How to prevent injuries to keep you outside in the garden…

If you are fortunate to have some garden space, you may have found yourself outside more often than usual, and perhaps for longer than usual.

It’s the time of year we start to plant seedlings and plug plants, dig, rake, prune and mow to keep the wild stuff under some control and encourage the colour and edible plants!

Gardening is a great form of exercise, it’s low impact for the most part, and helps maintain a variety of joint movements, though heavier lifting of a wheelbarrow, bags of compost or pushing a heavy petrol mower, can occasionally increase the physical demands.

 

If activities seem a little more sedate, such as pruning, it’s often the postures we adopt that that may be worth checking every so often.  This will help reduce the development of new aches and pains if you become so engrossed that you have been weeding or planting out for an hour without changing posture.  Use equipment to make your posture comfier by sitting on a stool, minimise reaching and neck strain by using step ladders.

 

The images show an example of an ‘ideal’ posture for certain gardening tasks such as lifting, reaching, raking and pruning, and the less ideal positioning – can you tell which ones are better?!

That’s not to say we can’t bend when we rake, for example, after all we are designed to bend, twist and reach.  The images are here to help focus on the ways we can change our positioning, using kneeling pads/stools and ladders or bending lower in a push or pull movement (knee mobility permitting)

These modified positions help offload prolonged stresses and stretch on ligament and joint structures, that with time may become grumbly and create you some pain or discomfort.

After any activity that involves for forward stretch, reach and bend at the neck, arms or spine, a BACKWARD stretch to release and reverse that posture will help.

 

Place the hands in the small of the back or on the hips and take 3 small backward leaning movements (don’t hold your breath) and allow the front of the body to lengthen.

Do this often through the day as you feel the postures tighten.

 

For aches and pains that are not settling, you can access ONLINE VIDEO AND TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS by contacting the clinic admin@buryphysio.co.uk, visiting the website for more information www.buryphysio.co.uk or calling 01284 748200.

Happy gardening from all at Bury Physio!