Calgary Chiropractor Gardening Tips

Good Morning Everyone in Calgary, AB!
I hope you are all making the most out of your summer!
I know some of you have been busy in your beautiful gardens
which is why I want to share some tips I found to help avoid back injuries!
Feel free to share this article with your family, friends and neighbours!
Stretch Before you even head outside with your favorite gardening attire,
give your muscles a good stretch.
As with any activity that will put stress of strain on your muscle,
it’s imperative to stretch because warm muscles will work more
efficiently and be less likely to be injured.
Body Mechanics
Gardening is full of repetitive motions, which,
over time can cause you a whole host of problems.
Below are different problem movements to avoid during your
time enjoying your garden:
One of the most pertinent things to think about when it comes
to gardening is to reduce amount your body is twisting.
Avid gardeners know that there is a lot of twisting to
reach the space around you.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to squarely face
whatever you are working on to reduce twisting.
To go along with this, never over reach;
move to the job and keep moving to be close to your work.
If you are going to be a lot of digging, keep your elbows partially bent.
Without proper technique when preforming a repetitive
movement like digging you may end up developing tennis elbow
(Talk to your doctor if there are pre-existing complications with your elbow)
You should be trying not to reach above your
shoulders when watering your potted plants.
A sturdy ladder is your best friend when it comes to
keeping work below shoulder level.
Putting constant stress on your shoulders by constant reaching
above can cause a shoulder impingement or another
type of rotator cuff injury.
Avoid pinching and pulling repetitively with your finger and thumb.
This usually creeps up when using pruning scissors.
If you are going to pruning or using a similar motion,
hold objects with a light grasp or pinch, avoid a tight sustained grip.
Tools
Believe it or not, the shovel, spade, rake, etc.,
you are using could be the direct cause of your discomfort.
It is important to buy tools that are appropriate for your size.
Try out your gardening tools before you purchase them to make sure handle size, length of spindle, and weight are right for you.
It’s also important to make sure tools meant for digging are
kept sharp as that will reduce the amount of effort needed to move your dirt.
Hope this was helpful!
-Dr. Simar