Cervical spine exercises | Spinal canal stenosis – exercises from physiotherapy

Cervical spine exercises

The cervical spine, like the lumbar spine, is anatomically located in a lordosis, which is why it is the second most frequently affected region. The following exercises help to strengthen the neck muscles and reduce a protraction position (incorrect posture with the head in front of the sternum): Exercise 1: The affected person sits on a chair in front of a mirror. Now he pushes his chin back as if he wanted to make a double chin.

At the same time, the back of the head is stretched slightly upwards so that the neck becomes long and the cervical spine can straighten up. Hold for about 5 seconds, then slowly release and repeat 10 times. Avoid fast and jerky movements at all costs.

Exercise 2: The patient lies on a firm surface in a supine position and tries to minimize the space between the floor and cervical spine. To do this, he presses his head firmly into the pad. Hold for 5 seconds, then release and repeat 5 times.

Exercise 3: The patient lies on the floor in a supine position, his legs are straightened and his arms are next to his body. The palms of the hands point downwards. Now pull the shoulder up to the ears, turn the hands around and press the shoulder blades down firmly.

Repeat this shoulder circling while lying down for about 1 minute. Alternative: perform shoulder circles (in the same direction, alternately or in opposite directions) while sitting. Further exercises for strengthening the cervical spine can be found in the articles:

• Spinal canal stenosis HWS exercises
• Spinal canal stenosis – exercises for at home

Summary

Spinal canal stenosis is a typical age-related disease of the back, usually the lumbar spine. The narrowing is gradual and leads to pain and restricted movement. In most cases, conservative treatment with pain therapy and physiotherapeutic exercises is sufficient to achieve pain relief.

It is important to strengthen the abdominal muscles, learn an upright posture and stabilize it by stretching and strengthening exercises. Only in a few cases is surgery necessary to surgically widen the spinal canal.