Today, lumbar hernia is considered a common pathology. Often, protrusion occurs due to lack of physical activity and increased pressure on the back. Often the disorder is diagnosed in patients who work at a computer in a sitting position. In this pose, the lower back is maximally overloaded. Is it possible to do a plank if you have a herniated lumbar spine? Below is detailed information about this.
A herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc, resulting in protrusion of the nuclei pulposus. As a result, the patient feels discomfort; in the most advanced situations, problems appear with the functioning of the musculoskeletal system and various organs. Exercise therapy is considered one of the effective methods for eliminating intervertebral hernia.
Description of the pathology
Herniation is considered a common defective disease of the vertebral discs. Such a hernial protrusion appears due to the fact that the patient leads a sedentary lifestyle. More often, this disease occurs in office workers.
Before the formation of a hernia, the patient's muscle corset, which holds the spine, is greatly weakened. Thus, in order to avoid the occurrence of such a disease, the patient must expose his body to various physical activities.
In such a situation, it will be enough to perform simple exercises that keep the back muscles in good shape.
But one of the ways to deal with a hernia that has already occurred is to undergo physical therapy. Thus, the patient performs a variety of special exercises, the most modern and effective of which is the plank.
Below we talk in detail about how to properly undergo Plank exercise therapy, and whether it can be done with certain spinal ailments.
https://youtu.be/el28KT0q7MI
Umbilical hernia and diastasis. Urgently.
Yes, the operation, just like you, did not go in the spring, the children are still small, I also decided to go in the fall. But this hernia and my big belly are stressing me out so much. Do you wear a belt?
If you don’t suck in your stomach, then it’s really time to give birth! And just like they tell you about the third one. Everything would be fine, I just feel like an inferior person(
4 weeks after giving birth, I asked the midwife what kind of nonsense was wrong with my stomach, and she told me so casually: “Diastasis.”
Well, you puzzled me mother! I went and checked and I can’t figure it out. In our family, my dad has this problem, but he gets it from lifting weights. So diastasis there is visible to the naked eye, I didn’t know before that this happens in women during pregnancy, now I doubt about myself - I can feel the depression, but the protrusion of the tubercle is not clear, I just had a good layer of fat there that formed over the winter
Katyusha, diastasis can be easily corrected if you enrich your diet with high-quality amino acids and PUFAs. This is how my girls recovered after pregnancies - everything works)) Along with exercises, of course!
Nastya, have you already seen a doctor?
If the operation was performed on time, there were no complications such as strangulation, inflammation, etc. The postoperative period goes quite smoothly. You are allowed to get out of bed on the day of surgery.
Every other day, moderate physical activity is allowed without performing abdominal exercises and lifting weights. It is recommended to wear an elastic post-operative bandage. In adults, relapses are quite rare.
Prevention of hernia in adults:
- exercises to train the abdominal muscles,
- proper nutrition,
- normalization of weight,
- wearing a bandage throughout pregnancy.
What kind of exercise is this?
The patient does 2 types of plank exercises for a hernia in an unhealthy spine: classic and on the side.
In order to quickly restore your body and recover, the patient must follow a specific technique for performing both of the above exercises. In addition, a person must prepare his body in advance for performing exercise therapy.
Classic plank
The classic plank is very simple.
While performing the classic plank, the patient performs the following actions:
- lies on the floor, on the stomach, presses the feet together, and then places the toes of the feet on the floor. Then, the patient bends his elbows so that his forearms touch the floor and his hands are under his shoulders,
- leans on his palms, toes and forearms, and then slowly raises his body. This way the body weight is distributed evenly,
- keeps the neck and head in line with the unhealthy spinal column. Moreover, the person holds his head in a motionless position,
- pulls in your abdominal muscles and keeps your abs tense. You need to stay in this position for a few seconds,
- strains the muscles of the buttocks and thighs. Such muscles are attracted to each other,
- does not pull the shoulders towards the head,
- fixes his pose, and then imagines his body in the form of an arrow.
Side plank
When performing a side plank, a person performs the following actions:
- lies on the floor - lies on its side. Next, the patient bends the arm on which he rests on the floor (the supporting arm) at the elbow so that the hand is in the chest area,
- slowly raises the body and rests on the forearm of the stubborn left or right hand and the edge of the foot. You can also lean on your legs when they are bent at the knees. Then the patient places the 2nd leg on the edge of the foot in front of the persistent left or right leg,
- fixes his free hand at the waist or extends it along his body,
- fixes his position so that the body does not fall back, and the pelvis stretches upward and does not sag,
- slowly lowers himself and repeats these actions on the 2nd side.
