Studies show that 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. And the most common types of pain are located in the lower back (27%) and neck (15%). It can be challenging to deal with this pain, but imagine walking again and living a full life after you’ve been told you never would.
We know of someone who did this: Valentin Dikul. And he went one step further, creating a complete exercise system to change people’s lives, just as he once did.
We learn all about who Valentin Dikul is, how he created his own exercise system and medical center, and why his set of exercises can improve your life and potentially completely change it.
How Was The Dikul Workout Created?
Valentin Dikul is a circus gymnast and, surprisingly, director of the Rehabilitation Center for people with musculoskeletal disorders. Having had a difficult childhood, he managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a circus performer.
However, in 1962, during a performance in Kaunas, a steel support crossbar broke, throwing Dikul from a 40-foot-high lifeline. Doctors said the boy would never walk again. However, Dikul was not the type to despair.
He began exercising, first with his upper body, then engaging his paralyzed limbs as if they were healthy.
To begin with, he tied a rope to the paralyzed limbs and pulled them, and with the use of weights created a counterweight. Dikul designed the “exercise machine” himself. Thanks to years of exercise, Dikul has not only returned to a completely normal life, but has also become one of the strongest people on the planet.
His ability to juggle with weights is still considered unique and even placed him in the Guinness Book of Records. However, his greatest achievement is creating his own medical rehabilitation methodology for people with spinal injuries.
How Can The Dikul Workout Improve Your Health?
Although we skip the serious injuries, we all know that conditions like scoliosis, osteochondrosis, and spinal disc prolapse are common problems for both children and adults. So how can Dikul training help you?
Pick A Set Of Exercises
The exercises are different for each condition, of course, but they are all very simple.
For example, below is a set of exercises for people with chronic back pain and discomfort caused by osteochondrosis.
Exercise #1
Lie on your back, open your arms with your palms facing down. Keep your legs straight and your feet together. Without lifting your head, shoulders, or left foot, slowly turn your left hip to the right.
Stay like this for 2-3 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the same exercise with your right hip.
Exercise #2
Lie on your back, spread your legs with your feet shoulder-width apart. Cross your hands over your chest. Without lifting your pelvis and legs off the floor, turn your left shoulder to the right.
Stay in this position for 2-3 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat the same exercise in the opposite direction.
Exercise #3
Lying on your back, bring your feet together. Extend your arms with your palms facing down. Without lifting your shoulders and head off the ground, move both legs as far to the right as you can without separating your feet.
Stay in this position for 2-3 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat the same exercise in the opposite direction.
We hope that after reading this article, you will be as impressed with Valentin Dikul and what he has done for himself and humanity as we are.
Talk to your rehabilitation specialist, doctor, or trainer about using Dikul training to treat your condition, and let us know in the comments what methods you are using to treat your spine problems.
Have they proven to be effective or perhaps even revolutionary?
