Gardening Tips to Prevent Back Pain: Cultivating Comfort in Your Green Space
Spring is here at last (well almost!) and many of us will be enjoying getting back into the garden again. Exercising our green fingers is a great way to get closer to nature, enjoy a little peace and relax our minds. But what we sometimes forget, is that gardening can be strenuous exercise too.
Gardening is a wonderful hobby that allows you to connect with nature, beautify your surroundings, and even grow your own food. However, it can sometimes be a physically demanding activity, leading to body aches and pains. Don't let this discourage you from enjoying your garden! By following some simple tips and techniques, you can minimize discomfort and cultivate your green space with ease.
Here are some ways you can prevent back pain while gardening:
Prepare your body for gardening by doing a little warm-up. To avoid back pain developing while you garden, warm up first. While it’s easy to think of it as a sedentary activity, it puts your body through a wide range of movements including standing, leaning, stretching, crouching, twisting, digging, and lifting - so that's a full bodywork! You'll be using many different muscles and joints and it's important to recognize that you need to prepare your body in the same way you would if you were about to go out for a run or play tennis.
Pay attention to how you bend and lift. Whether it's a bag of compost or garden waste, or moving plant pots, be mindful of how you lift and carry things while you garden... a high percentage of back pain is directly related to carrying something heavy! And while bending over to do the groundwork, think about your position.
Use specialized gardening tools. You can prevent back pain while gardening by using specialist tools designed to take the strain off your body. Wheelbarrows and wheeled garden waste carts can make loading and unloading garden debris much easier, and enable you to transport compost or plant pots more safely. Long-handled tools can make weeding, trimming, and even picking up garden waste much easier on your back, avoiding the need to stretch or bend over repeatedly.
Get support from kneelers and chairs. Getting down on the ground—and then standing back upright—can be painful or even impossible, depending on your level of pain and flexibility. Heavy-duty kneelers, especially those with raised, padded handles can help you get up and down, allowing you to use your arm strength to aid in the process. Kneelers usually include a well-cushioned base to reduce stress and impact on your knees and back.
Don’t take on too much. While it might be tempting to take on your entire gardening project, pace yourself, take breaks, stay hydrated, and ask for help when it’s needed.
Bring the plants to you. Raised-bed gardening using beds 2 to 3 feet tall offers plenty of planting options. Some of the sturdier raised beds include an edge where the gardener can sit while planting or harvesting vegetables, fruits, or herbs. You can also consider a gardening wall or vertical gardening.
Take regular breaks and stretch. it's important to take regular breaks if you want to avoid back pain after gardening. It's easy to get carried away and so immersed in tasks like weeding or trimming, that you forget to take a rest. Try setting a timer on your phone or watch and aim to take a break every 30 mins or so. Have a cup of tea or simply walk around and stretch for 5 minutes. And once you've finished for the day, take 10 minutes to stretch the muscles in your neck, shoulders, arms, back, and legs. Stretching after any strenuous physical activity is proven to help muscles recover and repair.
If you need advice on gardening-related aches and pains, the chiropractors at Active Spine and Joint Institute can help diagnose and treat your back pain. We can advise you on your posture, prescribe an exercise program to strengthen your back and help you continue doing the things you love.