Plank for vertebral hernia: main nuances
Is it possible to immediately do a plank for a hernia in the lumbar spine at home?
If you have such a disease, a person should not engage in various physical exercises on his own in the first days. In such a situation, you first need to go to the clinic for a detailed examination and obtain a specific medical opinion.
The attending physician prescribes the patient a set of specific exercises (including planks) that can be safely performed. In addition, the therapist gives all the information about those exercises that cannot be performed with a spinal hernia.
Today, doctors more often allow a patient with a vertebral hernia to do a plank. After all, such an exercise restores tone and strengthens the entire muscular corset of the back.
Should I avoid physical activity if I have spinal problems?
Many have heard similar recommendations from doctors. With osteochondrosis, experts often prohibit: bending over, lifting weights over 3-4 kg, carrying heavy bags, not doing physical exercise, not going to the gym, girls are not allowed to walk in heels, or use a bicycle.
Let's look at each recommendation in order:
- Stop bending over . This is difficult to do if you sit on the bed all the time. During the day, a person bends over many times in everyday life.
- Do not carry objects heavier than 3-4 kg. In a standing or lying position, the spine with all muscle tissues bears the entire weight of the body. This weight exceeds 3-4 kg. In everyday life, people carry many different objects.
- Carry heavy backpacks on your back . It all depends on what weight should be in the body.
- Avoid fitness classes. Weakness and passivity have a negative impact on health.
- Ride a bike . This negatively affects the axial load on the spine, but does not mean at all that it is time to get rid of the bicycle forever. After strengthening the body, this type of physical activity has a very good effect on the patient’s condition.
All these recommendations imply the need to use orthopedic shoes, constantly take a lying position, not physically strain, and not hold bags in your hands, so as not to load the spine and cause aggravation. I personally don’t see this as a normal way out of the current situation.
You need to follow these doctor's recommendations. Consistently and harmlessly strengthen your own body. Adapt him to a normal existence. Restore strength and endurance. Correctly bend over and move your body. The balance of muscle tissue must be restored. The patient must be provided with support and protection.
If you follow these rules, you can do what you love every day without restrictions.
Indications for implementation
Exercise therapy for spinal hernia is performed only by those patients who have already developed a hernial protrusion or are at risk.
Thus, the patient does the plank if the following indications are present:
- if there are regular or periodic unpleasant ailments of the lower back,
- with vertebral osteochondrosis,
- if you have insomnia,
- with sedentary work and a sedentary lifestyle,
- if there is a hereditary predisposition to the occurrence of hernial protrusion,
- after the operation,
- with a decrease in motor physical activity.
Doctors often prescribe exercise therapy for spinal hernia to patients after back surgery.
During correct performance of therapeutic exercises, a person quickly restores his body after surgery and prevents the formation of various complications.
Features and specificity of the disease
An umbilical hernia is a disease characterized by protrusion of internal organs (intestines or greater omentum) beyond the anterior abdominal wall. This type of hernia got its name due to its localization in the umbilical ring.
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How to determine if you have an umbilical hernia?
You have an umbilical hernia if:
- you feel or see a lump in the navel area that disappears when you lie on your back;
- you feel pain in your abdomen when you cough, sneeze, walk quickly, or exercise;
- you periodically feel nausea regardless of food intake and without the presence of stomach diseases accompanied by this symptom;
- you have discovered an enlarged umbilical ring.
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Causes and course of the disease
A hernia in the umbilical region can be acquired or congenital. Congenital is diagnosed in infancy. Acquired pathology appears as a result of expansion of the umbilical ring. In women, it expands during pregnancy, as well as in the presence of postoperative scars in the umbilical area.
In men, the cause of a hernia is frequent heavy physical activity and obesity. Another factor contributing to the appearance of protrusion is genetic predisposition.
The course of the disease depends on the size of the protrusion. If the hernia is small and can be easily reduced, it is practically no problem. Pain and the risk of strangulation are higher in large hernias, accompanied by adhesions and difficult to reduce.
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What types of planks are contraindicated?
At the moment, there are several types of planks that cannot be performed with a vertebral hernia. We are talking about those exercises when a person places his feet on unstable various devices (in particular, on a fitness ball).
In such a situation, the patient performs the following therapeutic exercises for a hernia: exercise therapy on a moving base. His hands touch the floor and his feet lie on a fitball (fitness ball).
However, during such an exercise the patient may suffer a spinal injury.
Thus, he can cause great harm to his unhealthy spine.
Forecast
If a person has a spinal hernia, then while performing exercise therapy “plank” he can get rid of various ailments.
Various types of planks well strengthen the back muscles during hernia and support the normal functioning of the spinal discs. However, such exercise therapy can be performed only on medical advice, and not at will.
A competent and qualified approach to performing such therapeutic exercises accelerates the patient’s recovery after strengthening the back muscle corset. The main thing in this matter is not to rush anywhere and monitor the smoothness of movements, as well as follow all the recommendations of the attending physiotherapist.
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Execution technique
When performing exercise therapy “Planck” correctly, the patient follows a specific execution technique. First, he lies on his stomach and straightens his legs. In this situation, the patient's feet are close to each other, and the toes are on the floor.
Also, the patient’s forearms touch the floor, and the right and left arms are bent 90 degrees or more at the elbows.
Then, during the implementation of “Planck” exercise therapy in the presence of a vertebral hernia, a person performs the following actions:
- strains the shoulder, back, pelvic, thigh and other muscles. Thus, during regular exercise, the muscles in the sore area are perfectly strengthened.
- When performing “Planck” exercise therapy for a hernia, the patient does not use any special devices. During such exercise therapy, he uses only a special mat or an ordinary blanket.
- When performing exercise therapy "Planck" a person is in normal physical shape. The patient should not resort to additional sports activities, etc.
Naturally, at first the patient does not succeed in all the exercises, but over time, such a load on the muscles becomes familiar and easy to do. Moreover, the patient does not have a strong effect on the spinal hernia.
The only thing is that if such an illness is present, the patient should not be in a cold room. That is why, before starting to perform the plank, you need to thoroughly ventilate your apartment and close the windows in all rooms in order to prevent the formation of a draft.
If, in the presence of a hernia, the patient has just begun to perform Planck exercise therapy, then at first he does not need to strain his muscles too much and hold his torso in one position until he completely loses strength.
A person gets the greatest effect when performing such an exercise when, with each subsequent approach, he increases the period of being in the plank by about 2 seconds.
Thus, after 2–3 months, the patient can easily and without severe strain on the back for 2–3 minutes. stands in the “Plank” pose.
Symptoms
Self-diagnosis can be carried out very quickly. If, when examining the abdomen in the navel area, a person notices a spherical protrusion, then it is necessary to immediately go to see a doctor. When the patient is in a supine position, the pathology will not be visible; on the contrary, when the abdominal muscles tense, for example, during coughing or active conversation (screaming), the protrusion appears outward.
Such mobility of the pathology will be observed only in the first stages of the disease, then the adhesive process begins, which fixes the hernia. In this case, the symptoms will depend on the speed of development of the pathology and its size. The individual characteristics of the patient are also very important, since a formation with a diameter of about five centimeters may not bother one person at all, but cause terrible discomfort to another. The pain in this case depends on which organs are affected by the pathological process, as well as on the level of pain.
Reasons for the development of hernias
Symptoms of a hernia with strangulation (large umbilical formation):
- Acute pain in the navel area, when a person strains the muscles of the peritoneum, the pain becomes unbearable.
- The skin begins to turn red in the umbilical area, and after some time acquires a bluish tint.
- The attacks of nausea are so strong that they often end in vomiting.
- Lack of appetite.
- If organs are pinched, loose stools may occur.
Is it dangerous! Compressed tissues may suffer from necrosis, resulting in the development of an inflammatory process and peritonitis. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to delay the treatment of a hernia.
Possible restrictions
You cannot perform the special “Plank” exercise if you have the following contraindications:
- with internal various bleedings,
- for various heart ailments,
- after a heart attack or stroke,
- in the presence of severe unpleasant ailments,
- during exacerbation of severe infectious diseases,
- with exacerbation of hernias,
- after recently undergoing operations in the area of the spinal vertebrae, training for a herniated disc.
Also, hypertensive and asthmatic patients should not perform such exercise therapy.
