Gardening and Good Body Mechanics

Gardening is wonderful exercise in the fresh air and is rewarding on so many levels. Unfortunately it’s easy to stress our bodies when we engage in this activity. Gardening-related pain and injuries are some of the most common complaints doctors get in the springtime. You can greatly reduce your chances for pain and injury while gardening by tuning into your body and observing the advice and techniques in this article.

 

Take Care of Yourself
Treat gardening as a sport. Begin gardening by warming up as you would before any sports activity. Stretch the most frequently used muscles in your upper and lower body so they become more flexible and able to handle the tasks at hand. Some light stretching when you are finished will help to relieve stiffness and soreness later.

 

Carefully plan how much time you need. Be honest with yourself about how much you can do in one day. If you’re getting a little older – that’s you, Baby Boomers, don’t try to kid yourself that you can do as much at one time as you used to. Most injuries occur from doing too much too quickly. Allow plenty of time during the week to spread out doing all the chores. It’ll all get done eventually.

 

Keep good body mechanics in mind. Carefully lift heavy bags of dirt or mulch by keeping your back straight, bending at the knees, lifting with the strength of your legs and holding the bag as close to your body as possible.

 

When you dig with a shovel lift the dirt and turn your entire body before emptying the contents. Avoid lifting, twisting and throwing, especially if the soil is wet or clay. Avoid bending forward for prolonged periods. This puts a lot of pressure on the back and knees and will eventually cause problems. Stoop down or sit on a stool or on the ground.

 

Alternate your activities so you use different muscle groups. Vary your activities to minimize the repetitive stress placed on your spine and muscles. Take frequent breaks. Minimize the chance of injury by taking breaks every 30 to 60 minutes. Take a few minutes to stretch, get a drink of water and evaluate what you want to do next.

 

Stop gardening before you become fatigued. Most injuries occur when you are trying to do “one last thing.” If you feel stiff, sore or experience pain, use ice on the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes. If the pain persists or becomes more intense, stop gardening and consult your health care provider.

 

The following website has a discussion about tools for women/petite persons. http://www.dulley.com/msbuilder/lib/ms101.shtml

 

Check around on the internet. There are a myriad of sites that will pop up if you type in ergonomic garden tools, or gardening tools for arthritis.