🍅Garden Without Back Pain🫛

As spring approaches, gardeners look forward to getting their hands in the soil and having the warm sun on their faces. As they dig, they find many benefits when gardening, such as reducing stress and anxiety, exercising, absorbing vitamin D, and not to mention growing delicious organic fruits and vegetables.

But unfortunately, along with these benefits comes the possibility of back pain and other injuries. Well, we have good news! The doctors at Clairpointe Family Chiropractic have several suggestions for you to help prevent gardening injuries. Read below nine tips for gardeners that can allow you more time in the garden by preventing an injury.

9 Tips to Prevent Gardening Injuries

Tip 1: Get Adjusted!

Having a chiropractic adjustment before and/or after you head into the garden will realign the spine, help prevent a possible injury, help you from aggravating a current one, and reduce any aches and pain after a hard day of moving dirt.

Tip 2: Stretch

Before you start gardening, remember to stretch. Loosening up your muscles and warming up your joints will help prevent injury.

Here are some stretches specifically for gardening from Bob Anderson's book "Stretching: 40th Anniversary Edition."

Print

Tip 3: Strengthen

We recommend practicing these Lumbar Spine (lower back) exercises daily to strengthen your muscles and protect yourself from preventing new injuries or aggravating old ones. These exercises also help support your chiropractic adjustments.

Print

Tip 4: Avoid Bending Over

Bending and twisting while working in the garden can harm your back or strain your muscles. Instead, try kneeling to pull those unwanted weeds and use a kneeling pad for support.

Tip 5: Use the Right Tool

Use long-handled gardening tools to eliminate the need to bend over as much while gardening. These tools will dramatically reduce your back pain and help prevent any injuries.

Tip 6: Lifting Heavy Objects

We suggest asking friends or family members to help you lift those heavy bags, especially for those dealing with a current injury. It's also helpful to invest in a wagon, cart, or wheelbarrow to transfer items to the garden.

Tip 7: Take Breaks and Hydrate

It's easy to lose track of time when you are gardening. So take breaks in between digging and planting to rest your joints and muscles.

Remember to hydrate! When working in the heat, the CDC suggests drinking 1 cup (8 ounces) of water every 15–20 minutes. This translates to ¾–1 quart (24–32 ounces) per hour. Drinking at shorter intervals is more effective than drinking large amounts infrequently. Do not drink more than 48 oz (1½ quarts) per hour!

Tip 8: Vertical Gardens 

Vertical gardens or raised bed gardens are the best way to garden when struggling with an injury. A raised bed, especially at least 12″ tall, can resolve debilitating back and joint pain. So, even if you are young and healthy, consider a raised bed or vertical garden as an investment in your spinal health.

Tip 8: Joint Support

Supporting and protecting our joints starts with the right supplements. We suggest taking Glucosamine Sulfate or CollAGEN by Ortho Molecular Products to support your joints and protect them from any other further damage. If you are interested in these products, please call our office, and we will be happy to help.

Clairpointe Can Help!

Clairpointe Family Chiropractic is always here to support you through the gardening season with chiropractic adjustments, nutritional supplements, and Foot Levelers orthotics. 

Call (313) 886-8030 or visit our website at www.clairpointe.com to request your appointment today!

References:
https://www.robertsanddennys.co.uk/how-to-lift-heavy-objects/
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/UserFiles/works/pdfs/2017-126.pdf