What to do with painful pinching in the neck? Cervical osteochondrosis (osteochondrosis of the cervical region) - how to treat your own neck Turns and tilts.

23.06.2020 -

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a task that requires an integrated approach and active participation of the patient in this process. Therefore, wellness procedures and activities carried out at home often become a necessary step in therapy, allowing you to consolidate the already achieved success of medical and other methods of treatment, as well as speed up recovery.

Although experts point to the harm and potential risks of self-treatment, some independent actions of the patient are medically justified and even recommended by doctors.

Identification of the causes of osteochondrosis

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, both “official”, prescribed by a doctor, and carried out at home, first of all, requires the identification of the causes of the pathology. This is due to a number of contraindications, for example, to certain types of physical activity, if dystrophic changes began to occur under the influence of the consequences of a neck injury.

Therefore, a complete examination, including instrumental and laboratory studies (radiography, CT, blood tests, etc.) is a condition that will allow you to determine the source of the problem, act on it, and not only eliminate the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, but stop the process of further destruction discs and the development of complications.

Lifestyle Correction

Given the large number of "everyday" factors that provoke the onset of cervical osteochondrosis and accelerate the progression of the disease, the requirement for a healthy lifestyle becomes clear.

Diet

Such a concept, seemingly unrelated to osteochondrosis, as nutrition, can change the course of events both in the direction of deterioration and recovery. The bottom line is that the lack of nutrients and oxygen, under the influence of which the intervertebral discs begin to collapse, can be caused by a narrowing of the lumen of the vessels. This, in turn, is often due to atherosclerotic changes and high cholesterol levels.

With osteochondrosis, it is recommended to abandon fatty and fried foods, smoked meats and give preference to lean meats and fish, whole grain cereals, and vegetable dishes. Such a diet, in combination with medical methods of treatment, helps to restore the blood supply to the tissues of the spine by improving the quality characteristics of the blood.

Of great importance is the consumption of a sufficient amount of fluid: latent dehydration is a condition that does not manifest itself outwardly, but causes serious damage to body tissues, including tissues of intervertebral discs.

Important: strong tea or coffee, although they are drinks, does not contribute to the replenishment of fluid reserves in the body. Moreover, the substances contained in coffee and tea have a strong diuretic effect, which can cause water deficiency in tissues.

Rejection of bad habits

Vasoconstriction is the most common cause of intervertebral disc malnutrition in smokers.

The components of tobacco smoke disrupt the tone of blood vessels, which leads to a decrease in their lumen and insufficient blood flow to the tissues of the body, including the structures of the spine.

Alcoholic beverages have a slightly different, but no less harmful effect: alcohol metabolites are toxic compounds that disrupt the activity of the central and peripheral nervous system. This leads to a deterioration in the innervation of all organs in general and the cardiovascular system in particular, which is responsible for the full blood supply to tissues.

Giving up bad habits should be the first step in the treatment of osteochondrosis - without this, even the most effective therapy can only provide temporary relief of symptoms, but not a complete recovery.

Organization of work and bed

Sedentary work or work "on the legs" (sellers, teachers, etc.) is one of the factors that dramatically increases the risk of developing osteochondrosis and leads to the rapid progression of an already developed disease.

In the process of treating this disease, if it is not possible to change jobs, it is necessary to responsibly approach the correct choice of an office chair or chair (adjustable height of the seat and armrests, high backrest - not lower than the back of the head, etc.).

Bedding - mattress and pillow - must comply with orthopedic standards, not be too hard or soft, and provide proper support for the body and head during sleep.

Physiotherapy

After stopping the inflammatory process and pain syndrome, it is imperative to perform the exercises prescribed by the doctor from the complex of therapeutic exercises. Regularity and systematicity are the main requirements for exercise therapy: a daily 10-minute exercise will be much more useful than hourly classes once a week.

Since all parts of the spine have a common blood supply system and are not isolated from each other, with osteochondrosis of the cervical region, the thoracic and lumbar regions are often involved in the pathological process. That is, malnutrition of the discs in the cervical region suggests a more or less developed problem of tissue nutrition in other parts of the spinal column.

Therefore, for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, exercise therapy complexes are recommended that affect the entire spine as a whole.

