Find out what exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home you need to do and how to do it right. Most often, degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are observed in people when they reach a certain age. The result of their activation is a disease such as osteochondrosis. The main symptoms of the disease are pain sensations that are local in nature in the affected area.
They can be paroxysmal or persistent, are sharp, cutting, stinging, or shooting. As the disease progresses, muscles are weakened and mobility is limited. An effective remedy against the disease is exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home.
Exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis for the treatment of the disease
First of all, exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home allow you to strengthen the muscular corset of the back and thereby reduce the load on the spinal column. As a result, the patient's condition improves significantly. We recommend that you pay special attention to those movements that allow you to develop short muscles. They play a key role in supporting the spine and relieve some of the axial load from it.
In addition, exercise therapy improves the nutritional quality of the intervertebral discs and vertebrae. The peculiarity of this process is that these elements of the spinal column do not have their own circulatory system. This suggests that nutrients can be obtained by them only from the environment by means of the diffusion method.
Physical activity accelerates metabolism in tissues, and it is this fact that is decisive in the effectiveness of exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home. As the quality of nutrition improves, the cells are actively regenerating. For people whose work is associated with the need to spend a long time in a static position, special complexes of therapeutic and prophylactic gymnastics have been created, which make it possible to eliminate the negative impact on the body of a working posture. Also, great attention must be paid to the correct organization of the workplace.
Exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home can be very effective in the treatment and prevention of this ailment, but they also have some contraindications:
- period of exacerbation of the disease;
- when pain occurs or increases;
- deterioration in general health;
- in the presence of other concomitant diseases in which physical activity is contraindicated.
Rules for doing exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home
If you have been diagnosed with lumbar osteochondrosis, then it is worth starting to engage in physiotherapy exercises under the guidance of a specialist. When you have mastered all the technical nuances of movements, then you can begin to perform exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home. Here are the basic rules for remedial gymnastics:
- Start practicing after two or three days after the pain attacks subside.
- Start with minimal activity and exercise for a few minutes throughout the day. Don't expect a quick result, and don't force things. Defeating osteochondrosis is possible only with regular and correct training.
- If you perform exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home regularly, you can not only slow down degenerative processes, but also speed up the restoration of damaged tissues and eliminate inflammatory processes,relieving yourself of pain.
- Only the correct execution of the movements will allow you to effectively fight the disease.
- In your complex of medical gymnastics, there should be no movements that suggest the presence of sharp, careless movements. Perform all exercises slowly with maximum effort, while avoiding the onset or intensification of pain.
- An effective complex should include 5-8 movements with a low load. Under the supervision of a specialist, the loads can be slightly increased and, together with general strengthening movements, several specialized ones can be performed.
- Each movement should be performed with the number of repetitions from 3 to 4. If during the lesson there is a feeling of discomfort, then the number of repetitions should be reduced.
How to correctly formulate a set of exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis?
With lumbar osteochondrosis, the complex of therapeutic exercises should be based on movements that can strengthen and stretch the muscles of the back and abdomen. Each lesson should begin with movements that are performed in the supine position. This minimizes the load on the spinal column, and the patient does not have to fear the appearance of pain or its intensification.
To achieve maximum muscle relaxation, we recommend placing a small roller under the knee joints. Then roll onto your healthy (or less painful) side. In this position, the roller must be positioned at your side, bending the knee joints. All exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home must be performed with a limited amplitude.
In the same way, it is necessary to roll over onto the sore side, but the roller does not need to be used. Then you should move on to performing movements in the prone position. To reduce the load, a pillow should be placed under the abdomen, and the roller should be placed under the ankle.
It is very important at the beginning of the exercise to exercise the utmost care when doing the exercises. Keep your muscles relaxed. The painful sensations will gradually begin to subside, and as soon as your condition improves, you can introduce exercises into the complex of therapeutic gymnastics that allow you to stretch the muscles and periodically relax them.
Begin each movement with a good leg. To avoid pain sensations, the amplitude should increase gradually. At first, a slow pace should be used, and as the condition improves, you can gradually switch to a medium one. As your condition improves, the complex can include movements performed in the "on all fours" position, and then sitting and standing. Also remember that gradually eliminating the use of the roller contributes to the increase in load.
Complexes of exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home
In the prone position
- Exercise number 1 - take a supine position and bring your legs together, while the back of your head should touch the ground. Start slowly raising your leg and lowering it slightly, hold this position. Then the working leg drops to the ground and you need to completely relax the muscles. Repeat the movement with the other leg.
- Exercise number 2 - spread your arms to the side, touching the ground with your palms. Bend your knee joints at right angles, resting your feet on the ground. Begin to gently lower your legs to the left until they touch the ground. Returning to the starting position, repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Exercise number 3 - the starting position is similar to the previous movement, but the legs must be spread apart and rest against the ground with the outer edge of the foot. Slowly raise your pelvis as high as possible and linger at the end point of the trajectory. Then slowly return to the starting position. Make sure that the movement is carried out by the work of the muscles of the lumbar spine, and not by the cervical region.
- Exercise number 4 - bring your legs together and slowly bending your knee joints, pull them to your stomach, and then wrap your arms around. Begin to smoothly raise your head and touch it to the knee joints. Return to the starting position slowly.
- Exercise number 5 - a fairly simple movement that allows you to strengthen the muscles of the press and relieve the load on the lumbar spine. You only need to periodically tense the muscles of the abdomen until a slight fatigue appears.
On all fours
- Exercise number 1 - raise your legs one by one, while trying to keep them straight and stay in a static position for a couple of seconds.
- Exercise number 2 - arch your back and raise your head at the same time. Then do the opposite movements.
- Exercise number 3 - crawl under an imaginary obstacle, leaning on your knee joints and palms.
Sitting position
- Exercise number 1 - bend your knees and put your hands on your stomach. In this case, the head should be lowered, and the chin should touch the chest. Secure your feet under a stable object, such as a cabinet. Begin to slowly lower your torso back until it touches the ground. Then slowly return to the starting position.
- Exercise number 2 - Raise your hands up, pointing your palms forward. Bend forward, trying to touch your big toes. Make sure that when moving the body forward, the muscles of the lumbar spine are actively working, and during the reverse movement, the press.
Standing
- Exercise number 1 - put your hands on your belt and start turning the body, first in one direction, and then in the opposite direction until it stops. There must be a short pause at the extreme end points of the trajectory. The formula for the effectiveness of this movement is a combination of maximum amplitude and slow pace.
- Exercise number 2 - put your feet at the level of the shoulder joints. Begin to smoothly turn your head back over your shoulder, as if you want to see your heel. Of course, the essence of this movement is not to see the heel, but to stretch the muscles of the lumbar spine.
- Exercise number 3 - press your chin to your chest and begin to bend back, stretching your arms to your heels. You should feel how the muscles in the lumbar spine stretch, which will increase the blood supply to the tissues located in this area of the body.
How to avoid exacerbation of the disease when performing therapeutic exercises?
To prevent an exacerbation of the course of this disease, you should follow a few simple rules:
- do not overcool the body;
- do not lift heavy objects;
- avoid sudden movements;
- try not to be in a fixed position for a long time.
In addition, you will need some orthopedic practice. First of all, this concerns the use of a hard bed (put a shield under the mattress) and small pillows. In addition to this, it is necessary to regularly perform exercises for lumbar osteochondrosis at home, which we talked about above.
What exercises to perform with lumbar osteochondrosis at home, see the video below:
