Physical therapy exercises. Therapeutic physical education (physical therapy). Therapeutic exercises for spinal osteochondrosis. Contraindications for exercise therapy

Physiotherapy(abbreviated exercise therapy) is an independent discipline in the field of medicine that uses physical activity for the treatment of diseases, recovery from injuries, for prevention, during exacerbations of diseases, to improve working capacity. A set of exercises helps stimulate vital function.

The most important element

Therapeutic exercise is part of the treatment of many diseases associated with the respiratory, circulatory, and musculoskeletal systems. Along with exercise therapy, other types of treatment are prescribed: surgical, conservative, medicinal, special diet, physiotherapeutic. It is important that a set of physical therapy exercises, like everything else, is prescribed individually for each patient, taking into account all the components of the disease. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, even for the most minor illnesses, as this can lead to serious consequences.

How comprehensive the treatment will be depends directly on the type of disease, its degree, and the body’s ability to recover. The exercise therapy complex acts not only on diseased organs, organ systems and tissues, but on the entire body. The benefit of physical education is that it affects the entire body, forces it to function properly, improving the functioning of not only diseased organs, but also being a prevention of many other related pathologies.

Therapeutic exercise requires a conscious approach on the part of the patient: he must perform all the actions prescribed to him by the doctor - otherwise there will be no desired effect. In addition to general improvement in health, discipline and responsibility increase, which is also a positive criterion for exercise therapy. In terms of content, such exercises are part of the regular system physical education. They use the same principle as regular sports load: comprehensive health-improving focus.

Mechanism of action

Therapeutic exercise, which is suitable for back diseases (curvature of the spine, poor posture, osteochondrosis cervical region spine, etc.) is based on the effect on the muscles of the musculoskeletal system.

Back diseases are caused by a sedentary lifestyle, which is why muscle corset becomes soft and cannot hold the spine correctly. This leads to poor posture (especially in children), osteochondrosis (including the cervical spine - it is most often affected), scoliosis, intervertebral hernia and many others.

Related areas

During gymnastics, the cardiovascular system improves blood supply to the muscles, which at the same time has a preventive effect on diseases of this group. It is also useful for metabolic disorders, as it helps reduce cholesterol and delays the development of obesity. A properly selected set of physical therapy exercises can improve the tone of the vagus nerve, reducing the production of certain hormones that affect increased blood pressure. As a result, blood pressure and pulse stabilize and return to normal.

Therapeutic exercise improves the adaptive capabilities of the body and increases the level of resistance to stress due to the production of certain hormones, and improves the overall emotional background.

Thus, the exercise therapy complex is suitable as health program, aimed at treating diseases of the back, neck, poor posture and curvature of the spine, and for the prevention of all related diseases.

Indications and contraindications

Exercise therapy is prescribed for poor posture to correct it (especially for children). Special exercise therapy is also prescribed after spinal surgery, for intervertebral hernia, for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, for scoliosis and many other diseases of the back and musculoskeletal system.

No back disease can be treated without special physical therapy, which is prescribed by a doctor. Prescribing any complex on your own is strictly prohibited for any pathology of any severity; you cannot prescribe anything for children either.

In case of poor posture, curvature of the spine, neck disease (in particular, scoliosis of the cervical spine) and other numerous pathologies, self-medication can only aggravate the course of the disease.

For example, scoliosis of the cervical spine can develop from grade 1 into grade 2 or even grade 3, and correcting anything will be extremely problematic: the muscle corset will be formed in such a way as to fix the curvature of the neck. The same applies to poor posture (especially in children during the active period of growth and formation). Only a preventive complex of exercise therapy is allowed, which is aimed at preventing the development of diseases of the back and musculoskeletal system.

Common gymnastics

The most common neck disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and poor posture (especially in children), so their prevention requires special attention. A set of physical therapy exercises consists of a mandatory warm-up and the exercises themselves, aimed at different parts of the back and neck.

On the floor

Therapeutic exercise for the neck (for the cervical spine), which is performed lying down, is as follows:

1. Lying on your back, you need to put one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Try to breathe slowly through your stomach. The body should be completely relaxed. Performed 10 times several times a day.
2. The following exercise is especially good for the neck and is recommended for diseases of the cervical spine. You need to roll over onto your stomach and slowly raise your head and torso, while resting your hands on the floor. Hold in the arched position for about 1 minute, and then relax. It is important that your shoulders are level - this is good for posture. Repeated 3 times a day.