Basic set of exercises

Exercises for the cervical spine:

Exercises for the thoracic spine:

Sitting or standing, back straight. Pull your shoulders back as far as possible, trying to connect the shoulder blades. Repeat the same movement in the opposite direction - pushing your shoulders forward as much as possible. Do 4-5 repetitions.

Exercises for the thoracic and lumbar spine:

Massage

A full massage at home is hardly possible. But rubbing and stroking will be a great way to improve blood circulation in the pathological areas of the spine, as well as maintain the effect achieved after a course of professional wellness massage.

To do this, take a towel or a piece of cloth, at least 120-150 cm long, depending on your height: when you start this impromptu “massage” behind your back, it should be convenient for you to hold it in your outstretched, half-bent arms.

If the towel is too soft, soak it in a strong saline solution (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water) and dry it before use - this will give the surface of the fabric the desired rigidity.

Several times a day, at any opportunity - even sitting in front of the TV, you can perform self-massage: put a towel behind your neck and rub the skin from side to side with “sawing” movements. Try not to put pressure on the cervical vertebrae - your goal should be to achieve a feeling of warmth on the surface of the skin.

After rubbing with the same towel, make a series of pats on the neck.

Special applicators (Kuznetsova, Lyapko) will help to improve blood circulation in the region of the cervical vertebrae, as well as have a reflexogenic effect - devices designed to treat osteochondrosis and a number of other pathologies of the spine at home.

Thermal treatments

Considering the close “neighborhood” of the neck and brain, thermal procedures should be treated with extreme caution and should only be started after consultation with the attending physician.

There are a lot of methods for warming up the surface of the skin and stimulating blood circulation so that each person can choose the most convenient and safe for himself:

Additional Information

Start a “Health Diary”, in which, on a 10-point scale, evaluate your condition daily, including the intensity of neck pain, hand numbness, tinnitus, and other symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.

In parallel with this, write down in the diary all the procedures that you carry out on your own, as well as the medications used - both for oral and local (gels, ointments).

At a scheduled visit to the doctor, this diary will allow the specialist to make adjustments to your lifestyle based on the information provided, and to supplement or exclude certain activities from home treatment.

Important: a number of conditions that often accompany cervical osteochondrosis (vertebral artery syndrome, cerebrovascular accident, vestibular disorders, etc.) require an extremely responsible attitude to home treatment methods.

Therefore, do not take any action before consulting with your doctor, as self-medication can lead to serious complications and deterioration in health.

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The clavicle is a tubular bone, one end of which is connected to the sternum, and the other to the process of the scapula. In general, problems with this bone are extremely rare, much more often the clavicle joints are the source of problems. Therefore, figuring out why the clavicle hurts, first of all, you should pay attention to the joints, and only then to the bone itself.

However, fractures are also not a rare event. Unfortunately, the clavicle bone is quite fragile, and under "abnormal" excessive stress, it breaks quite easily. Therefore, when the left or right collarbone hurts, you should not leave it unattended, but you should immediately consult a doctor. In the same article, we will figure out what are the main causes of such pain.

Pain caused by fractures

Fractures of the clavicle appear quite often. In particular, approximately 15% of all bone fractures are clavicle fractures. At the same time, such fractures most often occur in adolescents and children, which somewhat complicates the situation, since children are sometimes afraid to admit that their collarbone is swollen and hurts after an unsuccessful fall during the game, for example.

The mechanism of fracture of the clavicle bone is quite simple - usually it is just a direct impact of some traumatic force, for example, a blow to the collarbone. Such damage can occur as a result of a fall on the elbow, shoulder or straight arm. As a result, under the influence of muscle traction, the central fragment of the clavicle is displaced back and up, and the peripheral fragment is displaced inward and downward. As a result, a person feels that it hurts in the area of the collarbone. The pain itself occurs with every movement of the arm, and in the shoulder joint, the mobility of the arm is limited. There is usually hemorrhage and swelling at the site of the fracture.

In this case, the doctor during the examination usually notes the shortening of the shoulder girdle on the damaged side. Often, the displacement of the fragments of the clavicle can be seen even with the naked eye. It is also interesting that in children sometimes the periosteum is not torn when the clavicle is fractured, which leads to difficulty in recognizing the fracture itself. But pain in the left or right collarbone, dysfunction of the limb and bruising make it possible to diagnose a fracture. In this case, fragments of the collarbone can damage the blood vessels and pleura, even break the skin, but this happens quite rarely.