Doing planks at home
If a person, for various reasons, cannot go to a clinic for exercise therapy, then he can do therapeutic exercises at home. In this case, he does not need to buy a simulator, but he must first go to his doctor and get appropriate advice.
First, all exercise therapy still needs to be done in the clinic and only then start doing it on your own.
When independently performing exercise therapy “Planck”, the patient performs the following actions:
- lies on his stomach, on the floor (a special sports mat or a small blanket) and stretches his arms in front of him,
- exhaling, bends the lower back, and then raises the body above the floor so that the chest does not touch the floor. Moreover, the patient’s arms are straightened and form 1 line with the body,
- while inhaling, the patient returns to the original position.
The range of movements in such an exercise is small, so the number of repetitions is 40–80 times.
In such a situation, the patient regulates the load on the back in the following ways:
- adds weight to the hands - uses dumbbells or a plastic bottle with water,
- performs various lifts,
- secures the legs.
Thus, when performing such exercise therapy, the patient uses dumbbells of 2–5 kg. If you don’t have them, you can use plastic bottles with water, the volume of which is 1.5–2 liters.
When performing various lifts, the patient performs the following actions:
- straightens his arms in front of him,
- spreads his arms to the sides as if swimming. Thus, the patient additionally loads the posterior region of the deltoid spinal muscles,
- straightens the arms so that they are extended along the body and are suspended,
- alternately turns the body to the right and left.
If the legs are not secured, the back load increases significantly. To reduce it, you can ask one of your relatives or close people to sit on their feet, and then perform exercise therapy with the help of 2 accomplices.
Non-surgical treatment options
If the protrusion is small in size, relatively mild, and there are no complications or signs of strangulation, treatment of an umbilical hernia can be performed without surgery.
Treatment of children
Children under 5 years of age are operated on in exceptional cases, since in most cases, childhood hernias disappear spontaneously or as a result of conservative therapy:
The baby is placed on his back and the hernia is reduced with light pressure, then skin folds are formed - first from above and below, then from the left and right sides, after which they are fixed with an adhesive plaster; Parents are recommended to have a special diet for their baby to prevent constipation and intestinal colic. For colic, Espumisan, Infacol, Bobotik, Riabal are prescribed. Every day it is necessary to massage the abdominal area: radial stroking: from the hypochondrium to the navel: first from the right, then from the left; after this, the area around the navel is massaged (clockwise); the third movement is from the inguinal folds towards the navel; The massage ends with circular stroking around the protrusion
An excellent addition to the massage will be children's gymnastics: the baby lying on his back is carefully lifted into a sitting position; the child is turned first on the left, then on the right side; lay him on his tummy on a soft gymnastic ball and rock him slightly
How to treat teenagers
What to do if an umbilical hernia appeared in adolescence?
There is a fairly easy and effective way:
- using the index finger, the protrusion is reduced into the abdominal cavity;
- the skin around the navel is tightened using the thumb and index finger;
- the resulting gap is sealed with adhesive tape.
The patch should be kept on for five days, then remove it, take a two-day break and repeat the procedure again.
Basically, after ten procedures, an umbilical hernia can be eliminated.
Treatment for adults
- If surgery is contraindicated, one of the main methods of treating adults is wearing a special bandage.
- They can also massage the abdominal area. The purpose of the procedure is to increase muscle tone. Recommended:
- stroking the abdomen (carried out clockwise);
- light tingling in the umbilical area;
- rubbing the abdominal muscles;
- light relaxing strokes.
- Special therapeutic exercises are indicated - they, like massage, can be performed in the absence of such contraindications as:
- heart pathologies;
pregnancy;
- elevated temperature.
- To reduce the protrusion, you can use the following technique: spread a blanket or blanket on a hard surface, put a ball of woolen thread on it and lay the patient on his stomach so that the ball of thread is directly under the navel.
Physical activity should be moderate - overload can lead to a worsening of the patient's condition. The goal of gymnastics is to strengthen the abdominal and back muscles. You can do bends, squats, and push-ups.
At first, minor pain is possible, which goes away immediately after the hernia plunges back into the abdominal cavity. To evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure, you need to lightly press your finger on the umbilical fossa. If the hole does not flow inward, then a positive result has been achieved.
Hernia during pregnancy
During pregnancy, not only surgical intervention is undesirable, but also taking any medications. Massage is also not recommended for expectant mothers. To prevent increased load on the anterior abdominal wall, they are recommended to wear special support and compression garments and bandages.