Who Has Your Back?

You're Your Best Garden Tool

As the days warm and beckon us outside, we start to think of all those gardening chores we've put off since last year.   WAIT before you start anything take a moment to assess your health!   You are you're your best garden tool!  If your back and other body parts are sore you cannot garden.  Guess what? - Those chores will never get done. If you have a persistent sore back or other chronic aches see your health provider and get checked up.

If you're already in good shape get ready for gardening by strengthening your core.  A good stretching class or yoga can be helpful. 

Your back muscles allow you to bend and twist.  The key to preventing injuries is to 1) use proper posture throughout the day and in the garden 2) take a break or stop working when you get fatigued and 3) don't overreach or put your back into a compromising position.

Proper posture keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so your muscles work properly. Good posture allows you to use your muscles to their maximum.  You can lift so much more when your back is straight and you use your leg muscles.

More than 1,000,000 back injuries occur in the workplace each year. Approximately 800,000 of these injuries are to the lower back and 750,000 happen while lifting objects.

Here's how to lift objects properly:

Stand close to the load with your feet slightly staggered. Maintain a straight back. Lift with your legs not your back, squat by bending your knees.  Just a tad over 90 degrees (don't do a deep knee bend). Firmly grasp the object and begin slowly lifting WITH YOUR LEGS.

In a 2008 survey of the University of California Master Gardener Program, respondents indicated the posture of more than 250 Master Gardeners was repeatedly or constantly stooped either at weekly or monthly intervals when pursuing gardening activities.

Stooped posture risks lower back injuries. Injury and severity proportionally increase as the amount of forward bending and time spent in a stooped posture increase. Moderate Injury can occur when the back is bent forward more than 30 degrees for more than two hours per day.  As you increase the angle and increase the time in a bent position you proportionally increase the risk for injury.

Use proper posture not only on your overall whole body position but also when using your hands. Check   the angle of your wrist while using hand tools. Grip strength is at its maximum when the wrist is in a relaxed or neutral position. Studies have shown that people lose up to 25% of their grip strength when their wrist is bent.

Proper posture is important.  Check yourself throughout the day.  Listen to your body if your back begins to tighten up take a break, stop and smell the roses or oxalis. Take care of your best garden tool.

Work on your posture every day, listen to your body and take breaks.  Use your best tool wisely! Happy gardening! 

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