With summer here and the sun shining. What better time to start some of those gardening chores? You can spend hours clearing the shed, mowing the lawn and digging up weeds before enjoying the hard work over a glass of wine
One of the main presentations in clinic this time of year is down to overdoing it in the garden over the weekend. People spend hours in the gardening, lifting and bending over, with little breaks. Considering people set aside one hour for the gym, the garden is an endless physical workout.
The importance is to understand, with gardening your likely to be using your back in a much more physical way than you would be on a daily basis, so it’s important to highlight some of the key things to consider;
- Do some simple warm up exercise(s) for the back/ body.
- Take regular breaks
- Lift objected correctly
- Keep hydrated
Exercises – Take five minutes to do some stretches for he hamstrings and lower back. This will help to get the blood flow to the muscles before heading out to the garden.
Taking regular breaks – Taking regular breaks, allows for the body to recover in between tasks. If the body fatigues, it’s likely leave the back venerable to injuries.
Lifting objects correctly – Lifting object in a correct way can save you loads of energy and avoids back injury. Make sure you bend from the knees and keep the objects close to the body. Even better, invest in a wheel barrow or garden trolley to reduce the amount of lifting to do. Working smart is the key when it comes to those heavy tasks.
Keep hydrated – It is so important to keep hydrated, especially in the warm weather. This helps to replenish the body nutrients and helps with recovery from activities. Water helps to maintain temperature, remove waste and lubricate the joints.
Amongst the various list of never ending jobs of mowing the lawn, sawing branches and digging flower beds to pot the lovely plants that were calling out to you in the hardware store. Some of the main injuries that were caused included;
- Lower back / muscle strains
- Disc herniations
- Shoulder injuries
- Sprained ankles / wrists from falling
With all that hard work, most importantly, make sure you sit back, relax and enjoy the garden and breathe…
For more advice on low back pain call Kinesis Clinic 01483 504314 and ask to chat with one of our Osteopaths.







