Although it almost feels like spring will simply not get into gear, especially with all these April showers-which have been more like monsoons-patients are still getting out into their gardens and allotments to get things going. With that, we see a lot more gardening injuries as a result. More so because it has been pretty cold here in Kent.

We often see lower back injuries, wrist and forearm strains and injuries to knees. Sounds obvious doesn’t it?

What is not obvious is that people do not always realise that just like any sport, where warm-ups are essential for excelling well. This helps prevent future injuries. Well, the same goes for gardening and all manner of work for that matter.

There is nothing better than being out with nature, getting your hands dirty and making the garden look pretty and cultivating your gardens for food production. This requires a lot of bending over, kneeling, digging and lifting.

This leaves you a little prone to injuries in the garden.

Back Injuries Whilst Gardening

As green finger enthusiasts, you probably spend a lot of time bent forward working in the garden for prolonged periods. This puts a lot of pressure and strain on the muscles of the lower back and buttocks. Then it only takes a sudden movement and you feel the back twinge and movements now become so painful you are barely able to stand up.

This is because the position you have been in has weakened and overstretched the muscles of the back and intervertebral discs of the spine.

Sometimes it is very difficult for us to undo ourselves from any sudden movements that we have made and the body can remain locked in a way that doesn’t allow the pain to subside.

Our osteopaths will use gentle techniques to settle muscle spasms and help give space to any intervertebral disc that may be injured and help the body to then heal itself.

We will then give you simple exercises for you to do at home that will continue the healing process and make you stronger so that it doesn’t happen again.

Wrist and Forearm Injuries When Gardening

We commonly see wrist and forearm injuries with gardeners. This is usually from repetitive use of the arms when digging, troweling, use of pruning shears and strimming. There are a number of conditions that affect the forearm and wrist in these circumstances like tendinitis (inflammation of the muscle tendons), arthritic conditions at the elbow, wrist and hands and repetitive strain injuries (commonly known as tennis elbow).

Again, it is well worth warming up some of the muscles of the forearm and some light stretches before and after your stint in the garden.

Our osteopaths can assess your joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles and aspects of your posture that may be contributing to them. With that, we can provide you with a tailored exercise plan to help you in the garden to prevent those injuries from occurring.

Knee Pain in the Garden

Gardener’s knee is very common. We call it Green Knee. When you spend a long time on your hands and knees digging out the weeds and making flower beds look great, it puts a lot of pressure on the knees. This can inflame the prepatellar bursa (a fluid-filled sac that is designed to protect the knee cap).

First, it is super important to have a well-padded cushion for you to kneel on. This will help protect the knee tremendously. On top of that you should try to take breaks from being in that position for too long. These positions can be even more aggravated if you already have an arthritic knee.

Our osteopaths believe it is important to have strong and stable knees, flexible hips and ankles. So they will help you by giving you an assessment of the knees and other structures to ensure your knees are protected and strong.

If the fluid-filled sac is inflamed and swollen, then rest and ice for a few days are advised.

How to Prevent Gardening Injuries - More of Our Tips

It is super important to warm up for your gardening ventures, no matter what age you are.

We often advise patients to buy cheap resistance bands from Amazon because these can be really useful to get the blood pumping into their muscles and warm them up so that they are ready for action. So, warming up your lumbar spine muscles and buttocks can help keep you supported when carrying out your gardening chores.

Make a point of not staying in one position for too long. So divide up your activities to keep you moving. This will help avoid straining your back.

If you are lifting bags of soil to re-compost areas of your garden, try to lift with your legs and not your back.

When you are sowing seeds in your garden, don’t forget to use a padded cushion for you to kneel on.

Some light stretches before you begin gardening will help keep you nimble and not tighten up so easily when you are in certain positions. It will help to take regular breaks and go through some general spinal movements like bending forward, then coming back to a normal standing position, and then slightly lean back to relax the back muscles from all of that bending over. You can then bend side to side a few times. Then rotate your body looking to the left over your shoulder and then looking to the right over your right shoulder.

When it comes to digging, it can be beneficial not to hit the spade into the ground as this puts a lot of shock through your wrists, forearms and shoulders. Place the spade where you need it and then press down on the spade with your foot. When lifting the spade, slightly bend your knees so that you use more of your legs to lift the spade out of the ground.

Once you have finished with your day of gardening make sure you warm down by doing a 5-minute stretch routine, focusing on all of the muscles and joints you have used throughout the day.

Osteopathy for Gardeners

If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort, you can book online, email or give us a call for an assessment and treatment with either Nathan Allon or Aude Membribe. We would love to have you come to see us to see if we can help you.

If you catch it early, we can get you back in the garden earlier. Don’t let pain and discomfort ruin your spring gardening.