Experience Pain Free Gardening This Summer
Gardening is a beloved pastime for many, offering both physical and mental benefits. However, for those dealing with joint pain or physical discomfort, it can become a challenging activity. Achieving pain-free gardening bliss this summer is possible with the right strategies. By incorporating proper techniques, using the correct tools, and following expert advice, you can minimize pain and maximize enjoyment in your garden. Whether you’re planting new flowers, weeding, or harvesting vegetables, taking proactive steps to protect your body will ensure you can continue to enjoy your gardening hobby without the associated aches and pains.
1. Warm Up Before Gardening
Before diving into your gardening tasks, it’s essential to warm up your body to prevent injuries and reduce strain on your muscles and joints. Take a few minutes to walk around your garden to get your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles. Simple movements like arm circles, gentle twists, and leg swings can also help prepare your body for the physical activity ahead.
Warming up before you do any gardening does the following for your body:
- Brings more oxygen to your muscles
- Gives your core body temperature a boost
- Reduces your risk of injuries
2. Exercise Your Arms, Back, & Knees
Working in a garden takes more of a toll on certain parts of your body. But you can make sure the muscles in those areas are ready to work out with targeted exercises.
Focus on stretching muscle groups in your back, arms, and knees, such as:
- Lower back
- Upper back and shoulders
- Gluteal muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings for your knee joints
- Upper arms
- Wrists and hands
3. Invest in Proper Gardening Equipment
Knowing how to garden pain free involves using the right equipment. This can help prevent you from straining — or tearing — muscles and other soft tissue. Need to move heavy amounts of soil around? Let a wheelbarrow handle all that weight for you!
Other kinds of equipment to consider using for gardening include:
- Gardening kneelers for better knee support
- Weeders and other tools to loosen and pull weeds — instead of using your hands and arms
- Ergonomic shovels with long handles to reduce back strain
The right equipment can help you get a good gardening workout — without lingering aches and pains!
4. Ensure Ease of Access to Your Gardens
Is it easy for you to enter, move around, and exit your gardens? Can you easily reach plants and flowers? Having to navigate hard-to-reach areas can make gardening more challenging. Your muscles could end up getting too much of a workout, resulting in strain or wear and tear.
A few ideas for making sure your gardens are accessible include:
- Using raised beds for less bending and kneeling
- Setting up railing planters
- Using hanging baskets and tabletop planters
- Making pathways through larger gardens
- Using drip irrigation or keeping your garden hose handy for easy watering
5. Be Sure to Hydrate
Your plants aren’t the only ones who need water. You also need to stay hydrated! Gardening can be tough on your muscles. When your body’s dehydrated, that can lead to even more muscle soreness.
Keep a bottle of water with you, so you can take sips from time to time. Working on a hot, sunny day? It’s even more important to make sure you get enough hydration! Drinking water helps make up for the moisture your body loses while you sweat.
6. Use Proper Lifting Techniques
Pain-free gardening involves knowing the right way to lift, so you know what to do — and what not to do. Lifting the wrong way can quickly lead to torn muscles or other injuries. And that kind of damage can put you at a higher risk of having chronic pain.
Remember to use your wheelbarrow and other equipment to reduce having to lift as much as possible. But sometimes, you can’t avoid it. You may need to lift a big bag of soil. Or you might need to move a big potted plant to another spot.
No matter what you’re lifting while gardening, use all of the following tips to make sure you’re doing it right.
Lift With Your Legs, Not Your Back
Don’t rely on your back muscles to do heavy lifting — or any lifting! Instead, let your leg muscles do all the work.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart
- Keep your back perfectly straight as you bend your knees and reach for the object you’re lifting
Lift Slowly
Don’t rush to pick up a heavy object. Doing that can damage your muscles, ligaments, or tendons. When you’re holding the object with both hands, take your time standing up straight again.
Lifting heavy items slowly helps reduce strain on your knees — lowering your risk of injuries. What if an object is so heavy that you can’t lift it slowly? That means you should ask someone to help you or use equipment to make lifting easier.
Carry As Close to Your Body as Possible
Lifting up a heavy object means you’ve won the first battle, but now you need to carry it safely to its new location. Holding the item away from you puts more strain on your muscles, especially in your arms and back.
Keep the object close to you while you carry it instead. This helps prevent added tension that can lead to muscle injuries.
Avoid Twisting Your Waist While Carrying Heavy Objects
Just as you keep your back straight while lifting, you should do the same while carrying heavy gardening supplies. Holding your spine straight helps distribute weight more evenly — protecting you from injuries. Twisting or turning your back when carrying a heavy object can result in torn or damaged muscles.
Already Experiencing Pain? Let Us Get Your Gardening Season Back on Track
Have you been putting off working in your garden due to ongoing pain? We can help! Rock Valley Physical Therapy offers several services, including physical therapy, occupational and hand therapy — and more!Contact us to request an appointment at our nearest office for patient-first care with a personalized approach.