Compression of the neck roots

Pain in the clavicle area does not always indicate damage to it. In some cases, this pain is "reflected". Most often, the cause of such pain is spinal problems, in which compression of the nerve roots of the spinal cord occurs.

So, for example, pain in the collarbone area can be caused by compression of the third root. In this case, the pain is accompanied by a feeling of enlargement of the tongue and numbness behind the ear. If the problem is in the fourth root, then pain in the collarbone is most often accompanied by pain in the heart, a lump in the throat, hiccups, and difficulty in swallowing.

When the joints of the clavicle are displaced ...

Dislocation of the sternal end of the clavicle is quite rare. It is usually caused by falls on the shoulder, blows to the sternum, etc. In this case, pain appears under the left or right collarbone, swelling occurs on the chest (anterior surface), edema develops, the shape of the articulation area may change.

Dislocation of the acromial end of the clavicle is much more common. Such an injury occurs in approximately 5% of cases of various traumatic dislocations. In this case, the patient may say that he has pain under the left or right collarbone. But at the same time, the pain may be weak or not be noted at all, but appear only when probing or trying to move the hand.

It is this injury that most often causes the question of why the clavicle hurts after the bars. In this case, it is the load that causes the appearance of pain, the rest of the time the dislocation does not particularly manifest itself. Often in such a situation, the shoulder and collarbone also hurt.

Shoulder Pain: Shoulder Exercises

To learn more…

In the treatment of diseases of the shoulder joint, the doctor prescribes medication, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises.

This article offers basic exercises for shoulder pain, which help to get rid of discomfort and improve the patient's condition.

Exercises for pain of any intensity are beneficial and effective only during remission of the disease.

With an exacerbation of arthrosis, when the patient feels severe pain in the shoulder joint, gymnastics is completely contraindicated.

In what cases is it allowed to do therapeutic exercises

Before you start exercising, you need to consult a doctor who will correct the set of therapeutic exercises so as not to harm the body.

Therapeutic exercises should not be performed at high temperature, decompensated diseases of the cardiovascular system and lungs, as well as other diseases that prohibit any physical activity on the body.

Exercise should not cause pain to the patient. If during classes there are unpleasant sensations, you need to refuse to perform them and consult with your doctor about this problem.

To achieve the desired effect, therapeutic exercises should be carried out daily. After class, a light massage of the shoulder joint and nearby muscles is recommended. As an aid to relieve pain, you can use a healing cream, gel or balm.

Pulling the arm to the shoulder blade for pain

You need to stand shoulder-width apart, raise your right hand and bend it at the elbow so that the fingers of your right hand can reach the right shoulder blade. The elbow of the right hand should look up.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight.

During the exercise, you need to raise your left hand up, bend it and grab the elbow on the right with your fingers. Next, the left hand with gentle movements slightly pulls the right hand down so that the right palm is lowered as low as possible below the shoulder blades.
When the count is finished, the patient returns to the starting position and changes hands. Further, the exercise is performed similarly with the other hand. The movements are repeated at least four times.

Shoulder hug

The starting position is standing shoulder-width apart, arms down.

The left hand is placed on the right shoulder, and the right hand on the left. Thus, the patient should hug himself in the shoulder area. The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight.
The main task during the exercise is to keep the elbows in the highest possible position. At the same time, the fingers seem to try to reach the region of the spine.
When the count is finished, the patient returns to the starting position. Movements are performed at least eight times.

Assisted Tilt

You will need a low chair for this exercise. The patient stands at the back of the chair at a distance of 40 cm. The starting position is standing shoulder width apart.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight. You need to tilt the body forward and put your arms raised up and straightened on the back of the chair.

It is necessary to pull the body to the floor with spring movements, pulling down at the shoulder joint.

When the count is over, the patient gently, without sudden movements, returns to the starting position. Movements are performed at least eight times.

