Gymnastics for the neck. Exercises by Dr. Shishonin.

Our expert is a rehabilitation doctor, author of the book “Health Medicine versus Disease Medicine. Another way. How to get rid of hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis” Alexander Shishonin .

Elena Nechaenko, AiF Health: Alexander Yuryevich, why are doctors unable to cope with the diseases of civilization?

Alexander Shishonin : The main reason is the rigidity of the medical worldview. Alas, modern medicine, at its core, is not much different from the alchemy from which it grew. She is still trying to find the philosopher's stone - a magic pill for all diseases and old age. And in treatment he relies on external influences, although in case of chronic diseases they are meaningless. With the help of drugs and surgery, only the effect can be removed, but not the cause. The inertial approach has led modern medicine to complete helplessness in the face of hypertension, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other diseases of civilization.

Article on the topic Therapeutic exercises for the neck. Set of exercises

Gymnastics for the neck, general recommendations

As a fitness trainer, I recommend following these rules when performing these neck exercises.

perform the exercises in a sitting position, especially if you feel that they lead to dizziness, keep your back straight, do not slouch
Before doing the exercises, I recommend doing a self-massage of your neck for 2-3 minutes. You can complete neck exercises with the same self-massage.
Perform Shishonin gymnastics exercises without excessive tension and very carefully
Do all stretching movements until you feel a pleasant stretch, but no more
do not apply much force with your hands when stretching the neck muscles
When performing exercises, especially in the stages of holding a pose, breathe calmly and rhythmically, without holding your breath
do not exercise in a draft; the neck should be warm.
exercises can and even should be performed twice a day: morning and evening or afternoon and evening.

The apparent “tediousness” of gymnastics will be more than rewarded by a significant improvement in condition, a feeling of lightness in the shoulders, and a relief of tension and headaches.

How eye exercises work

Eye exercises not only help to get rid of the symptoms of fatigue: it is often prescribed by ophthalmologists for vision disorders - myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism. Eye training can be used to prevent vision deterioration, and it is best to start doing it right from childhood. There are a large number of exercise options, but they are all aimed at solving the following problems:

relaxation of the eye muscles;
improved focusing;
stimulation of the lacrimal glands (which is especially useful against dry eyes);
improving blood circulation and oxygen saturation of tissues;
elimination of symptoms of nerve spasms and visual discomfort.

Despite the effectiveness of exercises for improving vision, they have contraindications:

infectious diseases and inflammation - gymnastics can increase pain;
retinal detachment - doing eye exercises with this diagnosis is simply dangerous, since blood flow to the eyes can lead to retinal rupture;
rehabilitation period after eye surgery - during this time the eyes need complete rest.

In any case, if you have any doubts or experience discomfort during gymnastics, you should consult a doctor who will select an individual level of stress for you based on your medical history and advise you on how to train correctly.

Gymnastics for neck muscles

Exercise “Metronome”

Starting position – head straight. Gently tilt your head to the side, as if trying to reach the edge of your shoulder with your ear. Feel the stretch in the muscles opposite the bend. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly return to the starting position. Next, tilt your head in the other direction, also trying to reach the edge of your shoulder with your ear. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position. Repeat 5-7 times.

Exercise metronome

Exercise “Spring”

Starting position – head straight. Smoothly move your head forward and lift your face up slightly. Close your eyes. Feel the tension in the back of your neck and the stretch in the muscles in the front of your neck. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly return to the starting position. Next, move your head back, slightly lowering your face down. Feel the tension in the muscles at the front of your neck. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position. Perform the exercise 5-7 times.

Exercise spring

Exercise “Goose”

Starting position – head straight. Gently and slowly move your head forward without changing your tilt. Then smoothly turn your head to the left and press your chin to your left collarbone. Feel the tension in the front neck muscles and the stretch in the back neck muscles. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly reverse the movement and return to the starting position. Perform the exercise in the other direction. Repeat this neck exercise 5-7 times on each side.

Exercise goose

Exercise “Looking at the Sky”

Turn your head to the side. Then smoothly lift your face up, as if “looking at the sky.” Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then gently lower your head and turn it to its original position. Turn your head in the other direction. Raise your head and hold again for 5-10 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position, performing the movements in reverse order. The exercise should be repeated 5-7 times in each direction.

