improves mood after a stressful situation, helps to remove toxins from the body.

Rules for the use of physiotherapy exercises and gymnastics

Patients with osteochondrosis should definitely do gymnastics and physical education. They help strengthen the back muscles. Before performing physical therapy and gymnastics, the patient should consult with a physician. You can not independently choose and perform gymnastic exercises. This can lead to a sharp onset of pain and a deterioration in the overall health of the patient.

When performing gymnastic exercises, do not forget about some rules. They are:

• All movements should be smooth, there should be no sharp shocks and muscle strain.
• There shouldn't be pain. If it arose, then you need to abandon this exercise, tell the doctor about your feelings.
• During training, the muscular apparatus must tense up and relax.  
• Breathing must be correct. Breathe in when you are tense, and breathe out when you relax.

Gymnastic exercises should be done every day. Gymnastics helps the patient get rid of hypodynamia. And this disease provokes the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic anomalies.

Important: during the use of drugs that eliminate pain, gymnastics is prohibited.

The following complex is designed specifically for patients suffering from osteochondrosis.

The first complex helps to relieve muscle tension and get rid of the pathology. It is done like this. Patient:

• He stands up straight, folds his hands on his belt, and spreads his legs shoulder-width apart.
• Slowly begins to turn his head to the left, then to the right.
• He lowers his head down, trying to reach his chin to his chest.
• He raises his head up, tries to reach the back with the back of his head.
• Presses on the head with crossed arms. So the effect of the exercise will be great.

To perform the second complex, the patient needs a chair. It is done like this. Sick:

• Sits on a chair, raises his chin.
• He writes different numbers in the air with his head.

The complex is desirable to perform 2-3 times a day. It perfectly relaxes the muscles of the neck and relieves tension localized in the back.

To perform the third exercise, the patient needs to stand up and straighten his back. Then he does so. Patient:

• He stoops his back, tries to reach each other with his shoulders, lowers his chin down.  
• Holds the last position for a few seconds.
• She spreads her shoulders back, tries to close her shoulder blades, but raises her head up, and with the back of her head reaches her back.

The fourth complex is similar to the previous one. Here the patient also stands up straight, and then begins to alternately raise either the left or the right shoulder. At the end, the patient should lift both shoulders up. It will be effective to make circular movements with the shoulders. They do it either forward or backward. During the movement of the shoulder blades, it is also possible to bring them together, then take them away from each other.

For the fifth complex, the patient also needs to stand up, spread his legs shoulder-width apart. And you can't bend your legs. Then the patient bends down, touches the floor with his hand.

Such a complex perfectly develops stretching. After a while, the patient will be able to touch the floor with his palm. If the patient pulls his head to his knees, then the exercise will become more difficult, the effect of it will be greater.

The last complex is performed on all fours. The patient does this. He:

• stretches the right arm forward, and takes the left leg far back. Holds balance for 10 seconds;
• returns to its original position;
• extends his left arm and right leg. Holds balance for 10 seconds.

This is a balance exercise. It needs to be done at least 15 times.

These exercises are very helpful. They are prescribed to almost every person suffering from osteochondrosis, they have no contraindications.

The whole complex is performed at least 15 minutes. It perfectly eliminates pain, tones the muscles of the back. The doctor can prescribe additional complexes to the patient, which help to get rid of pain in the part of the back where the focus of the disease is localized.

Stages of traction of the spinal column, types

People with osteochondrosis are sometimes prescribed skeletal traction. It is divided into:

• dry;
• underwater.

For dry traction, the patient is placed on an inclined plane, the spinal column is pulled under its own weight.

For underwater traction, the patient is placed in a pool.

Dry traction is an old method of treating osteochondrosis. The patient is set up for short-term or long-term traction. It has an effect on the spinal column, helps to get rid of muscle spasm, returns the intervertebral discs to their previous position, relieves the spinal column from pathological bends.

Remember: the pulling force should be no more than 10% of the human body weight. If it is larger, then the patient may experience discomfort, his back may be injured.

Now medical centers use special computers that are controlled by a physician and cannot harm the patient. Moreover, for 1 time the patient's body is extended by 1 cm. And with strong curvature of the spinal column, the patient needs to undergo 3-4 procedures.

Underwater traction of the spinal column began to be used relatively recently. It is also divided into several types. It is divided into:

• vertical;
• horizontal.

Usually, vertical traction is included in physical rehabilitation for osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.

With it, the patient is placed in warm water, which relaxes the muscles. In this case, the patient is slightly affected, which increases the clearance between two adjacent vertebrae. This procedure improves the trophism of the intervertebral discs, increases blood flow, and accelerates the process of tissue regeneration.

