Don't put your back out, while gardening

The Health on Hand Chiropractic Clinics get inundated with people hurting their backs, muscles, and joints, in the garden every spring.

Gardening for many people is just a chore that has to be done and for others their main pride and passion. In both cases, it is important to prepare your joints and muscles prior to descending on your garden in the spring.Tom Wikeley, one of the chiropractors at Health on Hand says: “The reason people get backache, when they undertake what appears to be a relatively restful activity such as gardening is that the actions required are quite different from those carried out the rest of the year.

“The main cause of back pain when gardening is prolonged stretching and overuse of the ligaments and joints in the spine. Digging, prolonged stooping, and bending over whilst planting, places considerable stress on the ligaments and joints in the lower lumbar spine and causes them to become inflamed and tender. This in turn triggers a protective muscle spasm which gives rise to the deeper, duller achy type of pain that occurs over the following few days.”

Injury prevention

Chiropractor Mohammed Mulla said: “There are many ways to help prevent injuries. The way you bend and move determines how much strain is put on the spine and by using certain muscles to protect your back you can reduce the likelihood of developing pain. It is also extremely important to warm up before any strenuous activity is started. The simplest form of warming up is walking, this should be followed by some flexibility exercise.”

Warming Up

These flexibility exercises can help prevent back problems and should be done regularly, twice a day, preferably in the morning and in the evening, they are also fantastic before and after gardening.

Lie down on your back, bend your right leg and pull the knee up to the chest keeping the other leg straight. Repeat on the left leg and then pull both knees up together. Repeat this exercise 2 or 3 times; Kneel on the floor on all fours, relax the back and let the spine go hollow. Then reverse the curve in the spine by arching the back. Repeat this two or three times; Stretching the front of the thigh: standing up, support yourself with a hand against the wall and take hold of your right ankle with your right hand, bend your knee by pulling the heel towards your buttock until you feel a stretching sensation on the front of the thigh. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat this 3 times on each leg. If you feel any discomfort in your back stop the exercise; Stretching of the inside of the thigh: sitting cross-legged, gently push down on your knees until you can feel a stretch. Repeat as above.

These exercises will improve the flexibility of the muscles that affect the spine. By doing them regularly, you will keep supple so that during the bending and crouching activities you will be less likely to injure yourself. Make sure they do not hurt you while doing or after having done them!Any problems with these, please feel free to call Health on Hand and speak to one of the experienced chiropractors.

Chiropractic gardening tipsChiropractor Thomas Jeppesen has a few tips to keep you safe while gardening:

Kneel on one leg rather than bending down repeatedly from the hips; Try to keep your back hollow when digging, with your legs spaced well apart. Use your legs rather than your back. Always try to avoid twisting; Vary the tasks of the day into short bursts of different activities rather than slogging away all day at one thing. Sent your timer to 15 minutes and change between two-three tasks; When mowing the lawns with a hover mower resist the temptation to swing the mower from side to side in an arc. Instead, mow forwards and backwards as you would with a conventional cylinder mower; If you suffer from knee problems and tend to stoop rather than kneel, then use a cushion to kneel on or a gardening stool to sit on. Try keeping the back as hollow as possible; Keep yourself warm and covered i.e., keep shirts tucked in: this prevents the muscles from becoming chilled; If you ache the next day, rest, and if it persists more than a few days; seek the advice from your local chiropractor, who will advise you whether you should apply heat, or ice packs to the area, or if you require further treatment.

You should exercise and keep fit so that you can enjoy your gardening and other leisure activities, rather than using your gardening as an exercise to keep fit. GOOD LUCK!

Health on Hand deals with a multitude of problems ranging from back and neck pain to leg pains, sports injuries, repetitive strain to whiplash-related injuries, and more. Call us today for your appointment.

Get £10 off your initial consultation, including treatment, in March and April, quoting GardenHealth – visit healthonhand.co.uk for more information, or call us on 01623 635333 to book your appointment.

Health on Hand Chiropractic Clinic is on St John Street, Mansfield.