Exercise Looking to the Sky

Exercise “Frame”

Keep your head straight. Place your left hand on your right shoulder. Raise your left elbow to chin level. Gently turn your head to the left and press your chin to your left shoulder. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly turn your head to a straight position. Lower your left hand. Place your right hand on your left shoulder. Turn your head to the right and tuck your chin toward your right shoulder. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 5-7 times in each direction.

Exercise Frame

Exercise “Fakir”

Head straight. Raise your arms above your head and clasp your palms together. Lightly press your palms together using force. Turn your head to one side. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Then smoothly turn your head in the other direction. Also hold in this position for 5-10 seconds. Repeat the exercise 5-7 times in each direction.

Exercise Fakir

Exercise Fakir Exercise Fakir

Exercise Fakir

Exercise “Airplane”

This exercise strengthens the muscles of the shoulder girdle - trapezius and deltoid. Improves blood circulation in the neck muscles.

Keep your head straight. We spread our arms to the sides. We smoothly move them back. We hold our hands in this position for 5-10 seconds. Smoothly return your hands to the starting position. Then we lower one hand lower and raise the other higher. We take them back again and hold them for 5-10 seconds. We smoothly return to the starting position. We change the position of the hands to the opposite and again move them back for 5-10 seconds.

Repeat the exercise in each position 5-7 times.

Exercise Airplane

Exercise “Heron”

Starting position – head straight. We stretch our face up. We move our arms back and slightly to the sides. We stretch our hands down. We feel a stretch in the front of the neck, chest muscles, shoulders, arms. The exercise is performed for 5-10 seconds. Then we return to the starting position. Repeat 5-7 times.

Exercise Heron

Exercise “Tree”

In a sitting position, raise your arms up with your palms facing up. We stretch upward for 5-10 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times.

Exercise Tree

Lateral neck stretch

Grasp your head with your left hand, placing its palm on your right ear. Gently tilt your head to the left, helping yourself a little with your left hand. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Feel the muscles on the right side of your neck stretch. Gently return to the starting position. Then clasp your head with your right hand. Tilt your head to the right for 5-10 seconds. Feel the stretch in the muscles on the left side of your neck. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times in each direction. Don't try too hard!

Lateral neck stretch

Posterior neck muscle stretching exercise

Clasp your hands at the back of your head. Gently tilt your head forward, helping yourself slightly with your hands. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Feel the stretch in the muscles at the back of your neck. Return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times with short breaks. Don't use too much force when stretching your neck muscles!

Posterior neck stretch

Oblique stretch for the posterior neck muscles

Clasp your hands at the back of your head. Turn your head to the side and bend it forward, helping yourself slightly with your hands. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds. Feel the stretch in the muscles at the back of your neck. Return to the starting position. Then turn your head to the other side and bend over, helping yourself with your hands. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times in each direction. Don't try too hard when stretching your neck muscles!

Oblique stretch for the posterior neck muscles

After gymnastics, sit still for a minute, do not rush to get up. Allow blood circulation to be restored in the neck area. Take a few calm breaths in and out.

These neck exercises are especially good in the evening before bed. Be healthy!

Neck exercises. How to pump up your neck muscles.

What is hypertension and why is it dangerous?

Blood pressure (BP) values show how much pressure the blood exerts on the walls of blood vessels when the heart contracts and relaxes.
If the values on the tonometer show figures of 140/90 mm Hg or more, this indicates an increase in blood pressure, and if this condition persists for a long time, it indicates hypertension [1]. Hypertension can occur independently or develop as a consequence of other pathologies - in this case, secondary hypertension develops. If the cause of high blood pressure cannot be eliminated, the disease is chronic and, without proper treatment, constantly progresses [1]. The danger of hypertension lies not in the fact of increased pressure, but in the consequences of this condition. Pathology significantly increases the risk of dangerous cardiovascular disorders - cardiac failure, arrhythmia, heart attack and stroke [2]. Also, against the background of a prolonged increase in blood pressure, damage to the heart, brain structures, kidney vessels, and eyes occurs [1]. A sharp rise in pressure (in some cases - up to 200/120 mm Hg and above) is dangerous due to the risk of a hypertensive crisis - a set of symptoms that develop due to overstrain of the circulatory system at a time of high blood pressure (Fig. 1). This condition can be life-threatening - heart attacks and strokes most often occur precisely at the time of a hypertensive crisis [3].

