Extension of the spine is dry and underwater - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Spine - the basis of the skeleton and the support of the entire body, it consists of separate vertebrae and located between the elastic discs. The disk is a protein ring, inside of which is located a gelatinous elastic body - a core containing glycosaminoglycan substances, which have the property of absorbing and giving off water depending on external action. In a healthy state, the vertebrae are located at a certain distance from each other, have the necessary mobility, are well supplied with nutrients, and liquid. What happens with the years? Muscles weaken, and the mass of your body grows over the years, pulling you to the ground, and the vertebrae begin to approach each other slowly, their mobility is limited, the nerve endings are jammed( hence the sharp pains in the back), the nutrition is disturbed. The elastic gelatinous nucleus of the disc begins to dry up, flatten and lose its damping properties. The spine is deprived of fluid, nutrients. When the situation becomes neglected, the vertebrae become so close to each other that a disc shell( fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc) breaks, an intervertebral hernia is formed and the pain becomes permanent. Feeling pain, any person instinctively begins to protect the place that pain causes, limit their movements. In the case of the spine, this leads to the growth of bone and cartilaginous tissue, the connection of several vertebrae into a "single bone" and a complete loss of their mobility. And if you add the need to periodically lift weights, carry bags in one hand, the spine not only shrinks even more, but also warps.

What is Spinal Cord Extension

Spinal Cord Extension( Autogravitational Therapy) is a relatively new method used to treat and prevent various diseases of the spine from radiculitis back pain to herniated disc. The essence of traction is that with the help of short-term or long-term traction, muscle spasm is overcome, the displacement of vertebrae, deformation of the spinal column is eliminated. With the help of constant traction, the spinal column is elongated in a certain place and held in the desired position.

About two hundred years ago, in medicine, methods of active spinal extension were used, for which in those days there were special adaptations. But over time it was found that such a general prolonged stretching brings not so much benefit as much harm - there were many complications.

Currently, medicine came to the conclusion that for the treatment of diseases of the spine, stretch elements should be used, but then it is necessary to provide muscle tension, otherwise there will be no positive result, but the result is negative. That is why any methods of stretching the spine should be supervised by a specially trained health worker.

All methods of spinal traction are divided into dry or underwater.

Dry traction of the spine

Dry traction can be horizontal and vertical, it occurs under the influence of the patient's own weight lying on the inclined plane, sometimes additional traction or manual traction using the strength of the physician performing this method of treatment is used for additional traction. The produced effect on the muscles is strictly dosed. For dry stretching, special vertical and horizontal tables are used. The traction force can be up to tens of kg, and the duration of the procedure is from a few minutes to 1-2 hours. The course of treatment requires 15-18 procedures.

At present, dry stretching is more often performed with the help of special medical equipment, for example, with the help of various couches or traction tables. These devices differ relative harmlessness and the possibility of uniform stretching of all parts of the spine. Some designs of this kind have additional devices that allow you to do various physiotherapy, massage, etc.

The most effective and safe traction on the simulator Gravitrin( in principle, you can hang on the bar upside down, but it's dangerous).You only need to lie down for half an hour on the couch Gravitrin, and calmly, very comfortable to relax. The surface of the couch consists of smooth ribs that repeat the correct shape of the spine. They are mobile, and when you lie on them, the ribs part in the direction towards the head and legs.

Through the skin, muscles this pulling force is transmitted to the spine. He stretches. At the same time, pulling force does not cause discomfort, you practically do not feel it, but at the same time it grows. About 10% of your body weight goes to the pulling point. It is this force that does not cause injuries and at the same time is effective.

For a half-hour procedure, a healthy person extends approximately 1 cm.

In case of severe scoliosis, the stretch can reach 4 cm. In addition to stretching, Gravitrin allows simultaneous deep and gentle massage. The surface of the couch is equipped with vibrating elements. The vibration wave created by these elements, together with the heating, makes it possible to relax muscles as much as possible, to warm them up, which provides more effective stretching and good muscle training for soft manual correction.

The simplicity of the proposed method of traction, its high efficiency and safety allow us to talk about the guaranteed effect of traction after a half-hour procedure. However, it should be noted that it is not enough to stretch the spine, give it a physiologically correct position, it is equally important to consolidate the effect of traction. The day after the first stretching procedure, your growth will return to its initial level, the one with which you came for treatment. To keep the traction effect, it is necessary to fix the muscles in a new, correct position. For this purpose, a whole complex of procedures following the stretching has been worked out: various kinds of massages, miostimulation, exercises with instructor gymnastics, etc.

Underwater spinal traction

Underwater spinal traction is a therapeutic method combining the physical action of water( fresh or mineral) on the body with stretching. This is a more gentle method than dry. The action of water at a temperature of 36-37 ° on the nerve endings of the skin contributes to a decrease in the tone of the striated muscle, which in turn causes an increase in the distances between the vertebrae and the widening of the intervertebral openings through which the spinal nerves pass. When this nerve is infringed( for example, with osteochondrosis), the pain decreases during underwater traction. In addition, a decrease in muscle tone with underwater traction contributes to the elimination of spasm of blood vessels and improvement of blood supply in the damaged area.

Underwater traction is widely used to reduce protrusion( thinning and protrusion beyond the vertebral column of the intervertebral disc) of the disc, with lumbosacral and cervico-brachial radiculitis due to osteochondrosis of the spine. Methods of underwater traction are ineffective in the presence of cicatrical-adhesive process, pronounced deformation of the spine and after surgical removal of herniated disc. Underwater traction is relatively contraindicated with concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, gall bladder. There are several ways to underwater traction.

By the arrangement of the body distinguish between vertical and horizontal underwater traction.

Vertical underwater traction is carried out using various simple devices( for example, circles, handrails) and more complex structures in a special basin 2-2.2 m deep at a water temperature of 36-37 °.In cervical osteochondrosis, the first procedure is carried out for 5-7 minutes with the use of the head holder, during the following procedures, a load of increasing weight begins to be used.

Horizontal underwater traction with changes in the lumbar spine is carried out by longitudinal extension or sagging of the trunk in a large bath( length - 2.5 m, width - 1 m, depth - 0.7 m) on a special shield.

Extension of the spine for all its external simplicity is far from simple procedure and it should be carried out only in specialized institutions.

Extension of the spine at home

Spinal stretching is performed in the hospital, but preventive spinal traction, if there are no symptoms of , can be performed at home. To do this, you need a bed with a solid mattress.

Raise the head of the bed 30-40 °.Sew a special strap from a soft material: 1.5 m in length and 5-7 cm in width. They pass their hands and without a pillow lie on the flat surface of the mattress. Lie 3-4 hours. Under the influence of the weight of the body, the spine is stretched.

To strengthen the stretch in the waist and sacrum, a special belt is sewn. Two cords are fastened to it, each of which has a weight of 2 to 4 kg at the end. Cords should be placed on the sides and hang from the transverse edge of the bed.

For stretching the spine you can use the Swedish wall. Prepare a wide, well polished board with hooks, which are needed in order to be able to cling to the crossbeams. Clutching the crossbar, move and lie on a sloping board, holding the crossbar with your hands. Gradually increase the angle and duration of the traction daily. Repeat the procedure several times a day.