Sitting

Physical therapy for the prevention of the cervical spine is also performed in a sitting position. It consists of the following exercises:

1. As you exhale, bend over so that your chin drops as far as possible onto your chest. As you inhale, throw your head back as far as possible (be careful, don’t rush). There should be no pain in the neck area. Repeated 10 times, 4 times during the day.
2. If there is mild pain in the neck, you can gently rotate your head. It is important to do this symmetrically, in both directions.
3. Hanging your head on your chest and exhaling with maximum force, rest your forehead on your palms. As you inhale, release the pressure. Repeat 6 times, 4 times during the day.

A complex of physical therapy for the neck (cervical spine) helps to get rid of problems not only with the musculoskeletal system, but also with the circulatory and nervous systems.

Exercises for a straight back

There is a complex of preventive physical therapy aimed at straightening posture. This complex also prevents crooked posture and stooping.

Therapeutic exercise consists of the following:

1. Raise your right leg bent at the knee. Stretch your arms along your body. Jump and change your supporting leg. Repeat 15 times, several times throughout the day.
2. Standing on one leg, lift the other one, bent at the knee, and draw circles with it. Then change legs. Repeat 10 times.

Everything in moderation

Physical therapy has a wonderful effect on the body. It does not allow the development of pathologies and is recommended to everyone; it has no clinical contraindications. A set of physical therapy exercises is prescribed to patients along with medications and other treatments. However, it is important to remember that with all the positive criteria of this method, in no case should you self-medicate without the supervision of a doctor.

When choosing a complex of physical therapy for the spine, pay attention to two factors.

1. General level physical training body. There are three main levels: people who are actively involved in sports; people who only do exercises and people who lead a passive lifestyle with sedentary work. For each group it is necessary to use separate sets of therapeutic exercises for the spine.

2. Various stages of the condition of the spine after an exacerbation of pain. Experts distinguish three main stages of spinal restoration: the period immediately following an exacerbation (2 – 4 days), the period of spinal restoration (2 – 4 weeks after an exacerbation), the period of spinal healing and prevention (from 4 weeks and throughout life). For each stage of spinal restoration, you need to choose a separate exercise therapy complex.

This material describes a complex of therapeutic exercises for the spine, designed for people with different physical fitness. Simple exercises are immediately described, and then more complex ones that increase the load on the spine.

The proposed physical therapy exercises should be started as soon as the acute pain in the spine goes away.

With the help of physical therapy exercises, you can solve several problems:

1. Reduce pain by eliminating compression of the intervertebral discs.

2. Strengthen the muscles and ligaments that support the spine.

3. Accelerate the growth of healthy tissue (bone and cartilage).

4. Thanks to increased blood flow, tissues are cleansed of waste and toxins.

Exercise therapy for the spine - necessary theoretical information

The exercises are intended for prevention and recovery, and not for a one-time, quick treatment of the spine. Problems arise over years and cannot be solved within a few days.

Exercises are best done several times a day, at least in the morning and evening, some can be done at work - don’t be lazy.

When doing the exercises, take your time, avoid sudden, fast movements.

Gradually increase the load - number of repetitions and amplitude.

When performing exercises, try to feel the spine and back muscles, do not do exercise therapy simply mechanically.

The main task when performing physical therapy is to increase blood flow in the spine.

Therapeutic gymnastics for the lumbar spine - technique

In the image: gently arch your back up, and then bend down - without jerking, gradually increasing the amplitude

1. Contraction of the abdominal muscles, without moving the body, until slight fatigue appears in them.

2. Starting position: standing on all fours, resting on your knees and palms; raise your head and gently bend your back down, lower your head and arch your back up. Perform from 3 to 10 times.

3. Starting position: lying on your back, arms along your body, legs half-bent at the knees resting on the entire surface of the foot: place both legs to the right of the body, trying to reach your knees to the floor (perform the movement without jerking, do not straighten your legs), the shoulder blades do not come off surfaces. Then repeat the movement in the other direction. Perform up to 10 times in each direction.

