Gardening is a popular hobby during the spring and summer, but it also requires a lot of bending and back-breaking work. If you are someone that already experiences lower back pain, gardening can aggravate it further. Health And Wellness Clinic wants to help avid gardeners prevent back problems and participate in their hobbies without stress. Preventing back pain while gardening is possible when you prepare and take care of your body.
1- Start With A Warm Up
Before any exercise or strenuous activity a warm-up will prevent injury. Stretching your muscles can help stretch out your body and reduce lactic acid which can cause pain in your back. Even if you are only going to pull a few weeds while gardening, stretching will prevent pulled muscles and slipped discs by a small wrong movement.
If you are not sure where to start when it comes to stretching, our chiropractors or your general physician about what stretches are right for you.
2- Bend Down In A Neutral Spine Position
Back injuries are often caused because of improper bending and lifting. You should maintain the natural curves of the spine as you garden. You can bend one knee, or squat instead of bending over to prevent back pain while gardening.
Avoid sudden movements or stretching beyond your reach and instead keep motions smooth. Proper body mechanics and ergonomics can be important to learn about if you garden frequently.
3- Use Gardening Tools To Ease The Burden
Gardening is a hobby that comes with many helpful tools to help you harvest your crop and maintain the soil. These tools can also help limit back pain by taking some of the weight off your body.
Wheelbarrows, long-handled tools, benches, and curved-handled tools can all help prevent chronic pain. Research what tools are best for your situation including back pain, arthritis, or knee pain.
4- Add Cushioning With Knee Pads
Another tool that can help prevent back pain while gardening is knee pads. Knee pads are a popular and useful tool for gardeners that can be purchased for a very low price and are found at most home improvement stores. Cushions can either move with you or be worn on your legs to help keep your body from seeing too much strain. Make sure you wear the correct fitting and high-quality knee pads.
5- Take Breaks And Drink Plenty Of Water
Working out in the heat while bending and shoveling can cause dehydration and strain on the body. Dehydration affects more than just your body temperature, it also affects the lubrication of your joints. Make sure you bring a water bottle out with you into the yard to remind yourself to hydrate. If you have been in one position for a long period of time, take a break and walk around or stretch.
If you are repeating a specific task over and over, make sure to rotate your body and complete a different task to prevent strain.
6- Try Raised Bed Gardening
As you age, bending over to the garden while kneeling on the ground can be excruciating. Raised beds can limit how far you have to bend your back and make it easier to reach the plants. Standing while gardening can be less painful, help you better monitor your plants, and can even look decorative on a wall or stand by growing freely. Using raised beds will help limit spinal subluxations and prevent back pain while gardening.
Back Pain Relief From Health And Wellness
Our clinic provides quality chiropractic care, massage, and cryotherapy to help patients limit pain and injury. Our bodies go through a lot, so even if you do not have debilitating pain, chiropractic can help limit scar tissue and muscle soreness. Health And Wellness Clinic works with patients of varying ages and helps treat many different issues.
No matter the cause of your back pain, our chiropractor will discuss your health and how we can help improve your symptoms. Stretches, massage, exercise, and chiropractic can all be used together to improve your mobility. Contact us by call or text at (801) 784-4807.