11 Tips for Injury Free Spring Gardening
Posted on April 12, 2009
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The warm weather has come round again and the garden is out there, wordlessly calling you to action. If not much has happened out there yet it soon will as the warmth and light take effect. There’s so much to be done as we try and prepare the plot for growing that perfect lawn, vegetables and flowers.
The sudden increase in digging the garden is rapidly followed by a burst of injuries such as back and neck pain and other joint pains. Much of this pain and suffering could be avoided with some preparation and planning.
The winter has, for many of us, been a quiet time physically as we have done relatively little exercise or physical activity. So when March comes we are spectacularly unprepared for the burst of intense physical work needed to get the garden into order and prepared for the crops.
Advice on warming up before you get stuck in to the work is useful in itself but leaves out a crucial part of the equation, the amount of activity you decide to do when you start or later on. You could warm up really thoroughly but if you perform far too much gardening initially you will suffer due to your body’s tissue tolerances being overstepped.
Preparation by warming up may well be essential but if you omit to keep activity levels under control, you may not be able to manage useful levels of work. Winter means we have all done less physical activity, particularly exercise, and our tissues will have a reduced tolerance to physical stresses. Athletes do not go out and perform their event at full tilt when they start training but gradually increase the intensity of training and performance.
Overdoing our activity is the typical behaviour most of us fall into if we do not apply a controlled, timed approach. We are unable to figure out how much is wise for us to do because the consequences of what we have done come along later on and so cannot guide us at the time. Getting the gardening tools out and trying to get stuck in to the work will ensure we fall for the overdoing trap.
All the major therapy professions such as physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic experience a rapid increase in injuries and pain conditions relating to gardening and other outdoor activities at this time of year. Low back pain is the commonest, with other joint and ligamentous strains also typically occurring. Many people aggravate a pre-existing condition.
11 Ways to Prevent Injury and Get Fit for Gardening
1. During the winter try and maintain a level of activity and exercise so you are prepared for the spring.
2. Do gentle stretches each time before you get going.
3. Work at ground level should be done whilst kneeling either using knee pads or a kneeler.
4. Take regular breaks at intervals you decide before you start.
5. If you are relatively fit keep the amount of activity to short times at first and for no longer than a total of two hours a day. If you are not fit or have pain, make it much shorter.
6. Pace your progress by increasing your work times in a graded and even fashion, ignoring how good you might feel.
7. Make sure you stick to the times you have decided, especially if you feel really good and want to do much more. This is a trap.
8. Lift well and get someone else to help you if the load is heavy.
9. Avoid mowing by swinging the mower from side to side; walk up and down with it instead.
10. Give yourself a planned change in task, avoiding doing consecutive activities and postures which have similar physical requirements. Do some greenhouse work or pruning in between bouts of digging for example.
11. If you feel you may have overdone it, leave the activity for a day or so just to see if it is muscle soreness. When you restart, go back with a lower time than when you brought the problem on.
The most important thing is to pace and decide the level of work before starting. And to stick to it.
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