Exercises after a cervical spine operation

As with all surgical procedures, it is always necessary to follow the surgeon’s instructions regarding the load. Often certain movements are initially restricted and should be avoided. These depend on the type and location of the surgery for the herniated disc of the cervical spine.

In principle, the herniated disc is removed after surgery, but the structures around the surgical site are loaded. Especially the musculature close to the spine is often weakened after an operation. It can be trained through simple coordination exercises.

Our deep and short neck and head muscles, which stabilize our spinal column, can be easily addressed by small movements in combination with eye movements. There are a number of different exercises that improve eye-head coordination and thus activate the small muscles. For example, you can use your eyes to fix a point on the left while your head carefully turns to the right.

Then the eyes come behind, fix a point on the right, the head turns to the left etc. You can make these exercises more difficult in many different ways. If an operation is necessary in case of a herniated disc in the cervical spine, there were often limitations in peripery in advance, e.g. muscle weakness in the shoulder-arm musculature.

If this is the case, these weaknesses must be specifically trained in the exercise program. Supporting strength can be trained, strengthening exercises with dumbbells or with your own body weight, with the help of Thera bands or even supported by equipment. Coordinative training is also possible. Here ball games or similar are possible.

Exercises for at home

It is essential to continue the exercises from the therapy at home in order to achieve the best possible recovery. It is important that the exercises of the homework program have been well practiced with the therapist beforehand, that they can be performed safely in order to avoid incorrect loading. Strengthening as well as mobilizing gymnastic exercises are suitable exercises, as they can also be performed at home without much effort.

The retraction exercise can be performed in bed or on the floor at home. It can also be performed in a car by pressing the back of the head against the headrest at the end of the movement and holding the tension for a few seconds. This often relieves discomfort in the shoulder and neck area after a long car ride.

It is also important that the workplace of the patient with a herniated disc in the cervical spine is adjusted correctly to avoid incorrect posture. A stretching programme should be carried out daily. Simple movement exercises can also improve the relief of disc herniation in the cervical spine.

A gentle semicircular movement from right to left (without taking the head into the neck) stretches the back neck muscles and improves blood circulation. Shoulder circling is an effective exercise for at home to relax shoulders that may be tensed and pulled upwards. There are also many exercises at home to straighten up the thoracic spine.

Rowing exercises in a standing or sitting position can easily be done at home. Basic tension exercises are easy to perform as they do not require any equipment, but should be mastered safely before doing them at home on your own. Weakened musculature as a result of a herniated disc can be specifically strengthened by certain exercises at home. For example, water bottles can be used as weights or you can train with your own body weight.