Sports with VSD: is it possible to engage in swimming, physical activity and running?

Author of the article: Marina Dmitrievna

2017.10.26

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Vessels

Doctors never cease to talk about the benefits of physical exercise and recommend it for many diseases for the purpose of prevention. The main thing is that the loads are dosed and constant. But are VSD and sports compatible? Experts do not give a clear answer to this question.

VSD is considered a complex disease. While systematic exercise can talk about improving your well-being, complex exercises and heavy loads can cause irreparable harm. The main thing in understanding whether it is possible to engage in intense sports with VSD is to listen to your body, take into account the symptoms, the degree of development of the disease, and the recommendations of doctors. You need to choose an acceptable option, take into account indications and contraindications, direct the load towards healing, improving physical and psychological well-being.

Relationship between the disease and the respiratory system

The autonomic part of the nervous system automates all processes that occur in the human body: inhalation and exhalation, heartbeat, blood flow speed and blood pressure, production of hormones, breakdown of food into microelements, etc.

All metamorphoses occur under the influence of the external environment. When a person is frightened, the autonomic system gives a signal to increase the production of adrenaline, which helps speed up decisions in unusual situations; when the body is intoxicated, a person feels the desire to vomit - a vegetative defensive reaction.

It occurs against the background of an imbalance in the receipt of signals from the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, that is, it affects a person’s sense of self under certain circumstances. The pathology can be expressed by a variety of symptoms, ranging from constant weakness to acute pain and convulsive seizures.

The nervous system is connected to human breathing. To overcome negative emotions and conditions associated with this, you need to stabilize the functioning of the respiratory system. Breathing exercises for VSD are effective at any stage of the disease; such exercises can be used to prevent neurological pathologies.

The mechanism of physical therapy is simple: when breathing is established, blood flow and oxygen supply to the nerve endings of organs and tissues in the body are normalized. The cells affected by pathologies are healed. Breathing exercises during exacerbations of vegetative-vascular dystonia are designed to eliminate symptoms and restore the patient’s physical and psychological condition.

Basic training options for vegetative-vascular dystonia

There are several types of physical activity indicated for vegetative-vascular dystonia. It is recommended to use them in combination to achieve quick and lasting results.

Walking quickly or running short distances gives a good effect, but only if you breathe correctly. Moving too quickly puts stress on the musculoskeletal system.
Swimming is a wonderful sport that has almost no contraindications, since in the water you can relax well, relieve tension, and eliminate excessive stress on the joints and spine. It is not necessary to perform special exercises in the water; just swimming in the pool is enough.
Cycling has a general beneficial effect on the body, improves blood circulation, and improves mood.
Group aerobics classes, with the exception of strength training, have a good effect on the emotional state of a person with vegetative dystonia, and also help strengthen all muscles.
Performing simple gymnastic exercises immediately after waking up will charge you with the necessary energy for the whole day.
A visit to a massage therapist is advisable to consolidate the results of your training.

Symptoms of vegetative-vascular disorders

The manifestations of VSD are extensive; they are mistaken for signs of colds. There are a number of symptoms that indicate a malfunction of the parasympathetic or sympathetic nervous system signals.

Let's look at the obvious ones:

Frequent migraines, sleep problems (drowsiness or insomnia).
Painful sensations in muscles and joints, low endurance to physical activity.
Apathetic states, depression, nervousness, inadequate reactions to external stimuli.
Tendency to develop phobias, prejudices and anxiety.
It is impossible to control breathing, limb movements, and facial expressions.
Frequent swelling, sweating, or lack of sweating.
Poor tolerance to temperature changes (inability to warm up, numbness of the extremities, skin rash and redness when the ambient temperature decreases or increases).

When VSD manifests itself in acute form, the patient may become hysterical for no reason and behave inappropriately; this is due to the influence of the nervous system on the functioning of the thyroid gland. People susceptible to neurological pathologies are prone to digestive disorders (unexpected vomiting, constipation or diarrhea); in their background, food digestion disorders and dystrophy may develop. In severe form, VSD can cause urinary and fecal incontinence.

In the gym

Training on machines, with dumbbells and barbells requires great caution in case of VSD. It is important not only not to worsen the condition, but also to bring benefit and therapeutic effect.

The load should be moderate; you should not chase other people's achievements.

The use of special knowledge will avoid many problems:

Strength loads should be accompanied by breaks of 1 minute. You need to use light to medium weight.
It is worth excluding endurance training and weightlifting.
It is not recommended to use repetitions of exercises with maximum weight.
Do not hold your breath or lean forward too much when squatting with a barbell.
It is not recommended to go to the gym alone.

Symptoms of VSD

are listed here.

Exercises involving jumping and other pushing techniques are useful.

Causes of neurological abnormalities

The causes of problems may be congenital defects of the nervous or cardiovascular system. Such risks can be identified during prenatal development during screenings and eliminated by surgical or medicinal means.

