With the gardening season upon us, we’re sharing 10 safety tips & techniques. Don’t let pain take the joy out of gardening for you!
1. Wear comfortable shoes with good cushioning and arch support – don’t garden barefoot or in flip flops. Everything in your body is connected. Protecting your feet will serve your efforts to protect your back.
2. Stretch before you start. Take 5-10 minutes to get your blood flowing, warm up your muscles and lubricate your joints. Walk around the garden, stretch your arms up overhead, do a few side bends, etc.
3. Pay attention to your posture. Instead of using your back muscles to lift, take advantage of the stronger muscles in your thighs and buttocks by bending your knees, leaning over from the hips and keeping your back straight from the base of your neck all the way down to the end of your spine.
4. Get support. A lightweight portable garden stool will help protect your knees and joints while you kneel. A wheelbarrow will make it easy to divide a heavy load into smaller more manageable amounts. A neighbour or family member who can lend a helping hand. Take advantage of support.
5. Use the right tools. Lightweight gardening tools with long handles or extensions will help you reach the areas you need without straining. The more things that you can push into the ground with your feet instead of bending over and pushing it in with your hands, the better.
6. Design garden beds to support you. Narrow garden beds help you easily maneuver around plants without having to reach too far. Raised beds and oversized plant pots also help to reduce the need to bend and reach. You can also build raised beds with walls to double as benches so you can sit while you garden. Just make sure to maintain proper posture while sitting, pulling your shoulders up and keeping your back straight.
7. Keep the weeds away. The more you reduce the need to bend over and pull out unwanted plants, the less likely you are to strain your back. Avoid leaving bare patches of soil where weeds will want to grow. Add mulch to the surface of your garden beds and use ground cover plants to maintain moisture and suppress weeds.
8. Take stretch breaks. It’s never a good idea to stay in one position for too long, especially when you are leaning over or bending down and curving your back. Take a stretch break every 30 to 40 minutes and any time you feel yourself curving your back too much in one way for too long.
9. Listen to your body. Pay attention, hydrate, stretch and take breaks as you need. The best way to avoid injury is to listen to your body’s cues and avoid pushing yourself beyond your limits.
After you finish gardening, be sure to do a final stretch and then ice any aches and pains.
10: If you’re already experiencing pain, come and see us. Give us a call at 905-628-1000 or book an appointment online for an assessment. We can help relieve your pain and advise you on any specific actions you should practice or avoid.
