HANDY HINTS TO PAIN-FREE DIY & GARDENING

I'm so excited....last year I moved into a flat without a garden and everyone said I was mad.  I firmly believed I wouldn't have time for gardening with a new business to run etc so I was happy about my decision. Only I've realised....a bit late you may say....that actually gardening is incredibly therapeutic and a great way of spending 'down time' productively.  So, the reason for my excitement is that a friend has an allotment which is too big for him to manage and has asked if someone would like to share it.  YES  absolutely I'm there!!  Pots, seeds, spade and fork, wellies at the ready....

This new found excitement together with a couple of patients who have recently come in with back pain due to such activity, has led me to write some helpful hints on how to reduce the likelihood of getting back pain and other aches and pain with both DIY and gardening.

1.  Try not to spend a whole day doing one activity such as weeding.  Varying the tasks that need doing will help you change position and therefore use different muscles helping to reduce problems associated with prolonged static postures.

2.  As much as is feasibly possible try to maintain your low back (lumbar) curve with all the activities.  Being bent over for quite a while coupled with heavy work or repetitive work can overstrain back muscles making the back more vulnerable to injury.

3.  Take regular breaks.  In the workplace it’s recommended that we move about every 45-60 minutes and I'd suggest that with gardening too.  However where the work is heavy, static or repetitive even more frequent breaks are a good idea.

4.  Warm up and stretching.  I know we normally associate this with sport but manual work is exercise too.   Making sure that your muscles aren't too tight (check out our stretches for your legs) and that you're strong enough for the tasks.  If you're not sure which muscles are tight or weak why not book an appointment with a physio who can assess you and give you specific exercises.

5.  Wearing the right footwear - instead of wearing flip flops for ladder work or digging try wearing trainers or something with some support in them. 

6. Choosing the right equipment for the job.  Equipment for gardening and DIY has advanced quite considerably over the years, if you're doing a lot of something it may well be worth investing in the right bit of kit for the job helping to limit problems etc. 

I hope you’ve found that of some value and interest.  However if you do have any questions or need some advice or assistance please do email me jemma@thephysioplace.com and I'll be happy to help.