In the image: smoothly lift the pelvis up (no need to bend) and lower it down

4. Starting position: lying on your back; pull your toes towards you at the same time, feel the tension in your back, hold the tension for 3 - 5 seconds, relax. Perform 3 – 5 times.

5. Starting position: lying on your back, legs bent at the knees and resting on the entire surface of the feet, arms along the body; leaning on your shoulder blades and feet, raise your pelvis and lower it. Perform 3 – 10 times.

In the image: Raise the leg to the body and gently press it to the stomach.

6. Starting position: lying on your back, arms along the body; bending your leg at the knee and hip joint, helping yourself with your hands to press your thigh to your stomach; hold your leg down for a few seconds. Perform 3 – 5 times with each leg.

7. Starting position: standing on all fours, leaning on your palms and knees; raise slightly bent leg back; repeat with the other leg. Perform 5 – 10 times with each leg.

8. Starting position: sitting on your knees bent (buttocks resting on your heels), arms freely lowered; Take a kneeling position, sit on the floor to the left of your feet, and then to the right. Perform 10 – 12 times.

9. Starting position: lying on your back, arms along the body; clasp your legs with your hands and press them to your chest, roll on your back from your buttocks to your head; return to the starting position. Perform 5 – 7 times.

Exercise therapy for the thoracic spine - technique

1. Starting position: lying on your back, knees bent, legs as relaxed as possible; pull your knee towards you, trying to reach your nose with it, while simultaneously tilting your head and lifting top part torso towards the knee; The exercise will be more effective if you support the bent leg with your hands under the knee. Perform 4 – 6 times with each leg.

2. Starting position: sitting on a chair, hands on your knees; bending down, reach the toe of the opposite leg with one hand, straighten up and repeat with the other hand. Perform bends on each leg 4 – 6 times.

3. Starting position: standing holding the back of a chair; squats with a straight back up to 20 times without lifting your heels from the floor.

Therapeutic gymnastics for the cervical spine - technique

Exercises for the upper spine must be performed especially carefully, since it is very mobile and excessive zeal can only cause harm.

1. Starting position lying on your back; gently press the back of your head into the pillow and hold the tension for 3 – 5 seconds then relax; then lightly pressing your palm on your temple, straining your neck muscles, hold your head in its original position; perform in both directions for 3 – 5 seconds; During breaks, completely relax the muscles of your neck and head. Perform 2 – 3 times.

2. Starting position: sitting on a chair, arms freely lowered along the body; gently move your head back while pressing your chin to your chest. Perform 3 – 5 times.

Additional articles with useful information

In addition to the spine, our body also has a huge number of joints. Our mood and performance depend on their correct functioning. The method of treatment and restoration of joints should be determined by the doctor in each individual case individually, but we must remember that if therapeutic exercises are not prohibited, then they must be done.

It is difficult to find a person who has never had back pain in his life. Perhaps only preschool children can boast of this. At school, due to sitting at a desk for a long time, children first develop back problems. These are harbingers of future serious illnesses.

Exercise therapy exercises are designed to strengthen muscles that are weakened for some reason. The most relevant today is exercise therapy for the back, since the spine is the most common place where pathological changes occur. And it is these changes that greatly spoil a person’s life.

What is exercise therapy

Medical Physical Culture- this is a large group of special physical exercise, the purpose of which is to help restore the tone of any muscle groups. From the point of view of anatomy and physics, the most vulnerable spot in the human body is the back and spinal column: from the sacrum to the neck. Therefore, the most relevant today is therapeutic exercises for the back.

There are a lot of exercises in physical therapy. You already know some of them, since you have probably done exercises at least once in your life.

Neurological departments often admit people who cannot straighten up. One day their back was pinched and they couldn’t straighten up on their own. This is due to the pinching of a certain nerve due to the fact that the muscular corset of the lower back cannot provide adequate protection to the spine.

Why are back exercises so necessary? See for yourself:

• Hands - they are always doing something, moving. Even when eating, you hold a spoon in your hands. In general, the arm moves too much for the muscles to atrophy that much.
• Legs - since a person walks, their muscles are also constantly trained.
• What remains is the body. To maintain a straight body position, the back and abdominal muscles must be evenly developed, toned and receive good blood supply. If these conditions are violated (say, with a sedentary lifestyle), the muscles weaken and can no longer perform their functions.

For example, longissimus muscle the back, running along the spine, is constantly under stress. During long and motionless sitting, blood flow to it becomes difficult, which reduces its capabilities.

So gradually, depending on our bad habits, the core muscles lose their ability to reduce compression of the spine, intervertebral cartilage wears out, and spinal nerves are clamped. This causes pain and limited mobility.

Thus, the back requires training. If you don't go to Gym, you don’t do exercises in the morning, you overweight(even if you just have a belly), one day you will have to perform therapeutic exercises to save your back from the progression of diseases.

Types of exercise therapy

Gymnastics to strengthen the back muscles is not the only type of exercise therapy. First of all, physical therapy is designed to restore muscle tone any part of the body. For example, after wearing a cast for a long time and forced immobility, muscle rehabilitation is required.

As for the back, this is a separate issue, since almost half of the entire earth’s population needs exercise therapy for the spine.

The most vulnerable part of the spine is the neck, because the vertebrae here are the smallest and most fragile. She holds her head, the weight of which can reach 2 or more kg. Imagine - the neck muscles hold this weight for most of the day. Titanic work that we don't notice. And add to this prolonged sitting, tilting your head to the side or stretching your neck forward. Under such conditions, not only does blood supply become difficult, but the load is also distributed unevenly. Some muscles are loaded more than others and cannot stand it. So therapeutic exercises for the neck are also necessary.

As a result, the classification of physical exercises can be based on the following:

1. Training target muscle groups: gymnastics for the muscles of the back, arms, legs, etc.
2. Prevention or treatment of various diseases: for example, for a sore back, etc.

These are all conditional classifications. Often the same exercises are used to achieve multiple goals.

Three complexes for the back of varying difficulty

Any disease has several periods. For example, the manifestation of spinal osteochondrosis can be divided into 2 stages. There is an acute period, and then there is a decrease in the severity of symptoms and the rehabilitation stage. And at each stage there are different exercises to strengthen the back muscles.

With exacerbation of osteochondrosis

Depending on the severity of the back disease, special exercises will be different. And they differ in their complexity and load.

You should start doing exercises only after the acute pain has been relieved.

For example, a primary set of exercises could be like this:

1. We lie down on a soft and warm mat, with our legs thrown over a thick cushion. We squeeze and unclench our palms and feet. We do 10 simultaneous compressions.
2. They moved the cushion aside and placed their feet on the floor. The left leg was bent at the knee, placing the foot on the floor. The right leg remains straight. Move your right leg 10 times to the side (sideways).
3. Place your feet on the roller again, starting position with your arms along your torso. Alternately lift each arm up as if you were floating on your back - 10 strokes for each arm.
4. Now do exercise number 2, but for the other leg.
5. And again, legs on the bolster, bend your arms at the elbows, keep your palms at your shoulders. Make a circle with your elbows horizontal plane. That is, you draw 10 circles above you with both elbows at the same time. Try to draw even circles.
6. The legs are still on the bolster, knees bent. Straighten each leg in turn. 10 times for each leg.
7. Now more difficult exercise, which can cause pain in the acute period, be careful. The roller was removed and the legs were bent at the knees. Alternately pull each leg with your knee towards your chest. 10 times.
8. From the same starting position, turn your knees to the side, trying to touch the floor with each knee. Avoid sharp pain.
9. At the end of the complex, breathe by inflating and deflating your abdomen - 10 inhalations and exhalations.

These exercises are suitable for daily use. You can see that a very light load is used for treatment. But it is enough to help a person.

When the acute period is over, you can do a more serious set of exercise therapy exercises.

When symptoms began to subside

When the symptoms are no longer so severe, you can gradually increase the load. But listen to your body - if doing something hurts (acute pain) - reduce the range of motion. This will definitely help.

1. Lying on your back with your arms extended along your body, raise your head and at the same time strain your abs. This is a lightweight version of raising the body from a lying position. We repeat the movement 10 times.
2. We lean on the shoulder blades, arms along the body, bend the legs at the knees. Raise the pelvis 10 times. There is no need to bend it too much towards the ceiling, just raise it by 10–15 cm. A large amplitude can cause you pain at this stage.
3. Lie straight on your back, tense your buttocks and relax them. Try to achieve maximum tension. This is a static exercise.
4. We lie down with our legs bent at the knees, alternately touching our knees crosswise with our hands, slightly raising our head and body above the floor. 10 times for each hand.
5. Place a large cushion under your knees (or an ottoman). From this position you need to raise your pelvis above the floor - again by 10-15 cm.
6. We stood on our knees and hands, with our backs arched upwards. We sat down with our backs on our heels and stood back up. So 10 times.
7. Now we stand in the same position as in exercise 6 - we arch our back up, lower it back until straight position. So 10 times. This exercise works well the longissimus muscle and other muscles of the spine.

Well done, now more heavy exercise when the pain subsided!

Exercises for rehabilitation

At this stage, when there is no longer any pain, you need to gradually allow them to withstand the normal load of your life.

The main targets are the abs, the longissimus spinae (all its parts), and the core muscles.

The complex is as follows:

1. Lifting the body while lying down. You have already raised your head, now from the same position try to lift your upper back off the floor. You need to put your knees over the ottoman.
2. From a lying position, lift your straight legs one at a time. Over time, you can lift both legs. Press your lower back to the floor. This can be painful at first, so you need to work each leg individually first.
3. Raising legs from a vertical position. You need to hang on the gymnastics wall or use a horizontal bar or special supports. You don't need to keep your legs straight; in your case, it is enough to raise your legs with your knees bent. Just try to touch your knees to your chest.
4. Very effective exercises in exercise therapy is rolling back and forth on a round back. Wrap your arms around your knees and roll. But do it on a mat, since rolling on a hard surface is not the most pleasant experience on your spine. You can lean slightly to the side to get a longer trajectory and stretch more muscles.
5. Hyperextension and are the best exercises for strengthening the back. Regular hyperextension should be done in parallel with abdominal strengthening. This is the key to lower back health.
6. Exercises for stretching the legs and lower back are also a mandatory part of exercise therapy. To do this, stand up straight, fix your lower back and try to reach the floor with your hands. If you are good at this, grab your shins with your hands and reach closer to your legs. When performing the exercise, try to maintain the curve in your lower back, which is characteristic of correct posture.

There are, as already mentioned, a lot of exercises. You need to do them regularly and monitor your feelings.

Here are a few simple tips that will help you recover faster:

• Don't do anything through pain. But, do not immediately abandon the exercise if it causes pain. Reduce the range of motion and conduct an experiment. As a result, you will know exactly at what stage the pain occurs and where to stop.
• Don't lift weights. In your case, hyperextension and abdominal lifting cannot be done with additional weight.
• For osteochondrosis, it is useful to simply hang on the horizontal bar; this stretches the spine.
• Avoid drafts while exercising as you are exercising on the floor. Cold is an enemy for the back not only with osteochondrosis, but also with other diseases.

Changes in bones, muscles, and ligaments often lead to numerous painful symptoms. Physical therapy is used for treatment and prevention. Doctors prescribe complexes of therapeutic exercises as a means of helping to improve mobility, relieve pain, and reduce the need for surgical operations. For example, physical therapy for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine strengthens muscles, relieves pain, eliminates immobility of the vertebrae, and improves blood flow. This treatment method allows people with a variety of diagnoses to recover from illness and improve their quality of life.

The importance of physical therapy

Movement is of great importance for health.

Physical activity is important for:

• Preventing obesity;
• Prevention of heart and vascular diseases;
• Strengthening bones and muscles;
• Warnings of arthrosis;
• Eliminate the threat of surgical operations.

Movement helps maintain a healthy balance in the body. But physical therapy and sports physical education differ in the nature and purpose of movements. Therapeutic exercises are intended for a healing effect on diseased organs and systems. They are prescribed only by a doctor using the exact dosage.

People knew about the importance of physical activity back in ancient times. Doctors of ancient China used it as a healing method breathing exercises, Indian healers used hatha yoga back in the second millennium BC. Famous physicians of the past - Hippocrates and Ibn Sina - described such types of physiotherapy as massage and gymnastics.

Modern doctors have long known that exercise therapy can be more effective than surgery in many situations.

For example:

• Lower back pain. Exercise therapy is more effective and cost-effective than injections or surgery;
• Physiotherapy more effective than all other methods of treatment for rheumatism of the meniscus, arthrosis knee joint;
• Therapeutic exercise for the spine allows you to do without surgery;
• Exercise therapy is very effective for gastrointestinal diseases;
• Nothing, better than exercise, does not contribute to rehabilitation after operations and childbirth.

Therapeutic exercises always include exercises designed specifically for a specific condition.

Illness or injury

Exercises are done as an addition to daily physical activity. In addition to the therapeutic effect, they improve coordination, flexibility, and posture.

Exercises may include stretching to relieve pressure on joints, core muscles in the back, abdomen, and thighs, weight lifting to strengthen muscles, walking, and water aerobics.

Exercise therapy is excellent for helping athletes recover from injuries, as well as prevent future injuries. Therapeutic exercises relieve pain in soft tissues, increase muscle strength, improve flexibility, expand range of motion. Therapeutic gymnastics is the most modern method of rehabilitation after surgical operations, including caesarean section And natural birth. Special training prevent the occurrence of adhesions, promote rapid recovery elasticity of fabrics.

Therapeutic exercises significantly improve the quality of life in serious chronic diseases such as spinal stenosis, arthritis and Parkinson's disease. The training program is developed individually for each patient, depending on age, nature of the disease and degree of physical fitness.

In some patients, diseases of several systems at once lead to a condition close to disability.

• Stroke;
• Spinal cord injuries;
• Cardiovascular diseases.

Such patients are observed the whole team specialists. The physiotherapist is an essential member of the team. He develops exercise therapy that includes strength training, mobility training, walking up and down stairs, and getting into and out of a wheelchair. There are special exercises for using a wheelchair.

Physical therapy is necessary for children after serious injuries and those suffering from cerebral palsy. Physical activity thought out by a physiotherapist promotes the child’s growth and development, ensures correct movements, and increases endurance.

Classes for children and adults are held at many clinics and sanatoriums. Professional support is provided by the Center for Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy.

Changes in the spine - cartilage and intervertebral discs - are a very common condition. Almost every middle-aged person suffers from a disease called osteochondrosis. Sedentary work, physical inactivity, carrying heavy loads - everything affects the “main axis” of the human body – the spine. People experience neck and lower back pain. Sometimes the pain is excruciating and interferes with normal movements and a quiet life. Therapeutic exercise for spinal osteochondrosis is one of the most effective healing techniques.

• Sitting on a chair with a straight back, bow your head alternately to both shoulders;
• Slowly turn your head from side to side;
• Touch your chest with the edge of your chin;
• Place your elbow on the table and forcefully press your temple against your palm.

All exercises in this series must be performed at least ten times in each direction.

Physical therapists encourage patients to regularly strengthen the muscles that surround the chest.

A number of exercises are suggested:

• Lie with your back up. Place your palms on your hips. Raise your upper body and maintain this position for as long as possible. Bottom part fix your back on the floor, breathe evenly.
• Repeat 1, placing your hands at the back of your head.
• Do the first thing, spreading your arms like wings.
• Lying with your back up, raise your upper body, spread your arms to the sides, clench and unclench your fists.
• Lying on your stomach, make smooth upward and sideways movements (imitation of swimming).
• Repeat exercise 5, but perform circular movements with your hands.

• Lying on your stomach, alternately slowly raise and lower your straight legs;
• Raise one leg to the maximum height (the pelvis should be motionless) and hold in this position for 3-5 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.
• Lying on your stomach, raise both legs up, spread, connect and lower both legs together.
• Raise both legs and hold in this position for as long as possible.

When intervertebral discs become displaced, the ring that holds the vertebra ruptures. This condition is called intervertebral hernia. Most often, hernias form in the lumbar region. Therapeutic exercise for a herniated spine is designed to relieve severe pain symptoms, stretch the spinal column, and strengthen the muscles of the back and abs. All movements of this complex are smooth; jumps or side turns are excluded. Training in a state of exacerbation cannot be carried out. In remission, physiotherapists advise exercising twice a day, 3-5 exercises.

Approximate complex:

• Lying on your stomach, bend your legs, grab your ankles with your hands and pull them towards your neck.
• Lying on your stomach, bend your neck and upper body back.
• Bend forward while kneeling. The head and palms should touch the floor.
• "Bridge".
• Lying on your back, bend your legs and pull your toes towards your neck. Keep your arms motionless at your sides.

Physical therapy for spinal hernia lumbar region implies caution. If you experience pain, you should stop gymnastics immediately.

Scoliosis

Another serious problem of the spine is scoliosis. In everyday life it is called “curvature of the spine.” Most often, signs of scoliosis are observed already in childhood. school age. In addition to ugly posture, the pathology is unpleasant because it progresses, disrupts breathing and the normal blood supply to organs. How older child or a teenager, the more the spine bends. You can straighten your back with exercise therapy.

Physical therapy for scoliosis varies depending on the severity of the disease. In the first and second degrees, gymnastics helps to significantly straighten the spinal column or completely eliminate scoliosis. In the third or fourth degree, exercise therapy can only restrain the development of curvature.

A typical complex contains the following exercises:

• Standing, press your back straight against the wall and step back from the wall a few steps, maintaining a vertical position of your spine.
• Make a few warm-up exercises standing with a straight back - swinging your arms, turning your torso, squats.
• Lying on your back, take turns bending your knees towards your stomach.
• Lying on your back with your knees bent, raise your pelvis and bend your upper body.
• Lying on your stomach, raise your torso and legs with support on your palms.
• Lying on your back, do scissors with your legs.
• Lying on your stomach. Raise both legs together and hold them there for as long as possible.
• Lying on your stomach, bend your upper body forward.

Exercise therapy to help sore knees

Even young people often suffer from arthrosis of the knee joint. For the elderly, this disease becomes a real disaster - it is impossible to go up and down the stairs, get out of the car, or just get up and sit down. Therapeutic exercises are one of the main ways to combat arthrosis. Precisely struggle, because the patient’s task is to prevent arthrosis from taking over his body. It is necessary to constantly force the sore joints to move.

Training methods are elementary:

• lying on your back, bend your knees;
• hold a rolled towel under your knee;
• holding onto the table, bend your leg at the knee back, pulling it with your hand;
• press the ball against the wall with your back and squat while holding it.

You can perform knee bending and extension using an expander.

Physical activity for the treatment of respiratory diseases

For acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory system, physical therapy also comes to the rescue. Sets of exercises include diaphragm training, simple gymnastics arms and legs, a system of deep breaths and exhalations. For acute inflammatory diseases of exercise therapy helps remove mucus from the lungs and bronchi, clearing the lungs. For chronic diseases, for example, bronchial asthma, use breathing using the diaphragm, enhanced articulation of vowels and consonants, sport games, walking.

The body of a pregnant woman is an amazing laboratory in which new chemical reactions and new changes occur every day. Therapeutic exercise during pregnancy helps improve blood flow and provide all organs and the growing fetus with oxygen, reduces back pain and stress on the spine and legs, and prevents constipation. Physical activity tones the muscles, making them elastic, which is important for childbirth.

It is important to start training in the first trimester, when changes in the body are still minor. At this time, aerobics, brisk walking, swimming, dancing to pleasant music are useful.

Classic training for pregnant women is the Kegel exercise. This is a muscle contraction pelvic floor, strengthening them. Doctors recommend similar training before and after childbirth to quickly return the body to normal.

In the second trimester, jogging and sitting exercises with light dumbbells can be added to these types of physical education.

In the last three months, dumbbells are excluded, but you can continue walking and swimming, as well as some yoga poses that do not require much physical effort.

Any treatment complexes must be prescribed by a doctor and practiced with the help of specialist trainers. In big cities there are no problems with sports medicine centers. In rural areas, opportunities are limited. But it can be adjusted medical complex in specialized literature or on the Internet by typing “physical therapy: video.” Articles by specialists high level the latest methods of exercise therapy are published in the international scientific journal “Therapeutic Physical Education and Sports Medicine”.

Not a single modern drug can fulfill the objectives of exercise therapy for scoliosis. Regular classes help:

• restore elasticity and strength to the muscles that need it, form muscular frame spine;
• relieve pathological tension from muscles;
• stop the progression of the disease (increase in the angle of curvature of the spine);
• activate the cardiovascular system, improve breathing;
• reduce or completely eliminate lateral curvatures of the spine.

That is why Physical therapy for scoliosis is the leading method conservative treatment, which is recognized by orthopedists and vertebrologists (spinal specialists) around the world. Sets of exercises are used as the only and independent therapy to correct the pathological curvature of the spine in the initial stages of the disease. They are necessarily used in the complex treatment of stages 3 and 4 of scoliosis.

In the vast majority of cases, scoliosis develops during a period of intensive child growth. At this time, all segments of the spine are quite unstable, so physical impact on them should be exclusively professional and extremely careful. Otherwise, you can cause serious harm: aggravate the angle of curvature, pinch internal organs, disrupt the functioning of the heart or respiratory system.

In order for the exercises to be useful, the exercises must be selected taking into account the part of the spine in which the pathology is present. They need to be performed regularly, and an instructor should teach the technique.

Five rules of physical therapy

It is important that gymnastics for scoliosis meet five special requirements, which must be taken into account when drawing up a treatment complex.

The most important thing is to exclude all types of exercises that can aggravate the condition of the spine:

• pull-ups and hanging on a bar or wall bars;
• elements of acrobatics: somersaults, jumps, “swallow” exercise;
• strength exercises using weights and dumbbells;
• fast run;
• all types of jumps;
• rotation of the torso in a vertical position.

The first classes are carried out at a slow pace. It is necessary to constantly pay attention to the body's reaction to each exercise.

The loads and number of repetitions are set gradually: so as not to overstrain the muscles and spine.

Exercises should be designed only for passive traction of the spine.

Regular alternation of muscle exercises shoulder girdle with exercises for the lumbar region and legs.

All exercises prescribed by your doctor for scoliosis should be performed daily, without breaks. After classes, be sure to take a half-hour rest, lying on your side.

Three stages of training for scoliosis

Each exercise therapy session for scoliosis is carried out strictly in accordance with the training plan, which allows you to achieve maximum effect from each exercise.

At each stage of the lesson, a physical therapy doctor Special attention devotes proper breathing. This is important for stimulating lung function and additional oxygen flow to the muscles.

Approximate set of exercises

Remember that each element of physical therapy for scoliosis is selected individually. The complex presented in the article is an example of a standard lesson.

1. Warm up

All classes begin with straightening your back: press your back against any flat vertical surface; check that it touches your calves, buttocks and shoulder blades. Try to remember the position of your body and not change it; take two steps back.

And now the exercises themselves:

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2. Basic exercises

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3. Final exercises

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An approximate set of exercises for the treatment of scoliosis.
Click on photo to enlarge.

Five best exercises for scoliosis

Swiss vertebrologists and orthopedists, together with exercise therapy specialists, have developed a set of exercises, the implementation of which allows you to most effectively influence the main muscle groups, increasing their firmness and elasticity.

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Types of physical therapy loads

Lateral curvature of the spine is a heavy load for the ligamentous apparatus. Significant differences in tension occur between paired muscles. On the convex side, the muscles are constantly toned, which gradually leads to their loss of contractility. Their paired “opponents,” on the other hand, on the contrary, are always in a contracted, relaxed state. Lack of movement weakens them and can gradually lead to atrophy.

Therefore, physical therapy for scoliosis should include four types of loads:

Asymmetrical. Designed to train muscles on only one side of the body, while the opposite muscle group is relaxed.

Symmetrical. Helps maintain the spine in an anatomically natural position. The load is distributed equally to the muscles on both sides, as a result, their tone is equalized, which has a positive effect on the dynamics of spinal alignment.

Detorsion. Help relieve tone from tense muscles and stimulate the work of relaxed ones.

General strengthening. Stimulate immune system, help increase endurance and physical development of the whole body.

The effect will be 100%!

The effectiveness of treatment of exercise therapy for scoliosis depends on a conscientious attitude to exercise, strict compliance with all instructions of the attending physician and constant monitoring of one’s posture.