Most people, even without the influence of external factors, manage to bring their health to a critical state. This is facilitated by bad habits (alcohol, drugs, smoking), improper daily routine, lack of sleep or lying in bed all day, lack or excess of physical activity, eating semi-finished and canned foods. Vegetative-vascular dystonia is one of the side effects of medications, caffeine, tannin, and steroid drugs.

There are factors that can cause pathological changes in the functioning of the nervous system: pregnancy or its interruption, menopause, puberty. VSD can appear after a traumatic brain injury, with untreated infectious pathologies that have developed into chronic ones. When switching to a different daily routine and acclimatization.

Among the diseases, complications will be:

heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmia;
renal failure and hypertension;
chronic chlamydia, stomatitis, syphilis;
gastrointestinal diseases (acidity disorders, ulcers, impaired bile outflow);
diseases of the spine (osteochondrosis, hernia);
diabetes type 1 and 2;
encephalitis.

Additional nuances

The following will help increase the effectiveness of physical exercise in patients with VSD:

deep, rhythmic breathing during training;
complete, balanced nutrition;
contrast shower: the procedure stabilizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Physical exercise is an excellent adjuvant method for treating VSD. The main thing is to approach this issue correctly. For example, even with severe dystonia, there are options for physical activity that ease the course of the disease by distracting the patient. This is billiards:

when a person plays a game of billiards, he calms down and concentrates;
the sight of green cloth relaxes the eyes;
leisurely walking around the table sometimes lasts several kilometers, especially when playing a long game, for example, “Russian pyramid”;
the poses that a player takes to play this or that ball train stretching;
eye training allows you to forget about panic attacks.

The main thing is that playing billiards is not accompanied by smoking tobacco and drinking strong alcoholic beverages, as is often the case in male groups.

Source: distonija.ru

A swimming pool is not only an excellent place to relax and spend time, but also a tool for treating many diseases. Read about some of them in our article and swim more. It is not only pleasant, but also useful!

1. Neuroses

When swimming, water affects nerve endings throughout the entire surface of the body, relaxing and calming. The influence of water temperature regulates the processes of excitation and inhibition, relieves fatigue, improves memory and attention by improving blood circulation in the brain. All this has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system - after swimming, a person falls asleep easier and sleeps more soundly.

In addition, water evokes pleasant associations that are missing in everyday life, which has a beneficial effect on the psycho-emotional state in general.

2. Joint diseases (osteochondrosis, arthritis, arthrosis)

In many cases, swimming is the only sport and physical activity that is indicated for joint diseases, since in water a person does not feel the weight of his body.

Smooth movements in the water massage the periarticular tissues, thereby improving the outflow of lymph, reducing swelling of the joints, regenerating cartilage tissue, and relaxing spasmodic muscles.

3. Herniated discs

Exercising in the pool allows you to strengthen your back muscles, which ultimately take on part of the load, thereby relieving the damaged intervertebral disc.

4. Paralysis and partial loss of the ability to move

Swimming is also an effective means of preventing strokes, which often lead to paralysis. Swimming helps normalize vascular tone and pressure, and also effectively fights obesity, which is also the cause of arterial hypertension (the cause of stroke).

5. Rehabilitation after injuries

According to statistics, every eighth inhabitant of the planet receives a serious injury at least once during his life in the form of fractures, back injuries, meniscal tears and other knee injuries. Most injuries lead to surgery, after which the human body requires recovery.

Swimming in the pool promotes rapid restoration of the muscular paravertebral frame, restores muscle tone and reduces pain, which allows you to expand your motor range.

6. Obesity, excess weight

Swimming for obesity puts a simultaneous load on all muscles, but at the same time completely removes it from the spine and leg joints, compared to any “land” physical activity, because water provides the effect of weightlessness.

In addition, swimming, water aerobics and even just swimming are very beneficial for the cardiovascular system (a big problem for obese people): blood circulation improves, blood flow goes to all internal organs, while the outflow of blood from the periphery also improves, and blood pressure stabilizes.

7. Heart disease

The use of swimming for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system makes it possible to reduce the load on the body from the use of chemicals, and sometimes even abandon them altogether.

8. Bronchitis and bronchial asthma

Swimming is both a breathing exercise and a massage, and also has its own effect on our respiratory system. Exercises in the pool are recommended for all patients with bronchopulmonary pathology, and swimming is perfect for preventing and improving the functional parameters of the respiratory system, as well as the resistance of the whole body.

For people suffering from pathology of the bronchopulmonary apparatus, it is not only advisable, but vitally necessary to engage in swimming.

9. Varicose veins

Training in the pool, in turn, does not have such consequences. During swimming, due to the body being in a horizontal position, blood flows out of the legs, and there is also a decrease in the load on the legs compared to other sports. Swimming has a beneficial effect on the veins, providing them with relaxation and normal blood circulation.