Helping the hand with the hand

The starting position is standing shoulder-width apart, arms extended forward.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight. The left hand is slightly bent in the area of the elbow joint and directed to the area of the right shoulder, gently pulling up.
Next, the fingers of the right hand clasp the left elbow and with smooth movements pull it into the area of the right shoulder. The action is performed similarly to the exercise “Pulling the arm to the shoulder blade”.
When the count is finished, the patient gently and smoothly returns to the starting position. The exercise is repeated with the other hand. Movements are performed at least four times.

I put my hands behind my back

The starting position is standing shoulder-width apart, hands are placed behind the back, crossed and bent at the elbows.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight. The fingers of the left hand should be clasped behind the right elbow.
When the count is finished, the patient gently and smoothly returns to the starting position. Further, the exercise is done in the same way with the other hand. Movements are performed at least eight times.

The starting position is standing shoulder-width apart, hands are behind, hands are intertwined with each other.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to eight. From the beginning of the count, the shoulders turn back so that the elbows of both hands can be pulled towards each other as much as possible.
When the count is finished, the patient gently and smoothly returns to the starting position.
As an addition to the exercise, you can raise the hands intertwined at the back as far as possible in an upward direction. Movements are performed at least eight times.

Towel exercise for pain

To perform the movements, you need to take a light towel or a long piece of cloth. The starting position is standing shoulder width apart.

The exercise is performed on the account from one to five. The hands wrap around the ends of the towel on both sides.
Next, the patient gently, without sudden movements and jerks, raises his hands upwards and transfers them behind his back, while not bending his elbows.
When the count is finished, the patient gently and smoothly returns to the starting position, raising his hands behind his back and moving them forward over his head. Movements are performed at least six times.

Each time the distance between the hands should be gradually reduced.

How to get rid of shoulder pain

Pain in the shoulder can occur not only due to damage to the joints, but also during overexertion during training or heavy physical exertion. Simple exercises for the shoulder joint that anyone can do will help get rid of pain.

You need to stand up and put your hands down. Walking is performed with light steps, then they alternately switch to socks, heels, outer and inner arches of the feet, side steps. It is important at this time to keep calm in breathing.

The patient lies on the floor on his back, hands lie on the floor along the torso, palms down. Further, the arms are smoothly spread to the side. In this case, you need to endure the pain that occurs in the shoulder. Hands gently return to their original position.

You need to lie on the floor with your back down, arms spread apart. Then both hands rise up, linger at the top for ten seconds, after which they smoothly return to their original place.

Starting position shoulder width apart standing on the floor. Hands should be pulled up to the shoulders. The shoulders rise and make circular movements in the forward direction, while the elbows also participate in the movements. After the movement is repeated similarly back.
The patient stands shoulder-width apart on the floor, arms down. Hands gently rise forward, up and spread apart. After that, you need to return to the starting position.
Shoulder-width position, hands down. Hands perform swings alternately in the forward direction. Back and to the side.
Feet shoulder-width apart, hands pulled to the shoulders. When inhaling, the arms rise upwards, while exhaling, they sharply relax down, while the hands are shaken.
Standing on the floor, you need to lower your hands freely down. Light, calm walking is performed throughout the premises for two minutes.

When doing exercises for pain in the shoulders, it is important to maintain even breathing and not go astray.

Relieves pain and swelling in the joints with arthritis and arthrosis
Restores joints and tissues, effective for osteochondrosis

To learn more…

(osteochondrosis of the cervical region) - how to treat your own neck

What do a programmer, an accountant and a painter have in common? This disease significantly impairs the quality of life and human performance. Prolonged static or uncomfortable position of the head leads to changes in the bone tissue of the cervical vertebrae.

As a result, the surrounding soft tissues are injured: nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, muscles, of which a great many pass through the neck.

Often a person has been drinking valerian “from the heart” or aspirin “from the head” for many years, and does not even realize that the neck needs to be treated.

Many patients with cervical osteochondrosis spine, complain, first of all, of pain, dizziness and limited movement in the neck. But no less often there are pains or numbness in the chest, arms, various parts of the head, tinnitus, nausea and the so-called. These symptoms can appear both in the morning (due to the wrong position during sleep) and in the evening (due to an uncomfortable working posture).

The initial symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis can be felt even at the age of 20. And the sooner you start prevention, the longer you can do without medication.

With a feeling of fatigue and discomfort in the neck, a relaxing massage of the cervical-collar zone will help well.

