Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine sooner or later appears in everyone who is forced to be in a sitting position for a long period of time. It can be manifested by pain in the chest, between the shoulder blades, in the hands, as well as when inhaling and exhaling. The treatment consists in the use of physiotherapeutic methods, massage and special exercise therapy exercises.
Principles of exercise therapy for osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Physical exercise exercises should be done correctly and in moderation. Their main goal is to develop the spine in the thoracic region and eliminate pain. To do this, observe the following principles:
- Before proceeding with a set of exercises, you need to consult a specialist and make sure the diagnosis is correct. Many diseases in which physical activity is contraindicated have similar symptoms. For example, gallstones, heart disease, intervertebral hernia.
- Physiotherapy exercises should bring relief, not fatigue. Therefore, the load should be increased gradually.
- Any deterioration in the performance of the exercises is the basis for the termination of classes. It can be dizziness, pain, nausea.
- Smooth movements and a quiet pace are the main conditions for exercise therapy.
- Need to do every day. If the lesson is skipped, the course starts again.
- Exercise therapy is usually carried out within 10-20 days, depending on the doctor’s prescription.
- Do not engage in bedtime.
- Eat at least an hour before class.
- You need to practice in a ventilated room or with open windows.
Exercises for stretching back muscles and relieving pain
Pain can be associated with muscle spasm. To get rid of them, the muscles need to be relaxed and stretched. For this, the following set of exercises is suitable:
- Get up straight, straighten your back and put your hands on your waist. Slowly rotate your shoulders back and forth. First do 10 rotations with both shoulders, and then do 10 rotations with each shoulder separately.
- Standing straight, put your fists on your back just above the lower back. When applying pressure to this area, you need to gently bend your back. When maximum muscle tension is felt, you should stop and fix the pose for 15 seconds. After that, slowly round your back and grab yourself in front, as if hugging. Hold in this position for another 15 seconds. Relax and do 10 more repetitions of the exercise.
- Take a chair with a flat back. Sit on its edge and lower your hands at the seams. Take a deep breath, cross your arms at the back of your head and tilt back slowly, holding your shoulder blades firmly against the back of the chair. Then – exhale and take up the starting position. Make up to 5 slopes.
- Place your fingers on the shoulders of the same name. Lower the right shoulder forward while tilting the head. Then take the starting position and repeat the exercise with the left shoulder. Perform up to 10 repetitions with each shoulder.
A set of exercises in pair
This set of exercises can be performed in the classroom, helping each other, or ask to help one of the relatives:
- Lie on your stomach on the floor, place your hands at the seams and connect the shoulder blades as much as possible. The partner puts his palms on the shoulder blades and spreads them apart for several seconds. Thus, patients should be resisted by the hands of a partner. Then you need to relax and perform another 8 repetitions.
- The starting position is the same, the body is completely relaxed. The partner sits on top, with his legs on the sides of the waist lying. If the patient is hard, then it is not necessary for the partner to sit completely – he can get up. Take a deep breath. At the same time, the partner presses on the chest. Then exhale and relax. Repeat up to 8 times.
- The initial position of the patient and the position of the partner are the same as in the previous exercise. After a deep breath, you need to completely relax the muscles, and the partner should press the side parts of the hands on both sides along the spine. Then you need to exhale, relax and perform another 8 repetitions.
Easy breathing exercises
When osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is in an advanced stage, breathing problems may occur. It becomes harder to breathe, with pain in the chest area. To get rid of these painful symptoms, you need to perform the following exercises.
- Take a sheet or a long and wide piece of fabric. Stretch it behind your back, and cross the ends in front of you, taking them in opposite hands. Sit on a chair and relax. Taking a deep breath, pull the ends of the tissue as far as possible, squeezing the chest. Hold for a couple of seconds, exhale, loosen the tissue and relax. Perform up to 5 repetitions of the exercise.
- Get up, legs apart. Extend your arms to the ceiling and grab the left with your right hand. Lean to the right as much as possible, pulling the left hand well. At the top point of tension, hold for a couple of seconds. Then take a starting position, relax and do the same with the other hand. Perform 8 repetitions with each hand.
- Stretch soft material onto the rolling pin so that its diameter is 10-15 cm. Lie on the floor with your back, placing the rolling pin under the shoulder blades. Hands folded at the back of the head. Take a deep breath and bend your back, resting your shoulder blades on the rolling pin. Then, with an exhale, you need to extend your arms in front of you, slightly tearing off your shoulders and shoulder blades from the floor surface. Perform exercise 5 times.
- Get on all fours, resting on the floor with the palms of straightened hands and knees. Take a deep breath and take your head with shoulders back as much as possible, bending in the lumbar region. Then you need to exhale and round your back, tilting your head forward. Perform up to 10 repetitions.
- Sit on a chair, straighten your back, arms apart at 45 degrees. Take a deep breath, minimizing the shoulder blades. At the same time, the palms turn clockwise. On exhalation, completely relax, leaving the shoulder blades in a reduced state. Take the starting position and perform another 5 repetitions.
These sets of exercises can be performed in one lesson, combine elements from them into your individual complex, or set aside a separate time for each of them. The main thing is not to forget about the systematic implementation of exercises and not to overload your body.