Spring: Gardening Body Mechanics

Safety first!

Understanding body mechanics can help in avoiding discomfort and injury, while also making your movements more efficient. Here are some things to think about and remember.

Bending and lifting:

• When lifting heavy objects, squat and bend your knees, using your powerful thigh and buttock muscles, not your back muscles

• Keep the object close to your body as this will also lessen the strain on your back

• Adjust your feet to be shoulder width apart

• Stand upright when using long-handled gardening tools such as hoes, spades and rakes

Carrying:

• Hold items from underneath and keep the load close to your body

• Make more trips with lighter loads

• When possible, use two hands for a balanced load. If not, trade off between your arms so that you don’t pull your body our of alignment. This can add stress to both the back and hips.

• Test the load before you carry it. If you need help, make sure you get it!

Reaching:

• Work below shoulder level whenever possible to avoid strain on your back and shoulders

• Use a ladder to bring yourself up to the level you are working

• When you have to work above shoulder level, work for no more than 5 minutes before taking a break to stretch you neck and back muscles and/or perform another activity before returning to overhead work.

Ground work:

• Keep moving your body to be close to your work so as to not over reach

• Avoid twisting the forearm back and forth repeatedly

• Consider using a weeding tool

• Keep your wrists in a neutral position, as if you were accepting a handshake

• Hold objects with a light grasp for a short period of time. Avoid a tight, sustained grasp.

We are eager to discuss how we can assist you in caring for your body while you spend time in the garden. Discover stretches, exercises, and tips for a safe and pleasant gardening season.

So, it's time to enjoy some sunshine, dig into the soil, and check out our blog on Gardening Basics to keep your gardening game strong!