Soft circular movements that knead the neck and shoulders can be easily done even by yourself. No need to try to "set" something - our task is simply to relax the muscles and improve blood circulation.

The simplest gymnastic exercises will help people with cervical osteochondrosis well. You can recall the turns and head rotations familiar to everyone from school. It's more interesting to try to draw or write something with an imaginary pen between your teeth.

Try to carry out such warm-ups 3-4 times during the working day. Watch your posture - the neck and back are straight, the shoulders are straightened. Use elastic orthopedic pillows for more comfortable sleep.

If a cervical osteochondrosis has been manifesting itself for several years, significantly worsening the quality of life, it is necessary to turn to.

Currently, there are many approaches of traditional and alternative medicine that can help almost any patient with osteochondrosis. Although it is almost impossible to completely cure an already developed disease, it is possible to effectively relieve symptoms and slow down the development of the disease. So don't forget about your neck, because it carries the most important thing you have - your head.

Self-massage of the neck or original treatment of the disease "Cervical osteochondrosis of the spine"

Start by massaging the back of the neck.

Neck massage should be done with one or two hands.

Starting position:

Sitting on a chair - the back should be straight, legs bent at the knees, preferably at a right angle, set your feet shoulder-width apart. You can sit at the table. At the same time, it will be convenient for you to rest your elbows on the table so as not to keep your hands on weight;

standing. Set your feet shoulder-width apart. Distribute the weight of the whole body evenly on the right and left legs. Start by massaging the back of the neck.

First, let's talk about self-massage for the back of the neck. Start with stroking. It is performed with both hands, while making movements from top to bottom, at first barely touching the skin, then increasing pressure. If it is inconvenient with both hands, then you can stroke with one hand, and with the other hold the first by the elbow, periodically changing the position of the hands.

1. Stroking- spend one (the other supports her by the elbow
(photo 1 ↓)) or with both hands, making movements with tightly pressed palms in the direction from top to bottom, starting from the hairline to the shoulder joints (photo 2 ↓).

2. Squeezing- perform along the same massage lines as stroking: with the edge of the palm on the side of the neck, the massaging hand of the same name (photo 3 ↓), and with the knuckle of the thumb - on the opposite side (photo 4 ↓).

3. Trituration- with the fingertips of both hands, rubbing along the back of the head (in the places where the neck muscles are attached to the occipital bone) from ear to ear with straight circular movements, directing the hands towards each other (photo 5 ↓). Next, rubbing is carried out along the cervical vertebrae from the border of hair growth to the back.

4. kneading- apply forceps-like kneading: grabbing the neck muscle with the pads of the thumb and four others, as if crushing it, while shifting towards the four fingers. Kneading is done with the right hand on the left side of the neck, and with the left hand on the right side (photo 8 ↓).

You can massage the side of the same name with each hand, kneading with the phalanges of the fingers of the same hand (photo 9 ↓).

5. At the end of the self-massage of the neck, stroke with both hands at once, starting from the back of the head and smoothly moving to the upper corners of the shoulder blade. When stroking with one hand, massage movements go to the shoulder towards the deltoid muscle (photo 10 ↓).

Next, they move on to self-massage of the front of the neck.

Neck massage from the front is performed with the palmar surface of the hand, starting from the chin to the collarbone. Do not massage the carotid arteries and veins (photo 11 ↓).

Massage techniques. On the cervical muscles, stroking, rubbing and kneading with one or two hands is used.

1. Stroking- perform from the lower jaw to the chest. Hand action should be gentle. It is desirable that the skin under your hands does not move (photo 12 ↓).

2. Trituration- do around the sternocleidomastoid muscle behind the ear. Perform tricks in a circle alternately with one, two, etc. fingers. Then they rub the muscle itself in a circular motion: from the earlobe, from the very beginning of the muscle, down the anterolateral surface of the neck to the sternum. Only the sides of the neck can be rubbed, as the thyroid gland is located in the middle (photo 13 ↓).

3. Kneading- gently knead the lateral surfaces of the neck from the earlobe to the jugular fossa. Kneading the sternocleidomastoid muscles is performed separately. First knead on one side, and then on the other. To relax the muscles, the head should be slightly tilted in the opposite direction, the chin raised and turned towards the massaged muscle. Forcep-shaped circular longitudinal kneading is applied with one hand: with the thumb and other fingers they grab and carefully “crush” the muscle (photo 14 ↓).

