You already know how to do it. It's common sense, and you've done it wrong before.
I'm talking about lifting, bending, stretching, pulling, pushing, reaching, and twisting in the garden. Especially with heavy loads, or repeatedly, or for an extended time. Especially if you try to get too much done in a weekend, or before dark. Especially if you sit in a chair most of the week.
So pay attention! And next time you go out to work in the garden, take frequent breaks, check your posture, and think about what you're doing before you do it the wrong way.
First of all, if you're planning to do any heavy work, you need to treat it like a sport and warm up your muscles beforehand. Take a walk or do a dynamic warmup, which is safer and more efficient than static stretching before an activity, according to physical therapist Stephania Bell of Singular Physical Therapy in Redwood City.
A dynamic warmup involves “large-amplitude movements with the muscles you plan to use,” Bell said.
For instance, arm circles, swinging the arms back and forth in front of the chest, and jumping-jack arm swings will warm up the arm muscles. “Static stretching is better after an activity,” she said.
The most common problem Bell sees among weekend gardeners is back problems from bending at the waist too long. Typically, a person bends forward to pull weeds and stays in that position for a half hour or more, then can't straighten up.
Instead of bending from the waist, Bell said, get closer to your work by squatting down, “ideally keeping the spine in a neutral position with the abdominal muscles lightly engaged.” If you can work on your hands and knees, that's a better position for your spine, she said. For gardeners with aging knees, she recommended a rolling garden stool to bring you closer to your work.
If your knees are in good shape, try a simple pair of knee pads. I've found they make kneeling so effortless that I'm much less likely to bend the wrong way.
Shoulder and neck problems also bring weekend gardeners to her office, Bell said. They reach above shoulder height to trim hedges or prune shrubs for too long and then cannot lift their arms, or get a pinched nerve in the neck from looking up for an extended time.
To avoid these problems, she recommended using a sturdy garden ladder or stool so that you can work with your arms straight in front of you, without having to reach up for more than a few minutes at a time.
The body can also be thrown out of whack if it's not in alignment during twisting motions, such as pulling weeds or reaching to drag rocks over when building a small rock wall.
For heavier work, Bell recommended pushing heavy objects – using a wheelbarrow, for instance – instead of pulling or dragging them. Pushing is “less likely to injure the back and shoulders” than pulling, Bell said, and allows the body to be in a more stable position, with the legs bent and abdominal muscles engaged.
To get heavy items into the wheelbarrow, remember to use your leg muscles instead of bending at the waist. If the items are too heavy, stop and decide if you need to enlist help.
After you finish for the day, “if you have any soreness at all, icing for 10 to 15 minutes will go a long way toward preventing problems the next day,” Bell said.
Tanya Kucak (yarrow@sfo.com) stops to watch the bees and birds throughout the day. Stephania Bell can be reached at StephaniaB@comcast.net or 650-274-7251.
© 2007 Tanya Kucak