Spring is right around the corner, the time of increased physical activity in the garden. With the increased spring activities comes the sore backs and injuries – I should know… Basic gardening activities like weeding, digging and watering involve movement, effort and energy. Too many hours spent enthusiastically bent over while seeding and weeding can lead to back pain.
Avoid the pain and injuries following these simple tips while gardening
1. Gardening Posture
Keep your back straight and attempt to work within comfortable reach of your body. Make sure to focus your tasks as much as you can in the zone between your knees and shoulders and within arms length. The further you reach from your body, the greater the force your body will be exposed to. Long-handled tools and a ladder can help with this.
2. Invest in decent tools
If a tool does its job well, it should take a portion of the physical stress of gardening away from your body. Tools ought to likewise be comfortable to utilize. When purchasing gardening tools, take in consideration the following:
- are they comfortable to hold?
- are they the correct size?
- and are they too heavy for you?
3. Vary your activities
In the event that you are arranging a long session in the garden, split it up into shorter activities. Eg. raking for 30 mins, pruning for 30mins, weeding for 30mins. Utilizing diverse devices with your body in changed positions lessens the danger of repetitive strain injuries or over-stressing a single part of your body.
4. Take regular breaks
Don’t forget to rest! Your body will appreciate it! You may also find something you are doing wrong as I often do.
5. Digging
The primary things to remember are:
- Remain in a split position with one foot before the other. Keep your back straight and arms near your body.
- Bend from your knees and hips, not your back.
- If you are moving earth to your side or behind you, turn your whole body rather than twisting from your waist or back.
6. Weeding and planting
- Avoid standing and bending forwards from your waist to reach the ground.
- Better to stoop with both knees on a kneeling pad (to reduce stress on your knees). Support yourself with one hand and use the other for weeding.
- Switch hands occasionally to give the other side a break.
7.Bending and Lifting
- Find a gardening buddy to help out with heavy loads
- Lift from a squat position using bent hips and knees rather than using your back.
- Try to lift from directly in front of you to avoid lifting and twisting and at the same time (this is a common cause of disc injuries).
- Use a wheelbarrow. Remember to bend from your hips and knees when lifting it and keep your back straight.
- Keep secateurs in a belt-holster or a large pocket to save repeatedly bending down
8. Pruning
- Use a ladder and move it consistently so you are inside reach of the zone you are dealing with.
- Invest in pruners or loppers with long or telescopic handles to prevent over-reaching. Some also have a ratchet system which makes cutting easier and reduces strain on the back and shoulders.
9. Raking
- Keep your back straight, utilizing hips and knees to twist as opposed to your back
- Rake from before you and abstain from winding to the side.
- Move your feet to keep yourself situated near your rake to avoid over-reaching.
