ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФІЗИЧНОЇ ТЕРАПІЇ У ПРОЦЕСІ РЕАБІЛІТАЦІЇ ОСІБ ПОХИЛОГО ВІКУ З ПОРУШЕННЯМ ФУНЦІЙ ХРЕБТА

According to literary sources, osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine is one of the most common diseases. This disease affects 22% of the world's population and ranks first in the group of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The main goal of restorative treatment of elderly patients with cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis is to reduce muscle spasticity, decrease the level of heart rate, arterial systolic and diastolic pressure, reduce pain, facilitate the performance of household tasks, etc. In the program of physical therapy, we included therapeutic physical culture, therapeutic massage, and physiotherapeutic means. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to study of the peculiarities of physical therapy in the rehabilitation process of elderly people with osteochondrosis. Research methods. 28 people (12 men and 16 women) with osteochondrosis of the cervical-thoracic spine took part in the study. The average age of the patients was 64.5 years. The pedagogical experiment was aimed at determining the effectiveness of the program of physical therapy developed by us for elderly people with osteochondrosis on indicators of mobility in the cervical spine, intensity of pain sensations. Results and conclusions. The results of the conducted research indicate the positive impact of classes in the complex program of physical therapy for the elderly with cervicothoracic osteochondrosis. Thus, after the completion of the formative study, we established an improvement in the functional state of the cervical spine in elderly persons with cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis. The average group value of the pain intensity index in patients at the end of the study corresponded to the assessment of «very mild pain», while at the beginning of the study it corresponded to the assessment of «pain above average».