Muscle development after disc surgery: What you should know?
Muscle development after intervertebral disc surgery: It is estimated that every second visit to the family doctor in Germany is due to spinal complaints. About 180.000 people suffer a herniated disc each year, of whom around 80.000 affected persons are operated on the spine.
Other, often associated pathologies such as narrowing of the spinal canal also frequently lead to surgery.
Due to the immense importance of Spinal column for mobility and activity of the individual, follow-up treatment and aftercare following a surgical intervention aim at the complete restoration of all functions in the spinal area.
The surrounding musculature in the entire back region plays a key role here. Muscle building can be done. How to build up enough mass.
In particular, take a close look at the importance of diet, lifestyle and exercise.
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The intervertebral discs: Intervertebral discs – anatomy, function, and disorders
The spine forms the central axis of our body. The healthy spinal column in the form of an S-curve allows movements and activities in a wide variety of directions with stable alignment.
However, the spine does not stand on its own as a homogeneous anatomical structure. They fulfill their function in a complex interplay of Bones, ligaments, tendons, intervertebral discs, nerves and muscles.
24 vertebrae form the basis of the spinal column. 7 are located in the neck area, 12 in the chest area and 5 in the loin area. In the Sacro-coccygeal area are joined by another 10 vertebrae.
However, the lumbar region grows into a whole, strong bone block at the age of up to 25 years. The intervertebral discs are special anatomical elements that lie between the vertebral bodies and form them into a Double S-shape connect.
Anatomical principles and impairments
Intervertebral discs are flexible structures consisting of cartilaginous fibers. The spine has 23 of them. Any Intervertebral disc consists of two parts. An outer fibrous ring surrounds an inner gelatinous core.
The gelatinous tie of the inner core consists of 80-85% water. This water is absorbed by certain protein structures bound. A kind of water cushion is created.
This indicates the function of each disc: The cushions form an elastic prere cushion and only enable the Mobility of the spine.
It is important to note that with the completion of the 20. The human being is now fully grown – the slices no longer have any blood vessels. Only in the alternation of loading and unloading do the nuclei again absorb fluid and supply themselves with nutrients.
The nuclei lose fluid with every load. With a herniated disc part of the gelatinous mass breaks out of the nucleus through the outer fibrous ring. This can lead to pain if, for example, nerves are pinched. How herniated discs occur. How severe are they?The suppleness of the outer fibrous rings decreases with age. This process begins as early as 40 years of age. Overloading, poor posture and a predominantly sedentary lifestyle are the main causes Herniated discs also.
In some cases hereditary factors also play a role. In those affected, there is then a certain Predisposition for protruding intervertebral disc masses.
Many sufferers are not aware that they have experienced ruptures of the outer fibrous rings. If the outgoing Material not on nerves or other important elements are pressed, pain is not necessarily.
How serious the Herniation in individual cases is therefore not possible to assess by default. From the different impairment after prolapse also results that not in every case a surgical intervention becomes necessary.
However, it is important that there is a certain relief of the affected spinal sections. At this point, a well-developed and strong musculature in the entire back area in play.
The importance of the musculature and actively prevent damage
The musculature protects to a certain extent the the entire spine and relieves them. It also helps to ensure that movements are performed in an anatomically correct manner and not in an incorrect posture.
Its supporting character should also not be underestimated. For example, in the case of vertebral fractures and prolapses, they can ensure that it does not come to the Pinching off of nerve cords comes.
The dreaded spinal stenosis described above is also usually associated with absent musculature in the spine connected, since supporting elements are then missing.
After successful herniated disc In conservative therapy, muscle building training is always a means of choice. Conservative therapy means that no surgical intervention occurs.
The Consequences of the herniated disc are rather absorbed by physiotherapeutic measures and a strengthening of the musculature.
It should be emphasized once again that musculature does not only play a role when the damage results in Form of a herniated disc has already occurred.
Basically, a strong musculature in the entire spinal area help to actively prevent discomfort and damage. The older we get, the more intensively we break down muscle.
It can be interesting for the maintenance of health in the spinal area, quite specifically and permanently on the Building up muscles to work. Many people save themselves from serious complaints in the spine area in this way. The musculature also helps to keep the mobility in the back at a more youthful level.
Muscle development after intervertebral disc surgery
At severe herniated discs, where structures such as nerves have been affected, those affected cannot avoid surgical intervention.
Often this is a form of Relief surgery, where certain overloaded areas or pinched nerves need to be freed from their strain.
Also, the need for spinal surgery This can happen, for example, if the spinal injury is the result of an accident or a sports injury.
In these cases, it is often not possible to restore mobility and freedom from pain without surgical intervention. An essential part of rehabilitation measures after surgery is the buildup of musculature.
Training and therapy methods in different time periods
As a rule, the Rehabilitation measures after the operation very different measures. Some already start when the patient is still bedridden. Here the aim is to mobilize it in general and perhaps also to stabilize breathing.
The next step is usually to restore everyday mobility. Only then can be followed by specific training measures, the Muscle building measures include.
There are no Standard recommendations for muscle training after operations on the spine. Among other things, this has to do with the fact that people start training from very different preconditions in terms of fitness and body composition.
