Gardening offers a plethora of health benefits. From breathing in fresh air to absorbing vitamin D from the sun, when you work in the yard, nature works with you. Gardening offers the physical benefits of increased mobility and strength too. It can, however, also bring pain. In fact, while gardening is an activity that most people think of as low-impact, there are many injuries that can occur from weeding and shoveling.

Some of the most common gardening-related injuries are neck pain, shoulder tendonitis, low back pain, lateral epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain’s tenosynovitis of the thumb, and prepatellar bursitis. Take heed of the following do’s and don’ts when heading out to the yard.

Do Use Power Tools

Having the right tool for the job is just as important in gardening as when building a shed. Sometimes a more powerful tool not only speeds up the process, but helps keep your body from taking a beating too. For example, choose a power trimmer for branches and large hedges to minimize the repeated motion and above-the-shoulders work of manual hedge trimmers. Or use a power edger instead of relying on the manual rotary edger. If you aren’t comfortable with power tools, it’s a good time to ask a neighbor, friend, or professional to handle the task.

Do Adjust Tools

Most electric and gas or battery-powered edgers, mowers, weed eaters and other implements offer necessary adjustments that can make the tool a lot more comfortable, and safer, to use. For example, a trimmer usually has one adjustment to make the handle longer or shorter and another adjustment for the angle of the handle. Use these to your advantage so that you’re not slouching or overreaching. Use a support strap to bear the weight if available.

DoUse Gardening Aids

The fact that gardening can be hard on the body is nothing new, so many products have been developed to make the job easier. Work smarter, not harder when it comes to gardening with the help of a garden cart instead of a wheelbarrow for light weeds and bark. Use a stool while weeding or trimming plants. Cushion your knees with a gardening pad.  

Do Use Proper Posture

Much of the issue with gardening is posture related. For example, bending over on your hands and knees adds stress to the lower back. To avoid this, create raised beds for your garden. Also, use a potting bench or table to plant flowers and divide plants so you can work at standing height. Avoid yanking and jerking motions when using a shovel or pulling weeds, and use caution when twisting, such as when you shovel bark dust from the yard cart to the flower bed.

Do Mix it Up

Be sure to change activities frequently. Spend 20 minutes pulling weeds, then move to an upright activity like pruning the roses. Then move on to mowing or shoveling. Aim to work on three different types of yard work per hour or break between sessions.

Don’t Bend

Back injuries are a common result of yard work so use extra caution. Avoid bending straight over at the waist. Instead, bend at the knees when you lower to the ground.

Don’t Get into the Repetition

To help prevent repetitive motion injuries and all of the “itis” ailments that come from inflaming one area of the body, be sure to switch from one hand to the other while digging or handling the weed eater. If you’re moving gravel, shovel from right to left and then shovel left to right for a while. Focus on using both sides of the body to alleviate repetition on muscle groups.

Don’t Lift Incorrectly

One wrong lift can cause big problems. We seem to use proper lifting techniques when we expect an item to be heavy, but often injury comes from poor lifting practices even when the item is light. Always bend the knees when lifting. Pull your navel in slightly as you rise. Use gloves to protect your hands. Get a partner for awkward or heavy items. Most of all, know and respect your limits.

Gardening should be an enjoyable experience. Get the job done with the right tools and proper techniques so your yard and your body will thank you.

Happy Gardening

Your hands ache, your thumb screams when you move it, your forearms feel stiff, or there’s that spot on your back that doesn’t ever seem to loosen up. You may be suffering from a repetitive motion injury.

Also known as tendonitis, repetitive motion injuries (RMI) are temporary or permanent injuries caused by making the same motions over and over again. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a well-publicized example, but an injury to muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons can occur nearly anywhere in the body.

RMIs can be excruciatingly painful and debilitating. If your doctor has diagnosed an RMI, it’s essential to create a game plan to deal with it as soon as possible. While it can be a chronic condition, many RMIs can be alleviated with patience, proper care, and a change in your habits.

RMIs are very common in the smaller ligaments and tendons because they can’t sustain the abuse that some larger muscle groups can. We know that we should lift with the legs to protect the back, and understand that curling heavy weights could damage the bicep, but we often don’t think about the little guys that offer support to our skeletal system throughout our everyday activities. Therefore, we often don’t take preventative measures to protect them.

Identify the Issue

To help prevent injury you must first identify repetitive motions. If you golf, think about your hand grip. For tennis players, well, they call it tennis elbow for a reason. And of course, for those of you saddled up to a computer keyboard, think about how your hands, wrists, and forearms feel after a day on the job.

