7 Tips to Avoid Common Injuries from Gardening/Yard Work.

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Green Thumb Injuries? Here are 7 Tips to Avoid Common Injuries from Gardening/Yard Work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Thumb Injuries?

It’s starting to warm-up and Spring has definitely arrived. I wanted to discuss an issue we see a lot this time of year in the gym with our clients. The cause of the issue is the extreme practice of…..gardening?! Yes gardening! What tends to happen is we get overly excited (or maybe not) and spend a full day, weekend, or multiple days taming the overgrown weeds, trimming bushes, planting gardens and flower beds, hauling dirt, rock, etc…. And eventually, after it is too late, we develop some sort of muscle or joint injury that is preventable by working smarter. Below are some tips from PT & Me to help you avoid these common injuries.

 

  • Spread the work out over several days or weeks

 

      • Tackle one or two jobs at a time, don’t think it all has to get done NOW!

 

  • Alternate tasks

 

      • If you have a task that requires repetitive motions make sure to give those muscles some breaks and perform a task with a different movement pattern.

 

  • Start slowly and take frequent breaks

 

      • No reason to deadlift a hundred pound bag of concrete as you’re finishing your coffee. Just like exercise inside the gym, warmup is critical to avoiding injury. If you feel muscles tightening or stiff joints, take a break, better to stop early and return later, than to push through and be unable to move the next day.

 

  • Change position frequently

 

      • Hunched over, sitting in a squat, holding something overhead? Make sure you are changing your positions regularly.

 

  • Don’t work until you wilt

 

      • Easier to enjoy your labor when you feel tired but not exhausted.

 

  • Stay hydrated

 

      • Just like the plants and grass, you need water to bloom, uh shine. Very easy to get focused on the task and forget to hydrate. You work better and more efficiently if you stay hydrated, plus watered muscles are happy muscles.

 

  • Stand up and stretch frequently

 

    • Just like sitting too long affects posture negatively, staying in any one position too long leads to shortened and overworked muscles that will negatively impact your ability to move well and avoid overuse injuries.

All right guys, I hope these tips help you achieve your gardening needs and desires injury free. Stay safe, it’s a jungle out there! In my yard it is anyway.

Jared