Lyakhova Kristina Alexandrovna Fitness against diseases of the spine

The book tells about diseases of the spine and one of the most effective and safe ways to treat it - fitness. It has been proven that one of the causes of diseases of the spine is a sedentary lifestyle, so it is recommended to do fitness not only for those who suffer from diseases of the spine, but also for those who have not yet fallen ill, but by the nature of their activity they move little.

Introduction

It is known that people suffered from diseases of the spine at all times. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates did not ignore this problem. Moreover, he argued that it was the pathology of the spine that was the main cause of many other diseases.
It would seem that today medicine has stepped far forward, but diseases of the spine are now no less common, and even more common than several centuries ago. So, statistics say that 4 out of 5 people have ever suffered or are suffering from them, and most often these diseases are found not in developing, but in the most developed countries. About 10-15% of patients lose their ability to work, agree to an operation, or even have to retire due to disability. The rest often do not even go to the doctor, believing that the cause of their ailment is elsewhere, and not even realizing that their frequent headaches, weakness, dizziness, back pain and even stomach or heart pain are caused by some kind of spinal disease. And even more so, they do not think about the fact that if you do not change your lifestyle, then soon you can replenish the percentage of those who are forced to agree to an operation or become disabled.
Spinal diseases affect people of all ages. So, disorders in the spine can be detected already in children 4-6 years old. Often, a disease of the spine is also diagnosed in schoolchildren. However, their parents are most often worried about children: they make sure that the child has a suitable table for classes, a comfortable chair, buy an orthopedic mattress, make sure that he regularly does gymnastics or swims. But then the child becomes an adult and stops worrying about his spine: in the morning he rides in a car or bus to work, spends most of the day in a chair, then goes home again and most often spends the evening in a chair in front of TV. So with minimal physical exertion, most of life often passes, and it is not surprising that after a few years a person begins to feel pain in the neck in the morning, especially when trying to turn his head, and then back pain. However, those who are forced to engage in physical labor are also not immune from diseases of the spine: overload, regular weight lifting affect the spine as negatively as sedentary work. Finally, one more problem should be mentioned - age-related changes in the spine, which can also lead to the development of a particular disease.
Russian statistics show that spinal diseases are most common in people aged 30 to 50 years, and children often suffer from them, in whom spinal diseases often develop due to birth injuries. Cases of severe pathologies, especially intervertebral hernias with compression-radicular, compression-vascular and compression-spinal syndromes, have become more frequent. Increasingly, the only solution to the problem is surgery.
From the foregoing, we can draw a simple conclusion: without waiting until the pain in the neck or lower back becomes regular, you need to change your lifestyle - walk more, run, roller skate, bike, skate, ski, swim, dance, do gymnastics. All these exercises are very effective for the prevention of diseases of the spine. However, if the disease is already developing, jogging in the morning or dancing may not be enough. In this case, special sets of exercises will be required. And, of course, in no case should one forget about proper nutrition, which is also included in the concept of fitness.

1. STRUCTURE OF THE SPINE

The structure of the spine is recommended to be known at least in general terms to everyone who is sick, as well as to those who decide to take up prevention.
The spine is part of the human skeleton. It consists of 32-34 vertebrae, interconnected by cartilage, joints and ligaments or fused with each other.
There are 5 sections of the spine: cervical (consists of 7 vertebrae), thoracic (consists of 12 vertebrae), lumbar (consists of 5 vertebrae), sacral (includes 5 fused vertebrae) and coccygeal (may consist of 3 - 5 fused vertebrae).
The vertebrae are not located exactly one above the other, but are slightly offset relative to each other and form several bends. The figure shows that in the cervical region the spine curves forward, in the thoracic - back, in the lumbar - forward again. Thanks to these curves, the spine softens all kinds of sharp shocks and thus prevents the brain from damage when running, jumping, etc.
The vertebrae are connected to each other by two upper and two lower articular processes, intervertebral discs and ligaments, which are located on the back and front sides of the vertebrae.
The joints and ligaments located between them provide the necessary mobility of the vertebrae, and at the same time prevent their excessive mobility. Also, the mobility of the vertebrae depends on the muscles of the neck, back, chest, shoulders, abdomen and hips. Uniform physical activity is not harmful to the spine, and a sharp jerk or push can lead to overstrain of one of the muscles, which causes a violation of the motor function of the spinal column. In other words, in this case, the person will experience fatigue or even pain in the spine.
Each of the vertebrae consists of a round or kidney-shaped body and an arc that closes the vertebral foramen. On the arc there are articular processes that serve for articulation with neighboring vertebrae. The size and shape of the vertebrae and their processes differ depending on which part of the spine a particular group of vertebrae belongs to. So, the cervical vertebrae are small in size, the lumbar vertebrae are much larger, but with smaller processes. This difference can be easily explained, because the load on the cervical vertebrae, in comparison with the rest of the spine, is minimal.
Between the vertebrae are intervertebral discs, consisting of the nucleus pulposus and fibrous rings. Due to their composition, the intervertebral discs are elastic, can take any shape and thus distribute the pressure between the vertebrae, so that the spine can bend. The discs act as shock absorbers.

Vertebral column (side view):

1 - cervical lordosis; 2 - thoracic kyphosis; 3 - lumbar lordosis; 4 - sacral kyphosis

The thoracic vertebrae perform a special function: they are connected to the ribs and together form the chest. Ribs They are connected to the transverse processes of the vertebrae by joints that allow them little mobility, for example, during inhalation and exhalation. However, in general, the mobility of the bones of the chest is much less than, for example, the neck. The mobility of the thoracic vertebrae is also less than that of the cervical or lumbar vertebrae.

The structure of the spine (top view):

1 - ligaments; 2 - fibrous ring; 3 - gelatinous nucleus; 4 - spinal cord; 5 - roots of the spinal nerves

The spinal cord runs along the spine, from which the roots of the spinal nerves branch off. They pass through the holes between the vertebrae. From the nerves located in the connective tissue and on the skin, along the fibers of the roots of the spinal nerves, signals are transmitted to the spinal cord. Other fibers carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles, causing them to contract or relax. The fibers of the nerve roots of the cervical region are mainly directed to the arms, the thoracic region to the trunk, and the lumbar region to the legs. That is why, with inflammation of the roots of the spinal nerves of one or another department, the pain will be felt precisely in the arms, trunk or legs.
One of the functions of the spine is to protect the spinal cord that runs inside it.

The vertebrae themselves consist of 2 types of substance: spongy (internal) and compact, covering the first. The vertebrae have high strength due to the spongy substance. The compact layer is also hard, it protects the vertebrae under stress.
In addition to the spongy and compact substance, the vertebrae also contain red bone marrow. It provides the function of hematopoiesis.
The bone structure of the spine is updated throughout a person's life. The formation of new cells is stimulated by the loads that the spine is regularly exposed to. Accordingly, the lower the load, the less intensively the renewal of the bones of the spine occurs. Moreover, the decay of bone cells in the absence of stress continues, and the production of new cells is inhibited. In the complete absence of stress on the spine (for example, in a disease with complete immobility), even bone breakdown and softening of the spine and other parts of the skeleton can occur.

2. DISEASES OF THE SPINE

The state of the spine, its ligaments and the muscles surrounding it does not depend on only posture, but also the well-being of a person. A variety of factors influence the formation of posture, for example, the position that a child or an adult takes for a long time (at the table while studying or while working). Posture disorders can be different, up to a flat back, which occurs when the curves of the spine are smoothed out, or,