Occupational Therapy

Whatever your repetitive motion is, create an alternative. For example, vary your keyboard usage, employing a wrist rest and then taking it away for short periods; allowing different muscles to carry the load. Alternately, consider a talk-to-type program and avoid typing altogether. A visit with an occupational therapist can help you find out about ergonomic solutions that might be available to you on the job or during recreational activities.

Medical Aids

Most doctors will recommend a brace for the afflicted area, which helps to immobilize it so that it can heal. Inflammation in the area will remain and worsen with continued use, so it is essential to act quickly for the best chance of recovery. While there are generic splints available at medical supply stores for nearly every part of the body, the most effective braces are made by specialists who create a custom design specifically for you.

R & R

As much as you might hate it, rest and relaxation is required to allow your body to heal. Continuing to push past the pain, ignore the issue, or only half-heartedly adhering to a treatment regimen could result in permanent damage. This likely means stepping away from some of your favorite activities to focus on your recovery.

In addition to resting the afflicted area, the first line of defense typically includes heat and cold treatments, alternating as prescribed. In addition, you will probably be asked to take regular doses of ibuprofen, Naproxen, or other anti-inflammatories.  

Physical Therapy

One of the most important things you can do preventatively or as a treatment for an RMI is to stretch. Target stretches specific to your condition and perform them frequently; it helps your muscles from tightening up. If you don’t know which stretches could help, look to your physical therapist for a plan. Along with stretching, conditioning exercises can help improve the situation and prevent further injury.

There are more than three million cases of RMI diagnosed each year, with many more likely undiagnosed cases as well. RMI as a chronic condition can cause depression, anxiety, and perhaps even force a change of job or lifestyle so it is essential to reach out for any professional help you might need to treat the condition. The good news is that with a proper diagnosis and combination of treatments, improvement is highly likely.

New year, new goals. Some call them resolutions while others refer to them as objectives. However you label your targeted aspirations for the year, it’s likely that they include some form of exercise and health regimen. Whether your aim is to hit the gym x days per week, increase your endurance, become more flexible, or join a regular class, it’s important to consider potential obstacles in the way of that goal. Identifying roadblocks up front will increase your chances for long-term success.

Deal with Pain

Muscular or skeletal pain is one of the top reasons for doctor visits. It’s so common that there are specialists for nearly every body part that experiences pain; hand specialists, podiatrists, rheumatologists, and physical therapists are a few examples. Any type of pain during movement can be a serious demotivator when it comes to working out, but don’t let it derail your efforts. Instead, take steps to face the problem and create an exercise plan that works for you.

 Evaluate the Problem

Sometimes moving with pain becomes such a normal part of our day that we don’t stop to think about it. Now is the perfect time to pause to evaluate where you feel the pain and identify activities that make it worse. For example, is your knee pain exacerbated during squats or is it worse when you stand in one place too long? Do you have constant pain in your outer elbow, inside your wrist, or along your thumb? Does your lower back ache more after a car ride or a run? Keep a journal of your activity and record when your pain is the worst. This will help you identify which activities cause a flare up. Your physical therapist sees repetitive motion ailments day in and day out so he or she can also help guide you in the right direction.

 Consult a Medical Professional

Now that you’ve taken the time to better evaluate the location of your pain and the activities that inflame it, take the information to your physical therapist or doctor. He or she may be able to quickly identify the problem or refer you to another professional for diagnostics. Once your diagnosis has been identified, you can begin to formulate a game plan that will help you treat the issue so you can ‘get back in the game’.

 Create a Plan

With a diagnosis in hand, align your objectives with that in mind. Working along with your condition rather than just trying to work through it will set you up to achieve your goals. Dealing with arthritis in your hand, for example, makes it challenging to lift heavy weights so weight machines that aid movement might be a better option. If you struggle with hypermobility, you might want to take a strength training class rather than yoga. On the other hand, yoga might be the perfect fit if your doctor has advised against high-impact activities such as skiing or running. Your physical therapist is a great resource when developing these types of plans.

 Raise the Bar

Part of the reason to set goals is to motivate yourself to try new things or achieve higher levels of fitness. Whether you plan to take up tennis for the first time or hope to finally hold a plank for a full two minutes, increasing performance is a worthy goal. Sometimes your efforts are hampered by physical restrictions other than pain, such as shortened tendons or overly tight muscles. If improved sports performance is your goal, look into ways to correct your form, increase flexibility, or take your jumps to a new height. Physical therapy is an effective tool to help you understand the movements of your body and learn how to get a larger range of motion or increased stability and center of balance.

Wherever you are on your wellness journey, be realistic in setting your goals. Meet your body where it’s at by identifying issues, getting a diagnosis, and creating a plan that works within the boundaries suggested by your doctor and physical therapist.