4. Stroking- perform planar stroking from top to bottom along the sternocleidomastoid muscles. Then - patting with the palmar and back surfaces of the fingers on the back and sides of the neck. End the neck massage with embracing strokes. It is advisable to supplement self-massage of the neck with tilts, turns of the head and rotations in both directions. Perform all movements at a slow pace, increasing the range of motion gradually (Pic 15 ↓).

Quite often, close people turn to each other with a request to stretch their necks. It is important to perform impromptu massage sessions correctly so as not to harm.

Why Stretching Your Neck Is Good For You

The collar zone includes the back surface of the neck and the space between the shoulder blades. Many important vessels and nerves pass through here. In people who work with their hands (for example, hairdressers, computer scientists, engineers), this zone suffers especially. This is because the main muscles that support the arms are located here. Muscles spasm, get tired, because of this, the blood supply to the spine worsens (this provokes osteochondrosis), organs and arteries that pass through this zone suffer.

The group of organs dependent on the upper thoracic and cervical part of the spine includes the heart and brain. Therefore, in people who suffer from swelling of the neck, memory decreases, attention worsens, and the heart and head often hurt. When kneading the collar zone, the muscles manage to relax, blood supply is restored, blood vessels expand, and well-being improves.

How to massage

Before you perform a massage, you need to measure your patient's pressure: the procedure will reduce it, and if the pressure is low (below ninety to sixty mm Hg), the session cannot be performed.

If the massage is performed at home, the person lies on his stomach, if in other conditions he sits down, his head should be placed on his hands or on the surface. The patient takes a position that is comfortable for himself, which is what the massage therapist needs.

Rub the massage cream in the palms of your hands, warm it up to body temperature, spread it over the collar area. Apply the cream to the skin with smoothing movements, try to feel if there are clamps in some areas (you can feel denser muscle areas than in other areas). Keep in mind that these areas have a paler skin tone than the others. The places of the clamps need to be massaged more carefully than the other zones.

Knead the deep muscles that are located along the upper thoracic spine. Place your hands on the skin, with folded hands, drive the wave over the skin ten times with your thumbs.

Massage your neck muscles. Grab them like a claw and knead them very gently by bending your fingers. Push lightly. If you overdo it, you can extremely reduce pressure, displace the vertebrae.

Move to the back muscle group in the shoulder girdle (between the upper edge of the shoulder blades and the spine). Muscles will warm up better if you use various techniques. Massage the muscles with your fingertips, nails. Take the skin with the underlying muscles in a fold.

Massage the area between the shoulder blades, left and right in turn. Put your hand behind your back and try to go under the bone. If possible, massage the rest of the back, as well as the scalp, feet. Finish the massage of the collar area with smoothing movements.

If you sit at a computer for a long time, pushing your head forward, or lower it, looking at a smartphone, the neck muscles have a hard time. Constant tension causes stiffness and pain.

Lifehacker collected exercises Yoga for chronic neck pain: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. , Yoga for Chronic Neck Pain: A 12-Month Follow-Up for stretching and strengthening the neck, shoulders and chest, which will relieve pain and help to avoid them in the future.

When Exercise Doesn't Help

This complex is not designed to treat specific disorders. If you have been diagnosed with osteochondrosis, herniated discs or other diseases, a doctor should prescribe gymnastics.

If the pain does not stop for several days, increases or is accompanied by headaches, nausea, fever and seek medical help as soon as possible.

What exercises to do

The complex consists of two parts: simple stretching and muscle strengthening exercises and safe yoga asanas.

Exercise at least three times a week, and even better every day.

If pain occurs, stop immediately. After the exercise, the stretched area should feel relaxed and soft.

How to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the neck and shoulders

You will need a chair. Sit on the edge, straighten your back, lower and straighten your shoulders. Do each exercise for 10-15 seconds.

1. Turns and tilts

13. Transfer of hands behind the head

Grab the ends of the towel, pull it tight and move your straight arms up. Move the upper part of the body forward and take the straight arms with the towel further behind the head.

How to do yoga exercises

Follow the rules carefully and do not hold your breath. Hold each pose for 30 seconds.

1. Half tilt forward with emphasis on the wall (simplified uttanasana)

Stand up straight at a distance of two steps from the wall facing it. Place your feet hip-width apart for comfort. From this position, bend at the hip joint and lean forward with a straight back to a 90° angle between the body and legs. Put your hands on the wall.

Try to straighten and stretch as much as possible. Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds.

2. Warrior Pose II (Virabhadrasana)

Stand straight, spread your legs wide, point your toes forward, raise your arms to the sides, connect and straighten your fingers.

Rotate your right foot 90° to the right. Bend the right leg at the knee to a right angle or close to it, move the left leg back. Distribute the weight between both legs.

Twist your pelvis, stretch your back, lower your shoulders. Try to open your pelvis and chest. Repeat the pose on both sides.

3. Twisting (bharavajasana)

Sit on the floor, bend your right leg at the knee, bring your lower leg out and place your heel next to your pelvis. Bend the left knee, place the left foot on the right thigh.

Distribute the weight between the two sitting bones, stretch the spine up. Place your right hand on your left knee and turn your body and head to the left, grasp your left toe with your left hand. Repeat on the other side.

4. Child's pose

Get on all fours, connect your feet, and then lower your pelvis to your heels. Lean forward, straighten your back and stretch your straight arms in front of you, touch your forehead to the floor and completely relax in this position.

Our neck is a very vulnerable and important part of our body. It connects the brain and body, all vital vessels and nerves pass through it. Therefore, it is important to maintain the health of the cervical spine. And gymnastics for the neck, which includes a whole range of exercises, will help us with this.

Let's prioritize

It is unlikely that many people do such gymnastics on purpose. People shake their heads and stretch. Often they unconsciously tilt their heads to the sides when they sit in one place for a long time. These are reflex actions aimed at warming up the neck.

If we know what exercises will best help stretch and strengthen the cervical region, it will be easier for us to understand at such moments what exactly to do. And we will not unconsciously turn our heads.

As we have said more than once, it is important to know why we do things. The complex of cervical gymnastics is very important, which is obvious:

When the weakness of the neck muscles is pronounced, the spine experiences an extra load under the weight of the head. This leads to cervical osteochondrosis, pinched nerves, that is, pain and stiffness in movements. If the muscles are weak, they must be strengthened without fail from an early age. This is pain prevention.
When you work for a long time (today most do, the 21st century is the century of sitting or lying down), the muscles become numb and make it difficult for blood to flow to the head and back to the body. Fresh blood, saturated with oxygen, enters the brain in insufficient quantities - you get a headache, dizziness, blackouts, a powerful feeling of fatigue and a great desire to gape. It is at such moments that you need to get up and stretch. And if it is not possible, at least perform a series of exercises for the neck. This is stroke prevention.
Over the years, the mobility of the joints of the body becomes less. This can be avoided by regularly doing a treatment complex so that the joints do not forget about their mobility. Here is another important reason for you to knead your neck.
If you have pinching, or osteochondrosis, neck exercises will save you from pain and help you forget about dizziness and tinnitus. It's already a cure.

And now let's look at what exercises gymnastics for the neck consists of. The main load that the cervical region will experience is static. The main exercises for the cervical spine consist of 10 elements. The video shows the complex itself, and then you will find a detailed text description of all the exercises.

A set of exercises for the neck

Pendulum.
Spring.
Goose.
A look into the sky.
Frame.
Fakir.
Airplane.
Heron.
Wood.
Stretch complex.

We have been looking for the most effective set of exercises for strengthening the neck for a long time, and decided to stop at the option proposed by osteopaths and neurologists. The names of the exercises reflect their essence.

If during the performance of any of the exercises you experience pain, reduce the range of motion. If this does not help, then you should not do this exercise yet.

For a weak and sore neck, only a static load should be used. It's too early to talk about dynamics. And in general, it is harmful in this case (except for stretch marks).

All exercises are performed while sitting, the back is straight. Everything is done slowly and smoothly. This is a treatment complex for strengthening the cervical spine. Their other role is neck exercises.

Pendulum

From the “head straight” position, we bend to the sides. In each extreme position, hold your head for 7-10 seconds. In this position, you need to stretch a little so that holding your head is not so easy.

