Now that we find ourselves in the middle of gardening season, we want to make sure that you are thinking about proper body mechanics to take your garden from seeds/seedlings to blooms and veggies without injury. Below are a few easy tips to follow to help prevent injury during gardening:
1. Never bend straight over – this puts tremendous stress on your low back.
- Squat Down: Keep your back straight, feet a little more than shoulder width apart, push your hips back and squat down. Do NOT push your knees forward over your toes.
- Half-Kneel: If your knees will tolerate this position, place one leg in front and one leg behind you to kneel on the ground. Push your hips backward, letting your knees bend and keep your back straight as you lean down toward your garden.
- Tall-Kneel: Again, if your knees can tolerate this position, kneel on both knees, keep your back straight and push your hips back toward your heels as you move closer to the soil.
- Sit on a Stool: Sitting will decrease the stress to your legs and back. Keep your back straight, knees a little more than shoulder width apart and hinge at your hips to get movement toward the soil.
- Hands and Knees: Get on your hands and knees with the plants off to one side. Keep your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. This is a great position to move around mulch or pull weeds.
- All of these positions are a safe way to plant, weed, and move soil or mulch.
- You always want to make sure that you are not being a “lazy” gardener. Take a few extra minutes to figure out what position is most comfortable for you. Then make sure you are keeping your stomach and gluteal muscles contracted. Don’t forget about keeping a gentle squeeze of your shoulder blade muscles as well, you can do this by squeezing your shoulder blades together and down toward your back pockets. Activating these muscles will help you keep your spine in a good position.
2. When raking, never stand still.
- Take steps and walk to what you are trying to rake. Keep your strokes small and never lean to the items you are raking.
- Keep the rake or yard tool close to you – you should never be farther than an arms length away from what you are raking.
- Do not twist – this can be avoided by always moving toward the object you are raking and keeping your body squared off to the object.
3. Lifting plants.
- Keep the plants close to you when lifting. Remember to keep your stomach and gluteal muscles contracted.
- Make sure to always move your feet when turning, never twist.
- You can use a squat or half-kneel technique when lifting to avoid injury. Squat: Keep the plants close to your body. Have your feet a little more than shoulder width apart, hinge through your hips to push your butt back and keep your back straight. Place the plants on the ground. Half-Kneel: Keep the plants close to your body. Start with your feet shoulder width apart. Take a step forward with one leg, begin to bend both knees, and let the knee behind you touch the ground. Then you can push your hips back, keeping your back straight and place the plants on the ground.
Make sure that you get to enjoy the ENTIRE gardening season this year by following some of the guidelines listed above. If you are unsure about your gardening mechanics and proper positions, you should come visit us. We would be happy to review these with you and help you achieve an injury-free gardening season. Please let us know how these gardening positions worked for you!
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