Spring is in the air and the itch for working on our gardens is upon us. How do we work on our gardens without feeling the effects on our body after 6 months of hibernation? Moving those heavy bags, pushing a lawnmower or digging up our gardens can quickly exhaust our backs and cause us pain and discomfort. Proper planning in advance, to space out our gardening over time, helps to decrease the effects on our body from overdoing it.
Some additional tips to keep in mind to help avoid injury include:
- Use your feet to move around when shoveling instead of rotating your spine. Lift smaller amounts at a time to avoid overexerting those back muscles.
- Use knee pads or a mat to plant and weed. Avoid bending down with your hips or back. Sit on a small stool if you cannot kneel, thereby avoiding pressure on your knees.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects, especially after you have been kneeling or bending for prolonged periods of time. This will put excessive pressure on the discs in your low back and also fatigue the back muscles. Use a wheelbarrow or a wagon to transport those heavy bags and plants.
- Avoid repetitive activities such as clipping or pruning for long periods of time as it can lead to tendonitis.
- Pushing heavy objects is always easier than pulling.
- Avoid staying in one position for prolonged periods as this is always hard on our body.
When weeding for example, try to be on one knee and keep the other foot planted on the ground. Switch knees after half an hour or so to redistribute body weight and muscle tension to the other side of your body. This will help avoid muscle and joint pain from overstressing one side of your body.
- Finally,remember to always warm up and stretch before you start to garden. Just like you warm up before vigorous exercise, you should warm up before beginning a day of gardening. Take a few minutes to stretch your arms, wrists,hands, low back and shoulders.
If you are experiencing pain from gardening, you may need to seek treatment to help get you back to being pain free and enjoying the activities you love. Call Durham Orthopedic and Sports Injury clinic at 905-428-7800 and talk to one of our physiotherapists today.
