Popular exercises for osteochondrosis are dangerous for the back

Popular exercises for osteochondrosis are dangerous for the back
Popular exercises for osteochondrosis are dangerous for the back
Anonim

Many people with pain in the back, neck and limbs sooner or later come to the conclusion that they are related to osteochondrosis in the spine. And the more active ones start looking for suitable exercises to "strengthen" the muscles of the waist, the thoracic region of the spine and the neck. Most often they try in the gym or choose a popular blogger from social networks. And they are ready to start the "therapeutic gymnastics". But… it turns out that's not always the right approach.

Why in most cases, generally accepted exercises do not bring any benefit, even if a person feels improvement after performing them? Russian chiropractor and reflexologist Dr. Oleg Lagoda, PhDexplains

“The reason is that in most cases pains in the neck, lower back and limbs are caused by instability of one or another part of the spine. And instability is excessive mobility of one or more segments of the spine. It exists despite the fact that the general mobility of the spine may be clearly limited. Exercises aimed at increasing mobility, such as head tilts (both back and forth and side to side), head turns left and right, tilts, turns, twists and turns in the lumbar region, all exercises of this type and intensity will aggravate existing spinal problems.

Common exercises, such as "tightening" the abdominal muscles and gymnastics for hyperextension, can also have a pronounced negative effect. The benefit of strengthening the muscles is significantly less than the harm of increasing the mobility of the spine. A feeling of temporary improvement may occur, but the disease will progress. Not to mention that actions such as massage, stretching the spine, swimming also, in most cases, also increase the instability of the spine," the specialist claims.

Swimming in a crawl is accompanied by a constant rotation of the head, increasing the movement in the unstable segment of the spine. The same often happens in the waist department. In butterfly, the lumbar spine bends and unbends very strongly, especially in men. Swimming breaststroke leads to excessive flexion and extension of the cervical spine.

Many people swim without putting their head in the water. Such a way of swimming leads to overloading of the neck and shoulder girdle. Swimming on your back can be the most harmless for an unstable spine. It is good to swim with a mask and tube, providing stable breathing without having to rotate and throw back the head.

Image
Image

“If you wake up with stiffness or pain in your spine and this pain does not stop, regardless of the temporary improvement, give up the exercises you have been doing so far. Just settle for walking and crouching. You can also try Nordic walking. Walk on a "treadmill" without holding the handles with your hands. Squats should be performed without weight - no more than 10-15 times maximum - morning and evening.

If you have problems with your knee joints, squats are contraindicated for you. If, in the end, both walking and squatting cause you pain, you need the help of a professional physical therapist or a proven manual therapist, says the doctor.

He adds that exercises to stretch the connective apparatus and joint capsules can also cause serious problems in the body. An overstretched joint ligament or capsule can bend, hypertrophy and compress over time, pinching adjacent tissues, nerve endings and blood vessels. Overstretching of the back and neck muscles leads to spinal instability, spondylosis deformans, spinal canal stenosis and disc herniation. And these are already serious problems.

Remember: you should not perform muscle stretching exercises if you are in pain! Avoid exercises that stretch the back and neck muscles. By the way, excessive flexibility is not God-given, but rather a disease. Very flexible people have connective tissue dysplasia. They lack one or two of the normal human collagen proteins. And this can create quite a few hidden problems for them. So what visually looks effective is far from always he althy.

“There are no absolutely “harmful” and absolutely “useful” exercises. In this case, the individual approach is important. Any exercise can be performed safely when the body is prepared for it. It is important to follow the principle of gradualness and monitor the technique of performing the exercises. The slow tempo allows for technique control.

That's why it's good to do more repetitions than intense loads. Priority should be given to exercises involving more muscle groups. Much more important are exercises to develop coordination and balance on an unstable surface, as well as dynamic balance exercises. There are no one-size-fits-all recommendations for he althy exercise for older adults. It is important for a person to know his organism, its weak and strong points.

The effective and maximally safe types of sports include backstroke and, as I already mentioned, Nordic walking. Or the most ordinary, but longer walking. Every sports exercise should start with functional testing, which will allow to discover the body's weak points, individual load limitations, and also pain sensations. Seek the advice of a fitness instructor or physical and rehabilitation medicine specialist.

I will repeat again: playing sports should be painless. If pain occurs during exercise, this indicates the need for more in-depth research, which is the priority of a doctor specializing in physical and rehabilitation medicine, includingh. and chiropractor. Based on the number of patients with functional disorders of the spine, I will emphasize again that you should avoid frequent and amplitude movements in the cervical and lumbar spine, the specialist summarized.

Recommended: