Therapeutic exercises for spinal hernia

Spinal hernia is a disease that often develops in people whose life is not enough physical activity. In this regard, one of the elements of the treatment of the disease is physical education in various variations. Exercise therapy for hernia plays an important role in the patient's recovery process, and therefore it is recommended that he devote a fairly large amount of time.

What exercises for the treatment of a hernia can be performed at different stages of the development of the disease? What physical activity is best for different parts of the spinal column?

Basic rules of gymnastics for hernia

Gymnastics with a hernia should be selected only by the attending physician. This is due to the fact that not always the patient's condition allows you to perform any movements. Also, it is far from always that performing a set of exercises for a hernia will be beneficial.

So, in order for classes to be productive, you will have to follow the following rules:

charging with a hernia should be calm, without sudden movements, jumps and twists of the spine affected by the disease in any of its departments;
training should be carried out on a regular basis, while it is recommended to choose a well-ventilated room and prepare a special mat on which it will be convenient to practice;
all exercises are performed without haste and the use of force, while you need to monitor your own condition, and if there are acute pains, dizziness or numbness, it is recommended to stop performing;
a gradual increase in load and amplitude is recommended, starting from the minimum, and gradually reaching the maximum possible;
if the exercise is technically difficult, you should not expect that it will be possible to perform it perfectly the first time;
after physical therapy with a hernia, fatigue should not be too strong, but if it is very pronounced, it is recommended to reduce the number of repetitions of exercises or develop the lesson into several stages;
if health allows, then the basic complex can be supplemented with light morning workouts, as well as small workouts that are performed throughout the day.
Similar rules are valid not only in the case of a hernia of the spine, but also in the hernia of the abdomen or stomach.

What is the peculiarity of the methodology

Why is gymnastics effective for hernia? The fact is that physical exercises will eliminate the imbalance in the spinal column, due to which the hernial protrusion was formed. Restoring normal physiological balance will also contribute to the fact that the disease will stop progressing.

The hernia will become much smaller in size, and if it was not initially large, then there is even a chance for its non-surgical resorption.

Proper performance of gymnastics from a hernia allows you to achieve the following effects:

the pain syndrome, which is one of the biggest problems, decreases or completely disappears;
the severity of other symptoms is significantly reduced, whether it be numbness, tingling, pain in the head, dysfunction of the pelvic organs, or anything else;
the spine becomes more flexible, it is often possible to adapt it to loads that it could not withstand before the development of the disease;
physical education always has a tonic effect on all organs and systems, which leads to an improvement in the general condition and mood.
You can perform exercises both in the gym with a hernia, and at home. Thanks to this important feature, it is often possible to encourage even those patients who do not consider the methods to be effective.

Recommended exercises for the acute period

Exacerbation in adults is the most terrible period when a hernia for the first time or again makes itself felt. At this time, pain and other symptoms are usually very pronounced, sometimes full medical care is required.

During an exacerbation, the following exercises can help the patient:

It is necessary to lie on your back and achieve maximum relaxation of all muscle structures in the body. Deep, measured breathing can help in this difficult matter. Such relaxation will relieve tension in the spinal column, easing the pain syndrome.
The position of the body does not change. They try to stretch the toes of the legs towards themselves as much as possible, feeling how the spinal column is extended along with them. You can repeat the exercise 4 to 6 times. At the end of the cycle of exercises, sipping can be performed alternately on each of the legs.
The position is unchanged.
Now you need to slowly, sliding your feet on the floor, bend your knees, and then, without making sudden movements, pull your knees up to your chest, as if curling up into a ball. The exercise is performed 1 time. The position is unchanged. The arms are extended along the body. Produce compression and relaxation of the palms into fists from 10 to 15 times.
The position is the same, but the arms are spread apart. Next, the palms are clenched into a fist, and the arm is bent at the elbow joint, trying to reach the shoulder with the fist. Perform up to 10 times.
Exercises in the gym and even more active fitness are contraindicated during the period of exacerbation.

What to do in remission

Remission is a fertile period when the patient most often does not remember at all that he has any problems with the spinal column. With hernias in remission, it is important to maintain a neutral state as long as possible. Charging with a hernia can help with this . True, for each section of the spine there is its own, special set of exercises, which is aimed at maintaining remission in a particular area.

Neck lesion

Treatment of a hernia in the cervical region is always difficult. This is explained by the rather close position of the brain and the risks associated with it.

To keep the defect “silent” for as long as possible, the following techniques are recommended:

First you need to lie on your back on the floor or on a fairly hard and even bed. Then it is necessary with a slight effort to press the back of the head on the floor or on your own hand for several seconds.
The position is the same, but the legs can be slightly bent at the knees. It is necessary to tear off the head and shoulders from the floor at an angle of 45º and freeze like this for a few seconds. Perform the exercise up to 6 times, constantly increasing the duration of maintaining the position.
The exercise is similar to the first, only this time they lie on their stomach and put pressure on the floor with their forehead.
Sit down with your back as straight as possible. Perform lifting and lowering of the shoulders for 2.5-3 minutes;
Keeping the position, put your hands on your belt and turn your head from side to side. Turns should be slow, without haste. It is recommended, having made a turn, freeze for 1-2 seconds, then return to the starting position, and then turn your head in the opposite direction.
The exercise is almost completely similar to the fifth paragraph, but now they do not turn their heads, but tilt first forward and then back.
With unexpressed symptoms, you can kneel down, lower your head and relax, allowing it to pull the spinal column with its weight.

chest lesion

The defeat of the thoracic spine is quite rare in medical practice. However, alas, people still need training, since the disease has not yet been completely eradicated.

Recommended:

First you need to sit on a chair, straightening your back. Then the hands are brought behind the head and lean back as much as possible, resting their back against the back. Then, without changing the position of the hands, they lean forward. The exercise is performed 3-4 times in a row.
The exercise is completely similar to what is described in the first paragraph, but now you also need to monitor your breathing. On the inhale, you need to lean back, and on the exhale, lean forward. The number of repetitions is the same.
Now you need to lie on your back, after placing a small roller of medium hardness in the defect area.
The patient needs to put his hands behind his head, while inhaling to make deflections, and not to strain and lift the body for at least a few seconds. The number of repetitions does not change.
Remove roller. Pull your knees up to your chest and try to reach them with your forehead. Perform all movements slowly, without haste.
The position is the same. The legs are slightly bent at the knees, and the elbows rest on the floor. Raise the lower back and back so that a small bridge is formed, which must be held for a few seconds. Repeat three to five times.
It is necessary to sit on a chair and take a towel that wraps around the chest.
As you exhale, the towel tightens, and as you inhale, it slowly loosens. Such exercises for a hernia in the chest area will help to cope with the disease and make remission as long as possible.

Lumbar injury

Lumbar hernia is the most common in medical practice. Its elimination is also possible with the help of systematic gymnastic exercises.

Necessary:

Do the fish exercise. To do this, they lie on their stomach, stretching their arms above their heads, and then raise their arms and body, as well as their legs so that a deflection forms in the lumbar region. You need to maintain this position for a couple of seconds.
Remain in the same position, but put your hands under your chest. Next, you need to lift the leg that does not give pain from the hernia, while bending as much as possible in the spine;
Save position. Raise the left arm and right leg and pull the arm up, and the leg slightly down and back, feeling how the spinal column also stretches.
Get on all fours and do backbends in the lumbar column. The exercise is also known as "cat".
You need to lie on your back and bend your knees, and stretch your arms along the body. After that, the lower back is separated from the floor to form a small bridge.
Another simple and popular exercise that is well known to everyone is the “bicycle”.
Gymnastics with a hernia in the lumbar region can be supplemented with other exercises at the discretion of the attending physician and depending on the patient's condition.

Postoperative activity

Gymnastics after removal of a hernia in the first 3-4 weeks is categorically contraindicated. The patient must remain calm and adhere to a sparing regimen so as not to aggravate his condition.

Today, special programs have not been developed that could be recommended to all patients after surgery to remove a hernial protrusion. In this regard, it is often recommended to consult with your doctor or specialists in the field of exercise therapy in order to choose the optimal complex.

It should be borne in mind that the load is also contraindicated on the eve of the operation to remove the hernia, therefore, a couple of days before the intervention, exercise therapy will have to be stopped.

During the rehabilitation period, it is important not to abuse the exercises, clearly proportioning your own physical strength and the required costs. If some exercises are not given, it is recommended to postpone them to a later date.

Gymnastics is an excellent tool that can help a person quickly recover from problems with the spine. The main thing is not to overstrain your own body and do not forget about regularity.