4 Tips to Prevent Aches and Pain from Gardening 

With signs of spring upon us, gardeners eagerly return to work, prepping their beds and yards for warmer weather. But, sometimes, returning to gardening too early after a neck or back surgery or not adhering to proper mechanics can leave you in pain, unable to finish the job. St. Vincent Charity spine surgeon Robert McLain, M.D. encourages gardeners to use four simple steps to prevent back and neck pain from keeping you from the activity you love.

“As patients, gardeners worry me a bit because they are never going to stop gardening and they often go back to before they are ready after a neck or back injury or surgery,” Dr. McLain said. “Fortunately, though, gardeners are also highly motivated, active people who will do whatever it takes to get them back to the garden. If they follow a few simple steps, most are very successful.”

What do you need to know to take care of your back or neck while working your garden?

1. Utilize Proper Bending Mechanics

In practice, gardeners are always a little bent over as they are looking at the ground as they work. Even if you are just standing there leaning over, Dr. McLain said, your back and neck muscles are working and, over time, they will get sore. A few simple tips:

• Always remember to lift with your knees.
• Sit down on kneel to work.
• Don’t bend over at the waist to pick materials up. If you do have to bend and reach for something, support yourself. Put weight down on one hand and reach with the other hand to pull whatever you need, to wherever you are. Then bend your knees and lift up.
• If you have bad knees, bad hips or a bad back, don’t lift more than you can manage. Break things up into smaller loads and make more trips. Soil and fertilizer can be moved in a smaller bucket instead of a 40-pound bag or shoveled into your wheelbarrow. Move pots and plants separately and move heavy items, pots, planters, bags on a trolley.
• And, finally, Dr. McLain cautions, never try to remove a root, rock or pipe in your yard or garden through pure brute strength – you WILL hurt yourself.

2. Avoid Twisting 

Twisting adds stress on the discs in your spine. To avoid unnecessary strain on your back, be sure to:

• 

  Avoid getting impatient and start twisting and reaching to get the job done faster.
• As you move something from point to point, take a step or two as you rotate and, then, set the object down.
• Use a wheeled scooter to move objects from one place to another.

3. Don’t Overwork Your Back

When you first get back to activity after injury or after surgery – or even if you have been out of action for a while – it is easy to overdo it. To prevent strain to your back and neck, follow these tips:

• Don’t tackle a whole day’s work without getting into shape for it.
• Start with 30 minutes of work. Then, stop, rest and reassess. If you feel stiff and sore, take a break or consider stopping for the day.
• If you feel OK, then do a couple of hours of work and reassess again. If your back starts feeling like it’s knotting up or getting sore, knock it off for the day and come back tomorrow.

4. Know How to Treat Aches and Pain

Gardening is a valuable passion for people of all ages to keep us healthy and active, but it is also physical and leave our muscles fatigued and sore. It is important no matter your age to know what you need to do to calm those muscular aches and pains down. Remember to:

• Stretch after you finish work to help ward off any pain and stiffness.
• Ice the area where you get tightness and pain for at least 30 minutes after you stop working.
• Utilize anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, to reduce pain by reducing the swelling that causes it. While acetaminophen is a good pain reliever, it doesn’t reduce pain and inflammation.
• Do not rely on opioids or pain killers.
• Rely on regular exercise to get and stay fit with a good walking or a back physical therapy program before taking up a major gardening project.

Dr. McLain adds that some patients, even if following proper methods, do need back and neck surgery at some point to get back into the yard.

“But don’t be alarmed,” he said. “Back and neck surgery does not mean the end of the activity if done right for the right reasons. I am going to give you great results, medically or surgically, so you can get back to the garden safely.”

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Robert McLain, call 440-248-1297.