Let's tilt to the right. We return to the original, and without stopping we go to the left. We do this 3-5 times for each side.

Spring

From a straight position, we are trying to turn the chin inside to the Adam's apple. At the same time, the head does not fall, but, as it were, turns in one place. Hold on like this for 10 seconds. Then we return to the starting position, stop there for 1 second and pull the chin up. The head is back in place.

Thus, the head simply scrolls up and down around its center. We do 3-5 times for each direction.

Goose

Pull the chin forward. The head follows him. Then from this position we pull the chin first to the left side of the chest, hold on for 10 seconds. We return to the starting point, there we freeze for 1 second, then we do the same towards the right side of the chest. So 3-5 times to each shoulder. All these turns are made from a position where the head is stretched forward. And each time we return to the starting position, straightening the head to its normal position.

A look into the sky

From the “head straight” position, we turn our heads to the side, as if we are looking around. We lift our heads a little, as if we saw a plane flying in the sky from behind. Let's look at him. We fix the head in this position for up to 10 seconds. We return to the starting point, where we freeze for 1 second. We turn our heads to the other side. We do 3 turns in each direction.

Frame

Sit straight, look ahead. We put the right hand on the left shoulder, the elbow is on the same level with the shoulder. We turn our head towards the right shoulder and put our chin on it. We sit like this for 10 seconds, then return to the starting position, lower our hand. Raise the other hand to the other shoulder. I put my chin on the other side. Thus, this is an exercise when the head rests on the shoulders.

In the starting position, freeze for 1 second. We do 3 repetitions in each direction.

Fakir

We raise our hands and bring them together with palms to each other exactly above the head. About 10-15 cm remain from the head to the base of the palm. In this position, turn the head to the left, with the nose resting on the biceps of the arm. We sit like this for 10 seconds. On the way to the other side, we linger in the “head straight” position for 1 second. Do 3 repetitions on each side for 10 seconds.

Airplane

We spread our arms to the sides like wings. We hold 10 seconds. We lower, wait a couple of seconds and straighten our arms again. We do this 3 times.

Then, "lay down on the wing", first on the right - do 2 times for 10 seconds. Then to the left. Also 2 times. That is, first you tilt your hands so that the right hand is higher than the left (in this position the plane makes turns), then vice versa.

Heron

We spread our arms slightly back, palms turned to the hips, as if you are going to lean on them while sitting.

We lift our head up, with our chin we stretch there. We sit like this for 10 seconds. We return to the position when the hands are on the knees, and the head is straight - we rest for 3 seconds and again depict the heron. In this exercise, your task is to be like a heron 5 times.

Wood

Raise your hands above your head with your fingers facing each other. We keep our fingers at a distance of 10 cm from each other. At the same time, the head does not move, it looks straight. Hold on for 10 seconds 3 times. Do not forget to stop at the starting point - this is rest and restoration of blood flow.

All of the above exercises are performed for pain in the neck and as a preventive measure for its training. Static loading is a magically useful thing.

Stretching

In the starting position, with the right hand, we take the left side of the head and pull it to the right to the shoulder as far as possible. We fix the position for 10 seconds in the extended phase. We return to the original and do the same in the other direction with the second hand. Repeat 2-3 times for each side.

Then we help with our hands to stretch forward, grabbing the head in the back of the head. The task is to touch the chest with the chin. After that, gently and under control tilt the head back.

We help with our hands to tilt our head diagonally to the right and left. And finally, we turn our head as much as possible to the right and to the left.

Force load on the neck - is it necessary?

There are other exercises for the cervical spine associated with the use of weights. If you are not a professional athlete, they do not make sense. Why load the neck flexors with pancakes when you can do without it.

The neck is formed by those muscles that are additionally pumped during hyperextension, deadlift and other exercises.

Moreover, the static load is much more useful than the dynamic one. It allows you to strengthen the muscles of the neck without the risk of damaging them. But a neck injury is unacceptable. Especially if your cervical region already feels not the best way.

This concludes the main therapeutic exercises for the neck. Do it once a day and your neck will be fine!

Effective exercises:

Trainer's advice: Always warm up before your workout. It will prepare the muscles for the load and protect you from injury.