Exercises for chest osteochondrosis

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine occurs much less frequently than the pathology of the spine of the cervical or lumbar spine. This is explained by the structural feature of the thoracic region - the vertebrae in this area are less mobile, they are reliably protected by a frame of strong ribs, shoulder blades and a strong muscular corset.

The cause of osteochondrosis in this area is usually trauma of a different nature or degenerative-dystrophic changes caused by impaired metabolic processes in the body or natural aging.

Physiotherapy is one of the therapeutic measures in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Special exercises restore the flexibility of the thoracic region, accelerate the blood supply in the vessels that feed the vertebral tissue, which stimulates the regeneration of the skeletal system.

The opinions of specialists dealing with the treatment of osteochondrosis differ. Some believe that with an exacerbation of the disease, exercise therapy only provokes a resumption of painful sensations, others - that accelerating blood supply improves the general condition.

To satisfy both those and others, special complexes of physiotherapy exercises have been developed, the exercises of which are so diverse that they are suitable for patients of all categories suffering from osteochondrosis of varying severity.

Exercises are performed at a slow pace, after gymnastics there should be no painful sensations. Rehabilitation after an exacerbation of osteochondrosis is extremely important - if you violate the technique of performing exercise therapy or exceed the load, you can provoke a second deterioration in the condition.

Exercise therapy for chest osteochondrosis - exacerbation

The main goal of treatment for osteochondrosis is to eliminate muscle spasms and pain. Regular exercise therapy allows you to restore blood supply, increase tone, eliminate muscle spasms and strengthen the muscle frame of the thoracic region. Physical activity not only improves the general condition: when you realize that it has become easier to move, your mood rises and you start looking at the world positively.

You cannot independently choose for yourself the exercises that you like - the exercise therapy complex corresponding to the patient's condition is prescribed by the doctor. Only a specialist can correctly take into account the degree of spinal lesion and the level of physical fitness of the patient, compare the efforts that need to be made during classes with a history of chronic diseases.

During an exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, the patient is advised to limit himself to breathing exercises.

Pose for breathing exercises - lying on your back. To prevent the spine from curving, you should lie on a flat surface - at home it is better to lie on the floor with a rug. It is not necessary to purchase a special gymnastic rug - an ordinary carpet is enough. The legs are slightly raised by placing a roll of a rolled blanket under the calves.

Breathe with a diaphragm - that is, with a full chest. Such gymnastics helps to eliminate spasms of the pectoral muscles. The exercise can be made more difficult by placing your palms first on your chest - and overcoming resistance when breathing, and then on your stomach - and helping yourself when you exhale. You should breathe slowly, the depth of inhalation is increased gradually.

In case of exacerbation - as soon as it is possible to get rid of severe pain, it is recommended to perform the following treatment complex.

1. After breathing exercises, you need to lie still a little, push the roller out from under your feet and roll over onto your stomach. Then the legs and arms are spread apart in different directions, raised at the same time - by 2-3 centimeters, tearing them off the floor, the pose is fixed for 3-5 seconds.
2. They again turn over onto their backs and again raise their legs - trying not to bend them. The height of the rise is chosen independently, focusing on their own feelings.
3. Roll over on their side. The supporting leg is slightly bent, they try to raise the second. The thigh should be abducted until the muscles are tense. The sides on which they lie alternate.
4. Pose "cat". You need to take a knee-elbow position, tilting your head down, completely relax, then raise your head and try to bend your back.
5. Then they remain on their knees, the body is straightened. Inhale - hands rise, the body stretches "to the sun", exhale - hands are lowered, sit on the heels.

All exercises, except for the last, final one, are performed 5 times; the last - 3 repetitions are enough. This complex is performed regularly until the osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine subsides so much that random vigorous movements in everyday life will not provoke severe pain.

Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the thoracic region - improvement

This is not the only exercise therapy complex for degenerative-dystrophic pathological changes in the thoracic spine. There are other exercises, each designed for a specific problem.

When choosing the exercises you like, you should definitely consult with your doctor.

1. A very simple exercise, which usually begins the morning exercises of children in preschool and the warm-up of experienced athletes. Legs together - hands down or on the waist. Inhale - arms up, spine deflection, exhale - starting position.
2. This type of exercise is performed with a slight modification using a chair. Choose a chair with strong legs and back. They lean with their backs on the back of a chair, lower their arms. Inhale - bend as far as possible, overcoming the resistance of the back, raise your arms up, exhale - return to the starting position.
3. Knee-elbow position, cat pose. The back deflection is fixed for 3-5 seconds.
4. Starting position - lie on your stomach, toes rest on the floor. Leaning on your hands, you need to bend your back as much as possible.
5. Starting position as in the previous exercise. Now you need to bend the spine without using your hands.
6. Next, you should lie on your back on something soft - you can on a sofa or bed. Children call the pose "puffs" - hands are extended behind the head. Inhale - stretch as much as possible, straining all the muscles, fix the pose for a few seconds, relax. Slight muscle soreness is allowed.
7. Lying on their back, they try to reach their nose with their knees. The legs are bent together and alternately.
8. Next, you should roll over onto your stomach. The toes of the legs rest on the floor, the bent arms are located under the chest. The body is raised, as for push-ups, the pose is fixed for 5-15 seconds. The spine should be straightened as much as possible. It should feel like it is stretching.

Gymnastics for the thoracic spine should include inclinations of different types:

• feet shoulder-width apart, arms bent at the elbows in front of the chest and pressed to the shoulders; tilts to the side - the palm of one hand covers the wrist of the one to which it is tilted;
• bends to the side - hands are pressed to the body;
• side bends - arms up;
• side bends - hands on the belt.

It is not necessary to use all types of inclinations in one complex - it is enough to combine exercises of 2 types at a time.

1. Squats. Hands can stick to the back of the chair, the spine is not bent.
2. The starting position is standing. Hands with tightly clenched fists are put behind the back and the spine is massaged up and down with them. When working on the vertebrae, you need to breathe evenly.
3. Gymnastics for the shoulders - they are freely raised and lowered, together and alternately. These movements effectively work out the cervical and thoracic regions.
4. Circular movements of the hands - forward and backward.
5. The treatment complex is completed by the same breathing exercise, with which exercise therapy began.

The frequency of each exercise is 8-10 repetitions, with the exception of squats. They need to be repeated up to 20 times.

The ideal option for degenerative and traumatic lesions of the spine is classes in the pool. You should choose a pool with a comfortable temperature of water and air - if you get cold, your condition can worsen significantly.

Treatment of osteochondrosis is not limited to taking medications and regular exercise therapy. Additional therapeutic measures include - physiotherapy, spa treatment, rehabilitation is accelerated by home remedies prepared according to traditional medicine recipes.