Let's do hamstring exercises easily and consistently at home.
The main cause of herniated discs is excessive strain on the lower back. Everyday activities such as bending, lifting heavy objects, or sitting for long periods can trigger a herniated disc. After surgery for a herniated disc, it’s important to avoid bending the back to prevent recurrence. Generally, it’s recommended to rest in bed and engage in walking exercises for several months following surgery. However, if you maintain a fixed posture without bending your back for an extended period, your body may adapt to this posture, leading to muscle stiffness and imbalances. While walking exercises are beneficial, they may not be enough to release tight muscles. Moreover, excessive exercise can increase the risk of recurrence, so it’s important to start with caution. Among the various exercises to relieve muscle stiffness, let's focus on hamstring exercises that can be easily done at home.
What is Hamstring Exercise?
The hamstrings refer to the group of muscles located at the back of the thigh. They are made up of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus, and primarily function to bend the knee and extend the hip. Properly stretching the hamstrings helps balance the back and legs and is effective in relieving muscle stiffness. How to Perform Hamstring Exercise.
1. Place Your Foot Up Prepare a high object (e.g., a box or window sill) where you can rest your foot on a flat surface. Place your foot comfortably on the object and straighten your knee naturally.
2. Bend and Straighten Your Knee Slowly bend and straighten your knee to stretch the hamstrings. When you straighten your knee, if you feel a pull at the back of your thigh, it means the exercise is working well.
3. Exercise Effect This exercise allows you to stretch the hamstrings without bending your back, making it safe to perform after a herniated disc surgery. As the muscles loosen up, stiffness is relieved, and flexibility in the back and legs can improve. 4. Repeat Perform 10-15 repetitions of bending and straightening the knee in one set. You can gradually increase the number of repetitions or time as you adjust.
Benefits of the Exercise
Back Protection: Since the back is not bent, there is no pressure on the disc, making it safe to do even after herniated disc surgery.
Self-directed Exercise: You can do this exercise alone at home, making it convenient at any time.
Muscle Stiffness Relief: Properly stretching the hamstrings helps relieve stiffness in the back and legs.
Precautions
Proceed Slowly: Avoid sudden movements and perform the stretches slowly and gently.
Check for Pain: If you feel discomfort or pain during the exercise, stop immediately and consult a professional.
Rest After Exercise: After exercising, take enough rest, and if you feel fatigued, take a break.
This exercise is a very safe and effective method to relieve muscle tension while protecting the back, even after herniated disc surgery. By practicing regularly, you will significantly improve flexibility in your back and legs and help relieve muscle stiffness!
Lying down for a long time makes the muscles very at risk.
If someone is confined to bed for six months, what various negative changes can occur in the muscles? There are individuals who, due to necessity, must remain in bed for a long time after undergoing herniated disc surgery. The changes that occur due to prolonged bed rest and restricted physical activity can have serious impacts on physical, mental, and overall health. Let’s explore this in detail.
The Importance of Muscle
1. Decreased Strength
Muscle atrophy leads to a decrease in strength. If muscles are used very little for six months, their power can significantly diminish, making it difficult to perform even daily activities. For example, getting up, climbing stairs, and even sitting can become challenging. Often, when elderly individuals are hospitalized in nursing homes, they may find that once they lie in bed, they may never walk again. This is due to muscle loss. Decreased strength can cause other diseases, and complications such as pain from herniated discs and cervical discs can arise. Therefore, to avoid muscle loss, it is very important to walk and move, even if it is painful, to maintain muscle through appropriate physical activity.
2. Muscle Atrophy
One of the most noticeable changes is muscle atrophy. Generally, muscles decrease in size and strength when not used. Due to bed rest, specific muscles, especially those in the legs and hips, weaken and atrophy. For example, the quadriceps (the muscles on the front of the thigh) and the hamstrings (the muscles on the back of the thigh) are used during everyday activities like walking or standing, so these muscles are hardly used while lying in bed. In such a state, if one attempts to move excessively, muscle cramps may occur. Therefore, muscle relaxants are essential for patients who are on bed rest after herniated disc surgery. Muscle relaxants are very effective in relieving muscle tension and alleviating cramps or stiffness. They also help in reducing pain.
For those who have not used their muscles for a long time, it is important to gradually increase the intensity of exercise by doing light stretching rather than engaging in strenuous activity after taking muscle relaxants.
3. Joint Stiffness
Prolonged lying in bed can lead to stiffness and rigidity in the joints. This issue primarily occurs in major joints such as the knees, hips, and ankles, hindering everyday movements. When joint flexibility decreases, the range of motion is limited, increasing the risk of injury during the rehabilitation process. This stiffness can be further exacerbated by muscle atrophy.
Rigidity refers to a state where the muscles are abnormally tense, leading to pain, discomfort, and limited range of motion. Therefore, it is advisable to take muscle relaxants to relieve muscle tension and alleviate pain caused by cramps or stiffness. Along with this, it is beneficial to start stretching slowly. Beginning with smaller muscles and gradually moving to larger muscles can significantly help in restoring flexibility and reducing pain. Consistent stretching and proper management can alleviate stiffness in the joints and muscles.
