28 Jul Five Tricks to Help Keep Your Gardening Pain-Free
Gardening and yard work are great forms of both exercise and stress relief, but if done incorrectly or in high amounts can create or exacerbate pain. Most common gardening activities such as digging, raking, planting, and weeding can cause some stress on your muscles and joints. However, the following simple tips can help minimize the stress on your muscles and get you back to gardening, hopefully pain free!
1. Warm-up beforehand and be sure to listen to your body.
Gardening can be a strenuous activity, so like any other exercise or form of physical activity, gardening or yard work should begin with a little warm up. As simple as taking a brisk 10-minute warm-up walk, followed by some simple stretching could make a big difference. This will get your body prepared for the movement that is to come.Along with a little pre-exercise, you should also make sure that you are reacting to your aches and pains. If you are experiencing severe pinching pain in any part of your body while gardening, take a break. Stretch out or walk around, don’t try to push through the pain. It will likely make it worse!
2. Get extra support.
Most people think gardening with a bad back or a little knee pain is out of the question, but if done properly and safely with extra support, working in the garden can actually be therapeutic physically, mentally and spiritually! No matter where your pain is located, there are a variety of supports and tools available that can help assist you while gardening. Make use of a gardening kneeler, a wheelbarrow rather than lifting, or a supportive brace for your pain. No matter the pain area, there are supportive tools to help to assist you while pulling weeds, mowing, or doing other yard work.
3. Change Positions to Avoid Cramping.
If you are in the same position for an extended period of time, your body is more likely to begin giving out, aching and cramping. If your body begins to ache after an extended time without movement, switch up your garden routine and allow yourself to move around in order to reduce and work towards preventing that pain.
4. Try Alternative Methods.
If you are experiencing the pain while bending down, kneeling, or squatting to tend to your garden, you should try the alternative method of wall gardening. Wall gardening, also called vertical gardening, is the trend of planting up rather than across the ground, allowing you to work at eye level. There are a wide variety of techniques when it comes to wall gardening, find what will work best for you!
5. Be Aware of Common Gardening Injuries & Pain.
Pulled back muscles, arthritis, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and sore joints and muscles are just a few of the most common conditions and pains that are either a result of, or worsened by the actions you perform while gardening. It is important to be aware of what your pain or condition is, so you know how much your body is capable of doing, what to use for extra support, and how to best treat the pain you are experiencing.
The key to all of this is to listen to your body. Our bodies are great communicators. We just need to take the time to listen and learn the language of discomfort… it speaks! Follow these simple tips and hopefully of all of the things growing in your garden, aches and pains won’t be one of them.
We Can help!
If you are experience pain while gardening or another physical activity, we can help! Give us a call and schedule an appointment with one of our experienced occupational therapists.
