Gardening Tips

Boy, have we been spoiled! Here we are in the middle of April, with winter firmly in our rear-view mirror (I hope I’m not jinxing us with that statement!), and it’s time to get gardening. Normally I’ll have quite a few people in the office who strained their back shoveling snow in February and March. I always joke with them that the snow shovel-induced back strain is just a precursor to the gardening-induced back strain. That didn’t happen much this year, so be extra careful as you get outside! Gardening can be a surprisingly good workout, but your body may not be ready for all of that bending, kneeling, twisting, and lifting!

While you may not associate gardening with exercise or “working out”, remember that more often than not back pain comes on suddenly. Don’t let this hobby activity be the “straw that broke the gardener’s back!”

Try to warm up a bit before you start. Take 15 or 20 minutes to walk around the block, or do some windmills. The best way to prepare you low back is with a warm up of your cardiovascular system. This will get the blood flowing to your big low back muscles, so try to get your heart rate increased a bit before you start all that bending and lifting and twisting.

In addition to warming up your blood flow, also try these stretches, which are recommended by the American Chiropractic Association:

Garden Fitness Stretches
• Before stretching for any activity, breathe in and out, slowly and rhythmically, and stretch as far and as comfortably as you can. Do not follow the no pain, no gain rule. Stretching should not be painful. While sitting, prop your heel on a stool or step, keeping the knees straight. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, or the hamstring muscle. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Do this once more and repeat with the other leg.
• Stand up, balance yourself, and grab the front of your ankle from behind. Pull your heel towards your buttocks and hold the position for 15 seconds. Do this again and repeat with the other leg.
• While standing, weave your fingers together above your head with the palms up. Lean to one side for 10 seconds, then to the other. Repeat this stretch three times.
• Do the "Hug your best friend." Wrap your arms around yourself and rotate to one side, stretching as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for 10 seconds and reverse. Repeat two or three times.

Finally, make sure to “tune in” to your body as you’re working outside. If you feel a twinge, or a sharp pain, or a sudden tightness, don’t just assume it’ll go away. Take a bit of a break from whatever you’re doing. Let your body move around a bit in other directions. For example, if you’re kneeling and bending forward, and you start to feel some tension in your low back, stand up and arch your back backwards in the other direction for a couple minutes. This can help to “reset” your lumbar discs and can prevent a very serious low back injury.

Listen, I’m no dummy. I know some of you may skip the warm up I’ve described. You may even just keep working even though your low back is barking at you. I get it—you might be a bit stubborn. So am I…so, if you do end up with some soreness after the job is completed, take care of yourself by applying a cold pack on the painful area for the first 48 hours, or apply a heat pack after 48 hours. Keep stretching the area out, but never stretch into sharp pain. And call our office (894-2399). Address those little issues before they become big ones! Remember that it’s always easier to pull a little weed than a fully grown thistle!