By Abbey Fecher, DPT Spring is well underway and yard work and gardening has probably been on your weekend to-do lists. It’s always exciting to see the colorful flowers and enjoy the fresh veggies. The less exciting part of gardening thoughare the dreaded aches and pains that come along with the task. Did you know that there are plenty of things you can do to ensure gardening is pain- and injury-free?Gardening can be fun rather than a chore that leaves you spending the rest of the day on the couch with a heating pad. You are prone to injury when you garden because it requires tasks such as lifting, pulling, pushing, and stooping. We are are not conditioned to perform these actions for extended periods of time. Your neck, back, shoulders and knees are the most prone to injury with gardening. Sustained poor postures like stooping, bending forwardand kneeling, lifting heavy objects and repetitive movements put increased stress on your joints and can cause inflammation and pain. Common Gardening Injuries:
Muscle strains:A muscle strain is an over stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon.Lower back, neck, and shoulder strains are common with gardening due to lifting, prolonged postures, and overhead trimming or pruning.
Muscle sprains: An over stretching or tearing of a ligament. Sprains are most common in the ankle, but they can happen in any joint of the body. You can sprain your ankle or knee when you garden if you trip or fall or even step on uneven ground.
The good news is there are many stepsyou can taketo avoid these pesky injuries.
Perform a proper warm-up. You wouldn’t go for a 5-mile run or play a game of soccer without warming up, so why would you garden without warming up? Spend 10 minutes doing a warm-up including brisk walking for 3-5 minutes and stretches that target your neck, lower back and shoulders. Try these stretches:
Double to chest stretch – Hold for 20 seconds three times.
Hip rotator stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times. Switch sides.
Pectoral/chest stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times.
Cross-body shoulder stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times. Switch sides.
Shoulder rolls – Perform 15 in each direction.
Ear to shoulder stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times. Switch sides.
Hamstring Stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times. Switch sides.
Quad Stretch –Hold for 20 seconds three times. Switch sides.
With a proper warm-up, you will increase the blood flow to your muscles, improve flexibility, and decrease the risk of straining your muscles. 2. Be aware of proper positions and postures while you are gardening. It is important to change positions regularly while gardening to avoid unnecessary stress/strain on the body and to avoid muscles from getting tight and sore. You should alternate between sitting and standing positions every 30 minutes and limit any overhead chores to 5 minutes or less at a time. Maintaining your spine in neutral alignment is also very important to avoid excess stress on the muscles and ligaments of the neck and back. Neutral alignment means that your spine stays in a straight line and you are not hunched over or looking down or up for an extended period of time. Planting or weeding in a half-kneeling position or sitting on a gardening stool are the best positions for spinal alignment. To decrease stress on your shoulders and back, you should avoid reaching out in front of you. Keep your work close to your body or use long-handled tools to aid in your activity to avoid over-stretching. If you are moving heavy objects such as bags of topsoil or rocks, consider using a wheelbarrow or a sled that you can pull or push them in to decrease stress on your joints. Lifting tasks should always be performed with the load close to your body and keeping a straight spine. Get someone to help you move heavy objects. 3. Consider purchasing high quality gardening tools that fit your body and are comfortable. There are many ergonomic tools on the market which are designed to help you keep proper body alignment. Go to your local hardware store and try them out because there is no “one size fits all tool.” 4.The last step is to know when to stop! It is never beneficial to push through pain when you are gardening. You should never garden for more than an hour at a time without a significant rest break. Muscles typically fatigue after a half hour of repetitive work, therefore you are at an increased risk of injury performing tasks with tired muscles. If you experience sharp pain or start to feel achy and sore, stop and rest. Ice is very helpful to reduceinflammation and sore/stiff joints. There is no rule that you have to complete a task in one day. Spread out manual labor over several weekends to avoid over stressing your body. Overall, you need to be smart when you are gardening. It is important to listen to your body and ask for help when needed. If you follow these simple tips you can start to enjoy gardening and remain pain free!
