5 Top Tips to Prevent Lower Back Pain When Gardening

Like with any exercise, warming up your body in preparation for activity is important. Your warm up should include some cardio to get your heart pumping, as well as a few stretches and mobility exercises.

An example of a good pre-gardening warm up:

– Go for a brisk 10-20 minute walk

– Spine roll downs – start in standing with feet shoulder width apart. Slowly bend forwards starting with your head/neck, then shoulders, then chest, then lower back. You should end up almost touching your toes. Repeat 3x.

– Arm windmills – Keeping your elbows straight, windmill your arms in big circles in a forwards direction, then change direction and windmill them in big circles backwards. Aim for 10-15 big circles in each direction.

– Squats – Imagine you’re going to sit down in a chair, bend at your hips and knees and try to keep your back straight and chest up, then stand up straight. Repeat 10-12x.

To pick up heavy objects, you should bend your knees & squat or kneel rather than bend at hips & hinge back. If you are moving large loads, it is better to do a few trips with a small amount, rather  than 1 trip with a heavy load. Or instead of carrying, shift heavy loads with a wheelbarrow. When carrying, you should try to keep loads close to your chest as this will reduce the stress on your arms and upper back.

You should aim to take a break every 30-60 mins – this could be going for a 5-minute walk, sitting down with a cup of tea or simply stopping to admire your handiwork. Whilst it may seem a daunting task with many jobs to do, don’t try to tackle all the garden jobs in one go. Also make sure you drink plenty of water, especially on a sunny day.

– Long handled tools such as loppers and shovels can make gardening jobs easier and ease the strain on your lower back by reducing the amount of bending over and stretching.

– Cushioned kneeling pads are great when a task might take a bit longer. It is more comfortable to kneel or sit, than to stand bent over for extended periods.

 – Wheelbarrows can make transporting heavy or large loads of garden material much easier and don’t put as much stress on your back compared to lifting and carrying.

After you’ve finished in the garden for the day, take 10 minutes to stretch. This will help your body to recover and repair, meaning you can be back out in the garden tomorrow.

Some good ways to recover after gardening:

• Stretching your neck, shoulders, arms, back and legs. We can show you how to stretch these body parts in clinic if you are unsure.
• Enjoy a warm bath, or place a heat pack on your low back for 20 minutes.