4. Reduced Blood Circulation
When physical activity decreases, blood circulation also declines. This can lead to swelling in the legs, and in the long term, serious problems such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) may arise. If blood circulation is not smooth, oxygen and nutrients cannot be properly supplied to the tissues that need them, making recovery even more difficult. In severe cases, this can lead to the worst outcome of amputation.
Ways to promote good blood circulation include warm showers, strength training, walking, stretching, elevating the legs, and massage. In particular, walking not only promotes blood circulation but is also beneficial for strength training and helps relieve stiff muscles. If there is tingling in the hands, it may be a circulation issue, but it could also be the result of cervical disc problems caused by prolonged bed rest.
To ensure good blood circulation, it is important to maintain consistent physical activity and engage in appropriate stretching.
5. Metabolic Changes
Muscles play an important role in metabolism. When the amount of unused muscle decreases, the metabolic rate declines, leading to potential weight gain. This negatively impacts overall health and increases the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Prolonged bed rest can easily lead to digestive issues, and gradually, the amount of food consumed may decrease. A reduced food intake means that our bodies may not receive sufficient nutrients, which can lead to the onset of other diseases. One of these is constipation.
Our bodies function properly through adequate exercise, which helps expel sweat and ensures sufficient nutrient supply. However, when bed rest continues, the biological rhythm is disrupted, leading to the accumulation of waste in the body and a deterioration of metabolism. This can result in weakened immunity and various complications. Therefore, appropriate physical activity and balanced nutritional intake are very important.
6. Mental Impact
Lying in bed for an extended period negatively impacts mental health as well. The lack of activity can increase feelings of depression and anxiety, which can adversely affect physical recovery. Physical limitations can trigger psychological stress, and this stress can further exacerbate pain.
7. The Necessity of Rehabilitation
After six months of bed rest, active rehabilitation exercises and physical therapy are essential. Exercises are needed to strengthen muscles and joints and to restore flexibility, and it is important to seek professional assistance. Initially, it is best to start with light stretching or movement and gradually expand to strength training. A good exercise to begin with is walking slowly on flat ground. Next, you can progress to walking quickly on flat ground, then walking slowly uphill, followed by climbing stairs, doing squats, and eventually engaging in high-intensity exercises.
8. Recovery Process
The recovery process varies depending on an individual's fitness, age, and underlying conditions, but it generally can take several weeks to months. During this process, consistent exercise and proper nutrition are very important. Protein intake is essential for muscle recovery, and sufficient hydration and a balanced diet are also crucial. Additionally, regular intake of muscle relaxants and using hot massages to relieve tense muscles can be beneficial.
Conclusion
Six months of bed rest has serious effects on muscles.
Several issues arise, including decreased strength and muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, reduced blood circulation, metabolic changes, and mental impacts.
Additionally, a person gradually loses muscle after the age of 40.
You need to move, even a little, right now to live healthily for a long time!
Recommended 'Pelvic' Exercise for Those Who Cannot Do Planks
For those who struggle with planks, the pelvic tilting exercise is a great alternative. This exercise effectively strengthens the core while minimizing strain on the back. For individuals who frequently experience lower back pain or have weak backs, the plank position can indeed exacerbate pain or increase the risk of injury. However, since the lower back is a crucial part of the body's core, it’s essential to strengthen the core muscles without straining the back. It’s advisable to focus on core-strengthening exercises that are gentle on the back.
For those with weak back muscles or lower back pain, the pelvic tilting exercise is a great alternative to planks or crunches. This exercise can be performed at a slow pace, minimizing strain on the back while effectively strengthening the core. Additionally, it's easy to do at home without worrying about disturbing neighbors.
To perform the pelvic tilting exercise, lie on a thin blanket or mat with your knees bent at shoulder width. Press your tailbone into the floor, creating a slight lift in your lower back to create space. This lying position is called the "neutral position," where you should have enough space for one hand between your lower back and the floor. Make sure your shoulders and shoulder blades stay in contact with the floor, and keep your chin tucked in.
Once you’ve established the "neutral position," place your hands on your pelvis to feel the movement. Gently press down to create space between your lower back and the floor, using the strength from your lower abdomen.
The key to the pelvic tilting exercise is to pull your pelvis down using your lower abdominal muscles, applying pressure as you lower it. Focus on this controlled descent, breathing out as you lower the pelvis and inhaling as you lift it back to the starting position. Aim to move slowly, taking about 10 seconds for each full cycle, and repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions per set.
Although this movement seems simple, it's important to ensure that your lower abdomen is engaged as you press down. Keep a steady tension in your pelvis and lower back, lowering it in a controlled manner, as if each vertebra is touching the floor one at a time.
Engaging your pelvic muscles can also benefit your glute muscles, so be mindful not to let your thighs splay out during the exercise.
When lifting back up, just as when lowering, start from your tailbone and engage each vertebra sequentially to avoid straining your lower back.
The pelvic tilting exercise is recommended for individuals with lower back issues, such as herniated discs. It allows for strengthening the surrounding muscles of the lower back and abdominal area without putting excess strain on the spine. By distributing the load away from the lumbar region, this exercise can help alleviate lower back pain effectively.