10. Poor posture

Poor posture is a common health problem in children. If in the elementary grades poor posture is registered only in every fifteenth child, then by the time they graduate from school it occurs in half of the children.

During swimming, the human body is in a weightless state, due to which the gravitational loads on the spine are reduced.

At the same time, it stimulates the strengthening of the muscular corset of the spinal column, harmonizes the tone of the paravertebral muscles, muscles of the chest and lower back. Swimming develops coordination of movements, which largely suffers in children with poor posture.

Diagnosis and treatment

A referral for examination can be obtained from either a psychotherapist or a neurologist in a private or public clinic. The range of examinations includes examination by a neurologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, therapist and orthopedist.

Afterwards, the patient is prescribed tests and diagnostic tests using an MRI or CT scanner; ultrasound of the heart, Doppler ultrasound of blood vessels, angiography, and gastroscopy may be prescribed.

Based on the results, treatment is indicated, which when determining the diagnosis of “vegetative-vascular dystonia” includes:

Development of a plan for the treatment of the trigger pathology (you can use antibiotics, ACE inhibitors, angioprotectors, hormones and other medications).
Completion of a course of psychotherapy (with the possible prescription of sedatives or antidepressants).
Prescribing a diet with vitamins and fiber.
Completion of a course of therapeutic and restorative gymnastics, including breathing exercises.

Therapeutic breathing exercises for VSD

Proper breathing technique is the basis of health. During normal activities, a person does not control the depth of inhalation and exhalation. It is important to spend 30 minutes every day breathing properly. Perform the following complex 3-4 times, you will feel more confident.

The first stage is 3-4 minutes, relaxation: put your feet shoulder-width apart, inhale - arms up, exhale - down, at this moment you need to try to follow the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. There should be visible contraction, tension and relaxation of the abdominal wall. When you exhale, all the air should come out; all exercises should be performed through the nose; if you have a runny nose, you need to refuse exercise or rinse your nasal passages.
We add legs to the previous exercise and roll from heels to feet in rhythm with breathing (3-4 minutes).
We move to a light step in place, breathing should be uniform at equal intervals.
Afterwards you need to do all the exercises in reverse order and take a sitting position. In this position you need to focus on your stomach. Take a deep breath, hold the air for 5 seconds, tensing your abdominal muscles, exhale, repeat 10-15 times.
Do the same, but exhaling through your mouth.

For gymnastics to be beneficial, exercises must be regular and the number of approaches increased, as well as the time of holding air before exhaling.

What can you do

Indeed, the list of restrictions that this disease imposes is impressive.
What can patients with such a diagnosis do? Or rather, what are they recommended to do to reduce the symptoms of their illness? The rules are quite simple: an absolutely healthy lifestyle. Normal good rest, balanced diet, lack of stress. Sports give very good results: swimming pool, running, aerobics, skiing, dancing. There are many recommendations regarding dousing with cold water and hardening during VSD. This method is probably effective, but first it is better to consult a doctor.

Your diet should not lack vitamins, minerals, or amino acids. And a minimum amount of preservatives, cholesterol, and harmful fatty acids. It is especially necessary to include foods containing sufficient potassium and magnesium compounds in the diet.

Psychological preparation is very important. To cope with stress with dignity, you need to learn to approach life differently. A variety of psychological techniques can help you with this: meditation, auto-training, various relaxing techniques. Now they are easy to find on the Internet or in literature, which is now in abundance. It may be best to seek professional advice.

The goal of all of the above is to remove internal conflicts as much as possible and normalize the attitude of the patient and others. It should be remembered that VSD is accompanied by a large number of very unpleasant psycho-emotional symptoms.

Yoga and swimming for VSD

In addition to the listed exercises, yoga and swimming are a lifeline for patients with vegetative-vascular disorders. The first allows you to keep your muscles toned, without the feeling of physical strain. The second combines cardio exercise with breathing training.

When diagnosed with VSD, the patient needs a special approach; all classes should be conducted in the presence of an instructor to avoid injuries and unpleasant incidents. The patient should not be given a load immediately; pathologies (myalgia and joint diseases) must be taken into account. Depending on the intensity of the symptoms, the trainer must develop a set of exercises; if the student experiences pain in the legs, then some of the exercises should be performed in a sitting position.

Additional treatments include visiting the sauna and massage room, hot stone treatments, and contrast showers.

Healer's Recipes

Before using folk remedies, you should consult your doctor about further actions.

Home therapy is widely used among people. It is necessary to know the exact diagnosis, since the use of specific herbs is used for one type of VSD and is strictly contraindicated for another. For VSD with high blood pressure, herbs such as valerian, motherwort, and hawthorn are used. The hypertensive form of VSD is treated with immortelle sandy, ginseng root, and Schisandra chinensis.