GARDENING BACK CARE
Spending time in the garden is an excellent way to reconnect with nature and has significant physical and mental health benefits. That said, Spring time when people start getting back out in their gardens is often a very busy time of year for us as Osteopaths, and we commonly see a lot of people with strains of the low back and pelvis (sacro-iliac joints).
I think people are especially vulnerable at this time of year as they have often been more sedentary over the winter, resulting in a loss of fitness and muscle strength. Added to that is the effects of any strains from falls, illnesses or other lifestyle factors that have predisposed the body to problems, yet don’t become apparent until we start to put the body under more strain through increased activity.
There are things that you can do to help prevent problems occurring, or if you have a recurrent problem prevent it from getting worse.
Pacing yourself
Don’t try and do it all at once, start slowly and build up. This may be a case of doing lighter jobs first that don’t require so much lifting and bending, as your muscles warm up you can progress on to the heavier jobs. You may also want to consider some gentle low back stretches to help your muscles warm up.
When doing strenuous things such as digging, limit the time you do these for. Depending on your physical fitness and history of any back problems, you should really not be doing them for more than 20-30 minutes at a time. BUT, this will be different for everyone, you must listen to your body and if it is causing pain then stop. You are far better off doing things in small bite size chunks, little and often, than overdoing it and paying the price for days and weeks.
Use of props and the right tools
Having and using the right tools can really help take the strain off your body. This could be things such as long handled forks and spades, that mean less bending when digging. When weeding, a long handled hoes can reduce the need for bending, if you do need to be on your knees then props such as kneelers can help take the strain off your back.
Lifting and carrying
When lifting, again little and often is better. Try to lighten the load of any pots or watering cans by not lifting them when they are completely full, if watering cans are becoming too heavy, you might want to consider using a hose or a soaker system.
When you do lift, pay close attention to your lifting technique. The lifting should come from the legs, so make sure you bend your knees in to a squat position, keeping your back straight. Have the object close to you when you lift up, DO NOT lift and twist from your upper body, instead lift up and then twist from your hips. It is a good idea to use a wheelbarrow if you are going to be moving anything for any distance. When you put the objects down again, make sure you still pay attention to your posture and bend from your knees.
Digging Technique
Bad posture when digging, significantly increases the load on the low back and shoulders and if done for a prolonged time can cause problems. You should avoid bending forward from the hips and back.
Correct digging posture
Keep your spade/ fork close to you.
Use your weight to do the work, so using your dominant foot lean on the spade. You may want to then give it a wiggle about and repeat if you need to dig a little deeper.
Then switch your stance so that your non dominant foot is closest to the spade. You can then pull it backwards, lower your body and bend your knees to lift. This way, it should be your legs doing the work not your back!
Modifying your garden
If you’re finding your garden a lot to cope with physically, then you may want to consider modifying your garden to make it easier and lower maintenance. Things you might want to consider include:
Having raised beds built. These can reduce the need for bending and take strain off your back.
Using more in the way of ground cover planting can reduce the need for weeding.
Plant more in the way of low maintenance shrubs, if you then want to add more colour through planting of annuals, you can then do this by adding in small patches of them.
Post Gardening Backcare
After gardening, you may want to consider doing some gentle warm down stretches. Simple ones are lying on your back and then bringing your knees to your chest, you can then gently let your knees fall to one side and then to the other, gradually allowing yourself to relax in to the stretches.
If you have strained your back then may want to use a cold compress to help reduce any swelling. For generally stiff and achy muscles heat is often beneficial. If possible, a hot bath can be particularly good, and adding epsom salts can also be a good addition to this.
If you are in acute pain, still in pain after 2 or 3 days, or if you are having any persistent problems then you may want to contact us for further advice. For contact details, visit our website www.churchdownosteopaths.co.uk.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