CLICK HERE if you are experiencing aches or pain after a weekend of yard work or you haven’t been able to do any gardening because of pain. We can schedule your FREE ASSESSMENT with one of our expert physical therapists so you can get back to these springtime activities pain-free!
Start with some light stretching or a quick walk to get your muscles warm and ready for action. This can help prevent strains and sprains as you move around your garden. Ergonomic gardening tools are designed to reduce strain on your body, making them a must-have for any gardener looking to avoid aches and pains.
You are prone to injury when you garden because it requires tasks such as lifting, pulling, pushing, and stooping. We are are not conditioned to perform these actions for extended periods of time. Your neck, back, shoulders and knees are the most prone to injury with gardening.
The most common injuries include muscle strains and overloads, joint and ligament sprains, and disc related injuries, which may range from a minor bulge to a more severe herniation or prolapse, where the inner disc material protrudes out and may compress nerve tissue leading to back, buttock and even leg pain.
The most common gardening injuries include cuts and scrapes. Other gardening injuries can occur from lawn mower and tool accidents, ring avulsions, and using improper body mechanics, especially when lifting heavy loads.
Gardening is widely regarded as a moderate to strenuous form of exercise. All that bending, lifting, digging and hauling burns calories and builds muscle. But it can also strain backs and leave even the fittest among us aching the next day.
Why does my back, neck or shoulder still hurt after gardening? Muscle strains typically heal with time, many within a few days, and most within 3 to 4 weeks.
Deep gluteal syndrome (DGS) is an under-diagnosed entity characterized by pain and/or dysesthesias in the buttock area, hip or posterior thigh and/or radicular pain due to a non-discogenic sciatic nerve entrapment in the subgluteal space.
Rest: Your doctor will advise you to avoid high-impact exercises and activities. Ice: Apply ice to relieve pain and inflammation. Compression: Pressure should be applied using an elastic bandage to the affected site to reduce pain. Elevation: You will be instructed to elevate your leg to relieve swelling.
Preventative care. Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints associated with gardening. One of the best ways to prevent back pain is to avoid repeated bending or stooping, which causes stress to your spine. Whenever possible, you should get closer to the ground by using a bench.
Watering, too much or too little, is a balance that can be hard to achieve. It's one of those gardening skills that takes practice. For our outdoor gardens, this can sometimes be difficult to control since we get quite a bit of rain in Powell River.
Yes, indeed. Gardening is similar to other moderate to strenuous forms of exercise like walking and bicycling. Gardening works all the major muscle groups: legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen.
Pests, diseases and weather are the top three pain points that discourage gardeners. But if you pick a plant that is suited to your area and grow it in the ideal conditions, it will thrive.
Gardening engages all the major muscle groups, such as the arms, legs, shoulders, back and abdomen, Mandal said. The activity also improves mobility, helps build endurance, and is a comparable workout to walking or Pilates. All the necessary digging, planting, mowing, raking and weeding torches calories, too.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gardening qualifies as exercise. In fact, getting out in the yard for just 30-45 minutes can burn up to 300 calories.
Gardening involves a lot of bending over, twisting and manoeuvring in small, awkward spaces such as under bushes. It can also mean lifting heavy objects such as wheelbarrows and bags of topsoil. Back pain caused by gardening doesn't usually occur until later on in the day, or even the day after gardening.
There are many reasons why you may feel sore during and after house or yard work. The most common reasons include delayed onset of muscles soreness (DOMS), and time spent in a position, overreaching or awkward movements.
Digging, raking and using a push mower can be physically intense activities. You may burn as many calories as a workout in the gym. If you aren't used to these types of activities, it is likely that you will feel a bit sore after a busy day gardening. Gardening also can improve your balance, strength and flexibility.
Gardening gives you a lot of direct contact with allergens. You're digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, sitting in the grass, touching plants, and it can all cause symptoms like cough, itching, stuffy nose, congestion, and more. The allergens that cause the most issues when gardening are: Weeds.
Gardening is similar to other moderate to strenuous forms of exercise like walking and bicycling. Gardening works all the major muscle groups: legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen. Tasks that use these muscles build strength and burn calories.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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