A trained athlete has a different performance level than an untrained or older person. Muscle growth in old age after spinal surgery must therefore be precisely tailored to the performance capacity, training level, physical prerequisites and also motivation of the person concerned.
In addition, it must also be taken into account that untrained people initially even with little training build muscle mass faster can be more effective than people who have already been intensively trained. Here the set training stimuli must be therefore often less intensive.
Nutrition and lifestyle
If after a Surgery in the spine If muscle is to be built up as quickly as possible, other factors besides training activities cannot be neglected. On the one hand, nutrition also plays a role in building muscles.
On the other hand, in many cases a specific lifestyle has contributed to the complaints and Damage to the spine led. This lifestyle often also resulted in not having enough muscle to protect spinal elements.
If such a passive Lifestyle after surgery maintained, even short-term measures to build up muscles are of little use. Possibly then already the next Intervertebral disc surgery foreseeable.
Protein supply and muscle growth
proteins and thus their smallest building blocks, amino acids, are indispensable for muscle growth. Proteins form the building material for all body ties. Thus also for the musculature.
proteins (proteins) are substances that are subject to constant remodeling processes in the human body. We distinguish between essential amino acids. non-essential amino acids.
The former must be supplied to the body again and again with the food, because our organism cannot form them itself.
Other building blocks are assembled by the body itself, but their formation also requires many other substances such as certain enzymes as well as other protein building blocks must be present in sufficient quantities.
protein requirements can vary greatly from person to person. Recommendations here range from 0.8 g/kilogram of body weight to 1.6 g/kilogram of body weight in special life situations. In addition, not all proteins are the same. Some Protein is for the human body better digestible than others.
The building and remodeling processes in the body can be slower in older people and consume more resources. This is why health experts recommend that older people pay attention to their protein supply.
This is especially true in Aftercare following surgery and therefore also after spinal surgery. Those who do not pay attention to their protein supply after spinal surgery will not be able to lose weight and build muscle, even with intensive training.
It is even possible that muscle breakdown is more likely to occur, because the organism will fall back on the protein in the muscles if the protein intake is insufficient. For this reason, in connection with the Building up musculature a calorie-reduced diet is a bad idea.
This is in any case the case if this diet is not associated with a sufficient supply of protein and muscle building. Diets make up part of some people's lifestyles.
Without realizing it, this lifestyle can have a detrimental effect on the Spine health impact. Not only too little exercise, but also too little protein can promote degenerative changes in the spine.
Muscle building after intervertebral disc surgery: setting training stimuli
musculature – for example after a decompression operation – can be built up in various ways through training. Generally speaking, muscles build up when you Stress stimuli and recovery phases alternate.
When from Muscle growth The aim here is to thicken the existing muscle fibers. All muscle growth is in some way an adaptive response. The muscle responds to stimuli and adjusts to withstand stronger stimuli in the future.
In the aftercare following spinal surgery, it is possible to improve muscle stimulation in different ways set.
Here is to be thought for instance:
– swimming and further training in water such as aqua fitness (exercises using one's own body weight) – strength training – rowing – back exercises – more movement in everyday life – certain forms of yoga – Pilates
For some groups of people, training measures and exercises include not only direct stimuli to the muscles in the back area. This can also involve coordination and balance exercises, which help to improve the entire stabilize the spine.
In order to avoid incorrect posture in the future, it is also important to exercise, such as some movements are carried out. The wrong muscles may often be used for certain movements, and thus overworked.
Certain movement concepts such as Feldenkrais, start exactly at this point.
Special training concepts can, but do not have to be
As described earlier, there is no such thing as a workout after spinal surgery. The Rehabilitation measures must be tailored to the individual requirements of the person concerned.
There are special training concepts, such as Kieser Training, which focus on the spine and the development of muscles in this physical area. Kieser Training is a strength training program that is designed in particular to strengthen the Back Health has in mind.
For some people, a special training concept can be right, for example, after herniated discs back muscles build up and maintain.
These usually rather expensive programs, which are associated with a membership in a specific training facility, do not necessarily have to be completed in order to be able to work out after a Spine surgery fit to become and to strengthen the back musculature.
Physiotherapists show affected persons how to Rehabilitation measures after the procedure, usually a series of exercises and measures that can also be easily integrated into everyday life.
The only thing that matters in the end is that combination of training, lifestyle and nutrition doing more for the neglected back muscles than was usually the case prior to the surgical measure.
Ideally, you will now remain active throughout your life in order to develop further Herniated discs and prevent similar events. Strengthen your back and regularly exercise to build up muscles after an intervertebral disc surgery. Our nutrition expert Maik Thies has been working successfully as a personal coach since 2011. Managers for fitness& recreational facilities in the health market.
As a fitness specialist and world champion in bodybuilding, he shares his knowledge with people who want to redefine physical and mental limits and value healthy and balanced nutrition. Its clients include u.a. Skeleton athletes Janine Becker and Alexander Gassner, bobsled pilot Stephanie Schneider, rally motor sportsman Sepp Wiegand, etc.