Figure 1. Signs of a hypertensive crisis. Source: MedPortal

At the same time, the symptoms of hypertension may not appear for a long time - the pathology is called the “silent killer”, since patients often do not measure their blood pressure for years and, accordingly, are not aware of its increase. As the condition worsens, signs of the disease may appear, such as:

weakness;
headaches, especially in the morning;
causeless nosebleeds;
arrhythmias - complaints of palpitations, irregular heart function;
deterioration of vision - “loss” of areas of vision, flashing “dots” before the eyes;
tinnitus.

An intense increase in blood pressure is often accompanied by loss of energy, facial flushing, nausea and vomiting, sweating, anxiety, varying degrees of impaired consciousness, chest pain and other symptoms, but in some cases even a hypertensive crisis can occur asymptomatically [2].

Important! The only way to determine and assess the course of hypertension is to measure blood pressure, so people with this diagnosis need not only to be regularly monitored by a therapist or cardiologist, but also to independently monitor their blood pressure [2].

Treatment of the pathology depends on the type of hypertension - if the pressure rises due to other diseases, it is necessary first of all to restore dysfunction of these organs, and in the primary form of the pathology (hypertension), blood pressure can be normalized only with the help of constant medication and non-drug therapy [2; 3].

Conservative treatment for hypertension

To normalize high blood pressure, doctors select drug treatment for patients with hypertension. First of all, the specialist should prescribe a drug from the group of antihypertensive drugs or even a combination of several medications - the choice depends on age, the degree of increase in blood pressure and the stage of the disease.

There are 5 main classes of drugs against hypertension; they are aimed at blocking certain enzymes, ions or receptors of biologically active substances that are involved in the pathogenesis of increased blood pressure. Also included in the list of “first-line” drugs are diuretics - diuretics reduce the volume of blood, as well as intercellular fluid, which reduces the load on the heart and stabilizes pressure in the blood vessels.

It is important for patients to adhere to the rules for treating hypertension, which are relevant in all situations, regardless of the medications prescribed:

carry out all medical prescriptions;
Constantly carry out self-monitoring of blood pressure;
take medications regardless of the numbers on the tonometer - therapy for hypertension is permanent;
Do not stop taking medications or change dosages on your own [5].

Self-monitoring your blood pressure helps you avoid serious problems caused by hypertension.
Photo: prostooleh - ru.freepik.com Correction of hypertension is not limited to the use of antihypertensive drugs and includes lifestyle changes, stress management and physiotherapy treatments. Therapeutic exercises are also included in the list of mandatory activities for hypertension - special exercises have a multifaceted restorative effect on the body of such patients [4].

How to measure blood pressure using a mechanical tonometer

In order to measure pressure with a mechanical tonometer, you need:

sit in a comfortable position and relax, while your arm should be bent at the elbow joint and lie on a flat surface,
remove the shoulder part of the arm from clothing and fasten the cuff on it (its lower edge should be 3-4 cm above the elbow bend),
place a stethoscope (phonendoscope) on the inside of the elbow joint in the place where the pulse can best be felt,
using a hand pump, start pumping air into the cuff,
bring the pressure gauge needle to values exceeding the expected pressure by 30-40 mm. rt. Art. (for example, if the patient’s normal blood pressure is 135/90, then you can stop at 170),
slowly release air from the cuff, waiting for tones to appear - these are the sounds of a heartbeat; their appearance marks the boundary of systolic pressure, and their disappearance marks the boundary of diastolic pressure. Simply put, if tones appeared at number 150 and disappeared at number 100, then the result is 150/100).

An automatic blood pressure monitor is easier to use (you don’t need to listen to your heart rate yourself), but it is less accurate. Such devices operate on batteries or from the mains.

Sources

Clinical guidelines “Arterial hypertension in adults.” Russian Society of Cardiology
Hypertension. WHO
Algorithms for managing a patient with hypertensive crisis. All-Russian public organization “Promoting the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension “Antihypertensive League””.
Bismak E.V. The effectiveness of using physical rehabilitation means for stage I-II hypertension at the outpatient rehabilitation stage. Phys. education of students creative specialties. — 2008. — No. 3. — P. 9-15
Algorithms for managing a patient with arterial hypertension and hypertensive crisis. Russian Society of Cardiology
Gymnastics for hypertension. Clinic of Dr. Shishonin
Shishonin gymnastics for the neck with cervical osteochondrosis. ANO "Central Clinical Medical Unit"
Correct breathing for arterial hypertension according to the method of Dr. Shishonin. Shishonin portal. Be healthy with Dr. Shishonin!