Spring is when the plants around us come back to life and, if you’re a gardener, it’s the time when you start to prepare for a beautiful garden. If this is something that you’re passionate about or have been doing for years, then you know just as well as we do that gardening can lead to some severe back pain. When you’re hunched over for extended amounts of time, your back is going to feel it. Keep reading for a few of the ways that you can avoid back pain while gardening.
Take Breaks
It’s so easy to lose track of time once you start gardening. Not only is it peaceful, but it’s so enjoyable. Even though it is easy to get lost in the act of gardening, taking some time to stop and take a break is one of the very best things that you can do for your back. Often times, when gardening, you will find yourself in one position for long periods. If that is the case for any given day of gardening, taking a break gives you an opportunity to stretch and loosen up your body.
Start Out Slow
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gardening for, you never want to dive right in and immediately start spending hours upon hours hunched over gardening. Your body needs some time to acclimate to the amount of time that you’re spending gardening. To make sure that your back doesn’t hurt from the time spent gardening, start out slow and gradually spend more time outdoors.
Stretch Afterwards
People don’t often recognize how harsh gardening can be on your body. Even though it isn’t the most intense form of physical activity you can do, it does strain your body. For that reason, you should always stretch once you’ve finished gardening. This will help loosen any muscles that were used while gardening so that tensions don’t build up and wind up creating more significant pain.
Kneel When You Can
One of the primary reasons that back pain occurs when gardening is because of the hunched over posture that so many people take. More often than not, people will bend over while standing, creating a strain in the muscles throughout the back. If you do need to be close to the ground, don’t do so by bending over while standing. Rather, kneel on a gardening pad, and complete the task from there.
Lift With Care
When thinking of heavy lifting, gardening isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That being said, there is quite a bit of heavy lifting that needs to be done. From the dirt and soil that you’re using to the hose if you have to lug it over to the garden, make sure that you are aware of your limits, and recognize when your body is starting to hurt. Even though these are all necessary parts of gardening, it’s so much better to ask for help than to deal with the back pain and discomfort that will come from lifting more than you can handle.
Know Your Limits
As we just mentioned, it’s imperative that you recognize your limits and stop when you begin to feel discomfort or pain. Whether you’re standing, kneeling, or lifting, if you notice any tingling sensation or aches, stop. Give yourself a break, and see if you feel any better. If you feel better after a while, go ahead and continue to garden; if not, take some time and let your body get back to a place where it can handle the gardening you were doing.
Routine Visits to the Chiropractor
While the tips above can definitely help minimize the chances of back pain, there’s no better care tactic than regular visits to your Chiropractor. Marshalls Creek Chiropractic happily provides the Stroudsburg area with quality chiropractic care and massage therapy that we all need to live our best lives. Contact our office today, and get your chiropractic adjustments scheduled.