Sarah's Health Notes: Enjoy gardening without gathering aches and pains
Spring is truly here: primroses are flooding the banks, daffs are dancing, the magnolias are magnificent. The lawn has had its first cut, the roses are pruned, sedums shorn of winter stubble, the birds are chattering 19 to the dozen and I’m wishing I had some ducks to eat the abundance of chickweed that’s invaded the flower beds.
Sadly, that’s not the only weed growing a mile a minute. Or the only problem: I have a very bad habit of weeding as I go past to my garden house office, glove-less so my nails are a disaster and bending down with zero respect for my back. Which then grumbles fiercely.
So it was an emergency trip to chiropractor Dominic Cheetham at Wilhabram Place Practice, who I have relied on for many years. (I have a scoliosis plus a few other boring things.) And, as with every year, I make a resolution to follow his really rather simple tips, below.
HOW TO AVOID GARDENER'S BACKACHE
A bee on Sarah’s rosemary – photo taken in March
• Wear supportive footwear (keep flip-flops for the beach) and no tight jeans or belts.
• Warm up with five to ten minutes of gentle stretches before you start.
• Invest in lightweight tools with long padded handles, such as hoes for weeding and loppers for branches etc.
• Do the fiddly things, such as potting, on a table at the right height.
• Lift cleverly: bend through your knees not your back, hold objects close to your body and avoid twisting. Have a wheelbarrow with you for heavy loads.
• Use a kneeler or knee pads when you’re working close to the ground.
• Take breaks every 20-30 minutes and vary your activities. It’s not just my back that gets grumpy: lots of lopping, pruning or cutting back can trigger RSI (repetitive strain injury), as I found when chopping down low branches of oak trees in my rescue horses’ field some years back. (That was to stop one greedy horse – a very tall chap – helping himself to acorns, which he loved crunching on but are poisonous to horses.)
• Do the opposite action: if you have been bending forwards, eg, digging, stretch your whole body up and back with arms out.
• Cool down afterwards: some gentle stretches for your back, legs and wrists will help stop you stiffening up later.
