RESOURCE LIBRARY
Spring Into Gardening: Preventing Garden Injuries and Gardening Pain
Moving rocks out of car trunks, digging out old shrub roots, and pruning hedges 20 feet high — that is how we spent our Saturday morning. And it was a lot of fun!
As part of Salmonberry Days in Dunbar, we did a talk on how to Garden Pain-Free. If you missed the talk, do not fret. Here are a few tips you may want to consider when gardening.
Prevent injuries this gardening season with Go! Physio’s great tips.
Image via Unsplash
A little at a time
We physiotherapists see as many gardening injuries as sports injuries! Gardening is strenuous, so do the heavy jobs a bit at a time. This allows your body to adapt to the activity. A runner trains before doing a marathon-so should a gardener!
Bend with your knees, not your back
Avoid large twisting movements. Turn your whole body, moving your feet. Sit on a stool when weeding to avoid bending from the waist.
Vary the tasks
The body doesn’t like prolonged positions. Move into a different posture before the aching starts. Alternate crouching with upright positions.
Enjoy a bountiful B.C. harvest from the comfort of your own garden.
Image via Unsplash
Shorten the reach
Prolonged overhead reaching makes the shoulder tendons and the back vulnerable to injury. Keep your elbows bent. Stand on a ladder to work at chest level, and get as close to the hedge as you can. Take time to position the ladder safely-we see a lot of gardeners who have fallen off ladders!
Select good tools
Keep clippers sharp to avoid strain. When shoveling, step onto the blade, using body weight, not arms, to lift soil. Use the lightest shovel, with the smallest blade that will do the job. If your knees or hips hurt, use long handled tools.
–
Injuries holding you back from enjoying the activities you love? Book an appointment today with our expert team to get your body back on track.
filed in
Latest Articles
Stay Dry: How to Manage, Treat and Cure Urinary Incontinence
Do you know how common it is to experience leakage of urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh? Over 3.3 million Canadians experience urinary incontinence and one half of all women will experience problems with incontinence at some point in their lives.
Improve Pain and Muscle Tighten with Vancouver IMS + Acupuncture
IMS is a needling technique using a fine acupuncture needle to help reduce adverse tone in tight muscle bands or trigger points that contribute to pain and dysfunction. By targeting localized areas of tightness with the needle insertion, a ‘muscle cramping’ and reflex relaxation is produced in the muscle.
How Vancouver Physiotherapy Can Help with Breast Cancer and Mastectomy Recovery
Approximately 2,800 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of these, many will require mastectomy surgery and lymph node excision for biopsy and analysis. This surgery often results in altered tensions in the muscles and tissues surrounding the breast, arm pit and shoulder girdle.
Get Your Mobility Back with Hands-On Vancouver Manual Therapy
Joint mobilizations, manipulative therapy, myofascial release, soft tissue massage and trigger point release are just a few of the many effective manual therapy techniques our expert team have utilized to help our clients get their mobility back.
Unlock Your Body’s Strength and Mobility Today
Book Online
Current patient? New, but know exactly what you’re looking for?
Contact Us
Never tried physiotherapy? Not sure where to start? Our friendly staff will guide you towards the best treatment for your situation.
Call: 604-568-4628
Email: go@gophysiotherapy.ca