Gardening Tips for Spring

Gardening can be a form of exercise. Doing basic gardening tasks such as weeding, trimming

and raking can burn up to 300 calories an hour. It’s a good way to maintain flexibility and range of motion in your shoulders, hips and back, as well as building strength and endurance. Avoid pain and injury by starting with planned shortened sessions and gradually increase activities.

USE PROPER BODY MECHANICS
When digging or raking, make sure your neck and back are fairly straight, and you’re not holding a position where you’re rounding forward—be upright, and use your legs to move around, not reaching over with your arms! Always bend from the hip joint to keep your back straight, and not from the waist.  When lifting, try to “hinge” from the hips and use your legs.

REDUCE STRAIN – USE PROPER GEAR THAT WORKS FOR YOU
Gardening tools and equipment are meant to ease work, not add work. Measure to fit the tools to you, not you to the tools. Good hand and knee protection is essential:  work gloves can protect your hands and a kneeling pad can protect your knees.  To make your own kneeling pad, fill a plastic bag with folded towels for cushioning.

TALK TO A PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Physiotherapists are the health care professionals dedicated to enhancing and restoring your mobility.
Physiotherapists not only treat injuries, they can also teach you how to prevent pain or injury that can limit your activity. If you are experiencing any pain in your back, neck or arms from gardening, a Physiotherapist can do an assessment to develop a treatment plan to solve the problem faster, and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.  Our staff at Elevation Physiotherapy in Mississauga have specific post-graduate training to treat these issues, and get you back to activity faster!  Contact us at www.elevation-physio.com