Gardening without back pain

How to prevent back pain while gardening

17.03.2011

When the spring starts, sunbeams in the morning, birdsong and warm temperatures in the nature and in your own garden. Then it is time again: cutting branches, raking leaves, preparing beds, sowing, planting, plucking weeds. Tasks that not only bring joy to passionate gardeners, but also back pain, tension and joint pain. Proper posture, a healthy amount of work and sufficient balancing exercise avoid discomfort. This is what orthonet-NRW - a consortium of orthopedic specialists based in North Rhine-Westphalia - points out.

The most important requirement for all gardening work: keep your back straight. Working with bent knees keeps your back in a healthy position. At the same time, amateur gardeners strengthen their abdominal muscles. „Those who lean forward with a round back and turn in addition, risk trapped nerves and burden joints and vertebrae unnecessarily“, explains Dr. Ramin Nazemi, board member of the orthonet NRW. „Warming up before gardening is essential, as in sports activities.“ In between straightening and stretching relaxes muscles and facilitates gardening in addition. Timely breaks also prevent you from having pain in the garden after just one day. Bending, twisting and turning are not a problem for the spine when using additional muscle power from the arms and especially the legs. Also important: Use physical activity such as cycling or walking as compensation for stressed muscles. Whether shoveling or hacking - an upright back makes thighs do the job. Anyone who still suffers from severe or recurring back pain or joint problems, should consult an orthopedist. For all other hobby gardeners: keep your attitude so that they do not flower more than they want. (Pm)

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Picture: Rolf Handke