Stretching exercises of the cervical spine, video

Cervical – mobile, but because of the injury, sprains are common. For example, whiplash is characterized by a displacement of the vertebrae, growths inside the neck, stretching the muscles and ligaments in the neck. Can corrupt the substance of the spinal cord and its sheath. Damage to the muscles and sprain to the cervical spine is always painful, and the consequences of injury are dangerous to health. What to do when stretching of the neck muscles? Why causes such damage?

Causes of strains and sprains

• The main reason: injury caused by sudden movement, bad fall. The kind of these injuries happen in accidents, falls from a height. At risk of receiving it are children and people with weak development of the muscular system.
• Overexertion in exercise and physical labor, when the body can not withstand the load, also lead to dislocations and sprains.
• Complexes of exercises performed without a warm-up and stretching, which also lead to ligament injuries of the neck and its muscles.
• Often the pain starts after uncomfortable positions for sleeping.
• Can cause sickness drafts and General hypothermia of the body, provoking myositis.

Any pain symptoms in the cervical spine, the patient should consult a doctor and a medical examination to rule out serious neck injury (e.g., fracture).

Symptoms and diagnosis

If the person is "pulled" neck, then it starts a sharp pain in the damaged region, which are enhanced by head movements (pan, tilt). Muscle tone is elevated, palpation of the painful area, the discomfort intensifies. Damaged (stretched) the area is red and swollen. Movement of the neck is limited and the patient is forced to seek a more comfortable position for the head, which temporarily relieves the discomfort.

In young children more difficult to detect damage. Parents should pay attention if a child is listless, the neck swollen, movement is restricted, the head is unnaturally turned. In complex cases in trauma, for example, in case of accident or falling the child can lose consciousness. A child older than one and a half years we'll be able to report to parents on pain.

The brightness of the symptoms depends on the severity of damage to the muscles and ligaments. Often the physician is sufficient diagnosis to listen to the patient to see the clinical manifestations. But if you suspect a serious injury, we carried out x-ray, ultrasound, MRI or a CT scan.

Treatment

First aid for sprain:

• Rest the injured area. The patient is positioned on a flat surface, is placed under the neck of the roll of fabric. In this position the load on the spine evenly, and the pain subsides.
• For removing the swelling and pain on the neck is applied a cold compress. Use ice and snow can only be wrapped in a piece of cloth or gauze.
• The use of anti-inflammatory medicines and painkillers ointments.
• If the damage is the consequence of an accident (fall, accident) call a physician immediately.

At home

The doctor will diagnose the damage and determine a course of treatment. Usually the treatment for sprains is at home. The average recovery period is 2 to 3 weeks. For home treatment, use the overlay compresses. The patient is advised to take pain medication, physical therapy. Recovery neck will help neck massage in combination with physical therapy.

• See also: How to straighten the vertebrae themselves.

A doctor

Hospitalization of the patient required in difficult situations, sprains of the neck, due to injuries and accidents. The doctor makes x-rays, to reduce displaced vertebrae and puts a bandage that ensures the immobility of the cervical.

Procedure reduction of dislocation:

• The doctor explains the manipulations that plans to hold
• The patient sits on a chair
• The doctor lifts the man in the head so that the weight of the body became protivnom the head and gently puts displaced vertebrae to a desired position.
• After reduction the doctor recommends physical therapy.

Reduction of a vertebra according to the method of richer-Gutera:

• The patient is placed so that the neck and head hanging down.
• In the damaged area injected anestheticmedicine.
• The doctor fixes the patient's chin and on your belt loop Gleason. The head injured person is held by the hands of the doctor.
• Assisting staff keeps the neck of the injured person. Together with the doctor they stretch your neck, slowly tilting it in the desired direction. The result: misaligned vertebrae back into place.

If both methods of reduction are unable to return the displaced vertebrae, then the patient needs surgery.

• See also: How to straighten the cervical vertebrae themselves.

Prevention of sprains

Unfortunately, injuries are hard to prevent, but following a series of preventive measures, the person will be able to reduce the incidence of sprains of the neck and its ligaments.

• Shortly before physical activity should be a mini-workout for the muscles of the neck. It will make them more elastic and improves blood circulation.
• Protect yourself from drafts in the room, and in the winter dress warm, avoiding hypothermia of the neck.
• The best way to strengthen the muscles in the cervical spine is a regular set of exercises on a sprain of the cervical spine. They will make the muscles stronger, and also serve as a prevention of many diseases of the cervical spine, including herniated and degenerative disc disease.

Stretching and strengthening the neck

The complex is slow, without jerks. The number of sets increased gradually. Over time, the neck will become more flexible and strong, but it will not happen immediately. Starting position: the patient sits on the chair. Straighten your neck should be on the breath, to fix it for 5-7 seconds in the basic setting exercises, and bend it recommended on the exhale.

• The patient sits on a chair, relaxes the whole body, down arms along the body. His head slowly leans back. Is fixed for 5 seconds and returns to its original position. Is 9-10 times
• Repeat the starting position. The head tilts will be run down. People pushes your chin to your chest, returns to its original position. The replay is done 10 times.
• Sitting on a chair man turns his head at the maximum amplitude of the first left and then right. Done 10 turns in each direction.

• The patient relaxes the body, sits on the chair, lowers his hands along the body. Head throws back. You need to stretch your left ear to your left shoulder, touching it. The same is done with the right ear. Repeat: 10 times.
• The starting position: do the following exercise, this time put your hands at head level. Tense the muscles of the cervical, bend over and presses the left temple to the left palm for 5 seconds. Then do a similar tilt with a click of the right temple. Number of sets: 3 per side.
• Chin pressed to his chest. The head is gently rotated to the left, then to the right. The chin does not come off and have to slide across his chest. Is exercise at least 5 times.
• The patient writes the numbers from 1 to 9, moving only his nose. Then writes the numbers 1 through 9 in reverse order. Through such manipulations well trained and vestibular apparatus.
• On his forehead laid both palms, so that one was lying on top of the other. The man presses his forehead on her clasped hands, at the same time straining the muscles of the neck. Done 3 sets of 5-7 seconds. Then the palm is moved to the back of the head, repeat the same manipulation with the back of his head.
• Elongation of the cervical vertebrae. This exercise is done very carefully, may be dizzy. The fingers engage in a "castle" and placed on the back of the head, with the palm cover the neck. The chin is placed on the elbows. Elbows come down between them. Elbows, chin, and the castle of interlocking fingers gently rise and fixed in this position for 10 seconds.
• Put your palm on the back of the head and lightly press on your head for 20 seconds. Gradually, the time the load on the neck muscles increases. In the first seconds it is recommended to run a lighter pressure, which increases towards the middle of the exercise, and again decreasing towards the end of the exercise.
• The man gets up, the back should be straight, legs. The palms are placed on the chest, below the larynx. Breath, breath is delayed for 3-5 seconds, exhale. On the exhalation is performed the pressure by the hand on the neck muscles. Every approach hand just falls down. The end point of addition of the hands become mammary glands.

• The man lies on his back, laying under the neck of the roll of fabric. Hands are placed on the neck so that the big toes were under her chin, and the rest of the fingers were collected in a "lock" on the back of his head. Head slightly leaning forward, bending over the chest. The head slowly pulled up the trajectory of the spine. Run time not exceed 20 seconds. If desired, this exercise is done at work. In this case, the person is not stands up from the chair and head with your hands gently pulled up.