How To Use A Chair To Stretch Your Back While Gardening If You Have Parkinson’s

A major complaint from people with Parkinson’s is lower back pain. This is often the result of trying to twist a stiff, stooped upper back (a common symptom of Parkinson’s). When the upper back is stiff, the lower back takes over the rotation, which it’s not designed to do. The result is a painful or hurt lower back.

When you add activities that require a lot of twisting and bending, like gardening, you have a recipe for lower back pain that can last for days or weeks.

The key is setting up your garden area to avoid the temptation to work too long without taking an Extension Break.

This video clip is taken from a recent online seminar I taught on helpful ways to manage a day of gardening. I will be sending out different segments in the weeks to come for those of you who were not able to attend.

Setting a chair next to your garden area will remind and allow you to take frequent stretch breaks. You can use the chair to help you stretch – just follow the instructions below!

• Start facing either the seat or back of the chair.
• While kneeling, hold on to the chair and extend your back by bringing your hips forward and lifting your heart.

• Then sit back by hinging your hips and sit toward your heels in a modified child’s pose.

• Repeat several times slowly and intentionally, bringing your hips forward until they are in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Think “tall.”
• This pumping back and forth can really help stretch out hip flexors, extend the upper back, and bring blood flow and movement to muscles and connective tissue that are in one position too long, as they often are when we’re involved in a project.
• You can also do variations like “Thread the Needle,” where you bring one arm under and come up in rib rotation, letting the opposite elbow point to the sky.

Remember: move often! No one likes to be laid up with a hurt back, so take a break to stretch every 20 minutes and drink lots of water. This will allow you to return to your garden or yard project in the following days.

Enjoy the outdoors, it’s nurturing to your body and brain!

💜 Coach Kimberly