With vertical traction, the patient is placed in a pool 2-2.5 meters deep. The patient should go completely into it, but the head should be on the surface. Before immersion in water, belts are attached to the patient, fixing him near a special rack. Sometimes a load is attached.

Horizontal traction is included in the rehabilitation for osteochondrosis of the sanatorium stage. With her, the patient is placed in a small bath.

His body is attached to a special shield, fixed at a certain angle. Remember: the smaller the angle, the greater the load on the spinal column.

Horizontal traction is also divided into several types. It is divided into:

• continuous. When traction acts on the patient's body during the entire procedure;
• in turn. Traction has a periodic effect on the patient.

Experts recommend using alternate traction.

Physiotherapy procedures

Such procedures improve the process of tissue regeneration, relieve discomfort. Remember that physiotherapy procedures cannot be used as the main method of treatment. They are used as an adjunct to traditional treatment. They help to get rid only of the focus of the disease, have an effect on the affected tissues, but they do not affect neighboring tissues, the human body.

In rehabilitation with osteochondrosis of the cervical or other department, use:

1. Electrotherapy. This method of exposure is considered the simplest and most affordable. Electrotherapy helps to improve blood flow, relieves muscle spasms, improves trophic processes, relieves pain.

These influence methods include:

• franklinization;
• low-frequency, high-frequency, impulsive therapy. All procedures are carried out only by a physician. All appliances are dangerous and are connected to the mains.
2. Amplipulse. This device affects the focus of the disease with modulated sinusoidal currents. Procedures with such a device help to get rid of pain, activate the work of the vasomotor center, improve trophic processes in tissues, and have a neurostimulating effect on the body.
3. Darsonvalization. During the procedure, low-frequency and high-frequency pulsed currents affect exactly the problem point, neighboring tissues are not affected.
4. Diadynamic therapy. Here, the problem area is affected by a wave or continuous current. One procedure lasts from 3 to 30 minutes. In total, the patient will need to do 8 procedures.
5. Magnetotherapy. During the procedure, the magnetic current has a positive effect on the human body. Also, the magnetic field improves the physicochemical reactions occurring in the cells, improves the material metabolism in the affected area, helps to expand blood vessels, stops the inflammatory process, relieves spasms, helps to block nerve receptors, reduces sensitivity in the affected area, relieves pain.
6. Shock wave therapy. During the procedure, infrasonic shock waves affect the affected area without affecting neighboring tissues. This procedure helps to improve microcirculation in tissues, trophic processes in muscles at the cellular level, in cartilage and bone tissues. Also, such procedures accelerate the process of fibroblast production.

Is it possible to sleep properly

The main problem of people with osteochondrosis is that it hurts to sleep. The recommendations of experienced physicians, described below, will help solve this problem. They recommend:

• Sleep on a straight bed, medium firmness. Too hard or too soft bed will not help to get rid of discomfort.
• Sleep on a flat pillow. It is advisable to give preference to orthopedic products. You can replace the pillow with an ordinary roller, folded from a towel.

Remember: before buying an orthopedic product, a medical consultation is required.

How to eat for people with osteochondrosis

During the rehabilitation period, people with cervical osteochondrosis need to carefully monitor what they eat. They must refuse products:

• fatty;
• fried;
• salty;
• smoked.

Preference should be given to products rich in:

• vitamins;
• phosphorus;
• calcium.

In food, there must be a lot of cereals, vegetable soups, purees, fresh vegetables, fruits. You should also include dishes with gelatin, with animal cartilage, aspic.

The effectiveness of swimming in osteochondrosis

Swimming has a very good effect on the human spinal column. It:

• relieves fatigue;
• helps the intervertebral discs to relax.

Moreover, the style of swimming depends on which part of the spinal column in a person is damaged. For example, if a patient has a damaged cervical region, then rehabilitation for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine begins with swimming on the back.

Rehabilitation for osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine begins with frog swimming.

If a patient with osteochondrosis wants, then he can do water aerobics. But it is recommended to do this under the guidance of an experienced trainer. After 3-4 sessions, the patient can already do water aerobics on their own. Water aerobics helps to remove pain in the back, improves the motor activity of the entire spinal column.

To summarize: if a person is serious about his body, then he will be able to prevent the development of such an ailment as osteochondrosis. And physical therapy and gymnastics, which are preventive methods of treatment, will help to forget about the existence of this disease once and for all. The patient should not self-medicate. This can be very dangerous. It is better to be treated by experienced doctors.