Gardening can certainly cause a host of aches and pains. Why? Because gardening puts us in precarious positions by twisting, bending, reaching, and often spending too much time in those positions that are not healthy for our bodies. This is all compounded by a time constraint of fair-weather opportunities.
Let’s start by thinking of gardening as a workout. First, you need a warm-up. You could walk, march in place, or maybe take a Parkinson’s Boxing-bootcamp class… anything you can do to raise your heart rate and increase your core temperature. Jumping right into gardening with cold muscles is never a good idea. It may save you time in beginning, but it will result in pain and may set you back for several days.
After you’ve warmed up you should do several extension exercises. Gardening and yard work are almost always forward flexing of the spine, which is particularly bad if you have Parkinson’s disease.
Watch video for stretches and tips:
Standing Back Extension Exercise:
- Start by standing and extending backwards by placing your hands on your low back and lifting your heart upward.
- Slowly roll forward and come back up, stacking your spine up one vertebra at a time. Think tall posture.
- Do this 5 times SLOWLY, and be very careful of your blood pressure and balance. You can also do this seated.
Sit to Stand Exercise:
It is very important to warm up your hips and “remind” your body it’s supposed to flex at the hips (not rounding the back).
- Place feet squarely in front of your body and cross your arms.
- With “Nose Over Toes” stand up using your feet and glutes (rather than hiking yourself up with your anterior hip flexors).
- Don’t forget to stand up with good control all the way and be tall.
Kneeling Chair Stretch:
Bring a folding chair out to your garden so you can use it to stretch. If you are kneeling, use the back or seat of the chair to hinge back and stretch out your upper back and arms. Push back and extend up, lifting your heart. You can also do this standing.
Tips to Prevent Hurting Your Back:
- Take a stretch break and perform the above stretches every 20-30 minutes.
- Alternate between harder, heavier tasks and lighter tasks to give your muscles a break and conserve energy.
- Do not bend over a table or raised garden to reach the opposite side. Walk around or sit when trying to reach something further away. Your back will thank you.
- Hinge at the hips, both seated and standing (squat vs. rounding your back). Your hips are strong.
- Caution if you have painful knees. Your brain will tell you to use your back rather than your knees. This is a sure-fire way to hurt your back. Sit vs using your back.
- Keep all projects directly in front of you. Reaching forward strains your back muscles.
- Balance out heavier loads by making them lighter and take more trips. You’ll be less likely to strain your muscles.
- If you’re raking or doing another one-sided repetitive activity, be sure to switch sides every 20 stokes. Prevent reaching to get leaves far out in front of you. Walk forward, and step carefully backwards, keeping your body close to the project.
See a common theme here? Keeping in good physical shape, and having a strong back and strong hips will decrease your chance of getting hurt.
Keep using good biomechanics like the ones listed above, and keep up on your workouts. It matters!
- 💜 Coach Kimberly