Keep your back safe in the garden, 7 top tips

Keep your back safe in the garden this spring

The grass is starting to grow, flowers beginning to bloom, not to mention the weeds getting ready to take control of the herbaceous borders if we’re not careful.Spring is very much springing and as Easter and the first Bank Holidays of the year have come and gone many of us will be donning the wellies, gardening gloves and sun hat(well, I am an optimist) and heading out to do battle with the garden.Most of you will ache a bit afterwards, some of you will ache a lot afterwards and some of you won’t be able to get out of bed the next day,The following tips will help you to avoid many of the pitfalls waiting to trip up the occasional (or regular) gardener and keep your back safe in the garden. 

1. Don’t overdo it! I know you haven’t been out there for months and you’ve only got one day to get it all done but you must take regular breaks to avoid overstressing your muscles and joints. At least every half hour stop and move position, get a drink of water, rest for five minutes.
2. Vary your activities. Do 30 minutes digging, have 5 minutes rest. Do 30 minutes pruning, have 5 minutes rest. Mow the lawn for 30 minutes, rest, do something else for a short while and then come back to finish the lawn. Variety lets your tired muscles recover.
3. Learn to squat. Squatting is the way to bend without compromising your back or your knees. It is a very specific skill, it is the basis of all safe bending and lifting and it will pay you to learn it (see below for a squatting tutorial). If you persist in bending from the back or only from the knees I promise you it’s the fast track to pain.
4. Drink. Water please! You will probably be burning up more energy than normal so eat well and drink water regularly throughout the day. Your body needs between 7 and 10 glasses of pure water every day, more if it’s hot and you are working up a sweat. Don’t neglect your hydration, your body can’t heal and recover efficiently if you’re dehydrated.
5. If you ache at the end of the day use an ice pack over the sore spot for 10 minutes. You can repeat this application every hour if necessary. If something really hurts don’t soak in a hot bath, this will fuel the inflammation and take away the protective muscle spasm. Ice it and call your chiropractor.
6. What do you mean you haven’t got a chiropractor? A course of treatment from a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist could be very useful to make sure that you are in good shape, bending and stretching safely and less likely to sustain an injury.
7. Smile! This is supposed to be a leisure activity.