Safe Gardening Tips

It’s that time of year again! Keep these 9 gardening tips in mind while working outside this summer.

1. Loosen muscles and joints. Warm up with light movement or a brisk walk to loosen your muscles and increase your flexibility.
2. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration! Drinking a lot of water and taking regular breaks to rest. Know your strengths and limitations.
3. Bending and kneeling limitations. Get down closer to the task by kneeling or sitting on the ground or a gardening bench, rather than bending and twisting from the waist. Avoid bending over repeatedly while standing upright when performing ground-level work like weeding.
4. Standing. Rise up from the ground by straightening your legs at the knees, not by lifting your torso at the waist.
5. Smaller loads. Lift loads close to the body’s torso and center of gravity, and handle smaller, more manageable loads at a time.
6. Use long-handled tools. To give you leverage and help you avoid having to bend over much while raking, digging, pushing or mowing.
7. Switch hands frequently. When doing prolonged raking, hoeing or digging actions switching hands frequently is beneficial for joints. Repetitive motion on one side can bring on progressively serious joint imbalances and may produce postural misalignments and pain, including muscle spasms in the neck, shoulder and lower back.
8. Keep movement going for circulation. Move around and try not to work in one position for very long, especially one that is awkward or unusual. This can reduce circulation, restrict mobility, and promote strain injuries.
9. Come see us! – Make a habit of regular chiropractic adjustments to ensure an optimally functioning musculoskeletal system, prevent injury, and help make your outdoor work more enjoyable!