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Precision Wellbeing

Injury and Health Specialist Whetstone, North London. Providing Pain Relief Through Osteopathy and Rehab

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How To Avoid Injury When You’re Gardening

May 10, 2018 By ashley Leave a Comment

low back pain from gardening north finchley

Can you believe that we’ve just had the hottest early May bank holiday on record (since 1978)?! What a lovely weekend that was! I hope you had a nice weekend. I was out in the garden with my wife and my in-laws doing work around the garden.

Like me, it seems that many other people were out working in the garden too since we’ve had a few people booking in for treatment with aches and pains following the weekend.

Are You Physically Ready For The Garden?

While a spot of gardening may seem like a harmless activity to do on a nice warm sunny day it is actually one of the main seasonal reasons that people come in to see us osteopaths with pain.

Gardening seems harmless because it is low intensity and doesn’t get you out of breath (unless you’re digging) but what you may not have considered is that it is very repetitive and you can often find yourself going at it for hours.

Not only that but it is easy to find yourself in all sorts of awkward or bad postures; bending and lifting from the spine, kneeling or squatting.

This is where the problem lies. Most people are “out of shape” and have done very little exercise leading up to the gardening season and they aren’t used to these positions, especially to hold them for the duration that’s needed in gardening.

What Injuries Do We See From Gardening, And How Are They Caused?

The main injury we see in the clinic as a result of gardening is back pain. Having been in the garden most of the weekend it’s easy to understand why. Many activities require a lot of bending and twisting such as digging, pulling roots or picking stuff up.

It is this repetitive bending and straightening that causes the muscles in the lower back to become fatigued. If there was resistance added to these movements such as lifting plant pots or digging then there will be some slight pulling of the muscles (similar to what happens in weigh training) and muscles will become slightly torn.

At the time you won’t notice any pain because the muscles are warmed up. However once the gardening has finished and your muscles cool down, that is when you start to notice the onset of stiffness or pain.

What Can Be Done To Prevent Aches And Pains From Gardening?

Since most of the injuries that occur are a result of weakness and a lack of endurance it would make sense to improve your overall strength and fitness.

If you know you’re going to be more active in the garden over the coming summer months, now would be a good time to start preparing your muscles. There are two components that we would recommend you work on; improving your strength and improving your endurance.

This is obviously a more long term approach.

But what if it’s too late and you’re planning to get in the garden this weekend?

Don’t panic just yet. If you think you’re at risk of getting injured don’t take on too much in one go.

Positions

Be aware of what activities you’re doing and what postures you’re getting into. Are you able to improve your posture? Are there any ways you can take the strain off (e.g. can you sit instead of stand)?

Take Breaks

Another cause of gardening strains is being fixed in one position for too long like when you’re weeding. So set yourself areas of the garden to work on or periods of time and then take regular breaks. In your breaks, stand up, move around and get yourself a drink of water.

What Should You Do If You Do Get Injured?

As I mentioned earlier in this post, we see a lot of gardening related injuries at this time of year. If you do end up doing too much and your back seizes up (or anything else of course) then I suggest you book yourself in for an osteopathy consultation with myself or one of the other osteopaths here at Precision Wellbeing.

Of course it is possible that your injury will improve on its own, but in most gardening cases the injury can linger unchanged for weeks until treatment is sought.

You can book by calling us on 0203 356 7060, or you can book online by clicking the button below.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE

Then in the mean time, before your appointment you may find some helpful tips in our free pain ebook;


5 Action Steps For Immediate Pain Relief Guide
Click Here To Download Your Free “5 Action Steps For Immediate Pain Relief” Guide

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Read Our Reviews

*DISCLAIMER: The below reviews are customer reviews and are not necessarily reflective of typical results. Results may vary on an individual basis.

Google Rating
5.0
Precision Wellbeing Group
Precision Wellbeing Group
5.0
Paul Branch
Paul Branch
11:55 22 Oct 18
I went to see Ashley with a bad back that left me unable to run, train or even walk properly. His help and treatments have very quickly got me back to normal and he's given me a lot of great advice and guidance for maintaining my fitness long term. I've met a few of the team there and everyone is very friendly, welcoming and professional. It's a great setup and I couldn't recommend him more highly.
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn
11:47 13 Aug 18
Really enjoyed training with Ashley – I'd barely set foot inside a gym before but over 6-8 weeks he taught me a variety of exercises for the whole body and gave me the confidence to train on my own, as well as offering nutritional advice and helping me work to improve a knee problem. Everyone at Precision Wellbeing is friendly and welcoming too, and it's a really nice space to exercise in. Thanks!
SJ S
SJ S
13:10 27 Sep 18
Could not recommend the services offered by Precision Wellbeing Group more; I read some of the other great reviews on here before booking an appointment, and if anything the service I received exceeded my expectations. I saw Ashley for an initial consultation and then several follow-up sessions for muscle pain in my back; I was able to book my first consultation same day, and was able to book flexibly around my work schedule for all subsequent appointments. Ashley was extremely professional and highly knowledgeable, with a friendly conversational manner that helped to put me at ease at a time when I was suffering from quite a lot of pain. From the first appointment I noticed an improvement, but I was also impressed by how thorough the assessment and follow-up process was; it really helped me to feel more relaxed and reassured about my recovery. I've really noticed how both the treatment/exercises during sessions and recommendations for home have helped significantly with my back. I also feel skilled up with the exercises and recommendations I need to build my strength up and avoid re-injury moving forward. Overall, a great service that I would recommend to anyone.
Ben Freedman
Ben Freedman
15:15 18 Jun 18
Highly recommend. Michael has been absolutely superb. I have been seeing him due to a prolapsed disc and sciatica down my left leg. I have seen many back specialists in the past and have to say Michael is up there with the best. Very learned, very educated and informative and a pleasure to be around
Tamara Smith
Tamara Smith
12:27 31 Jul 18
I couldn't turn my head left or right for 2 weeks. One session with Ashley and my mobility is back, I understand where the issue originated and what postural/habit changes I need to make. I'm sending all my friends to him - thank you!
See All Reviews Write a review
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Google Reviews

Precision Wellbeing Group
Precision Wellbeing Group
5.0
powered by Google
Paul Branch
Paul Branch
11:55 22 Oct 18
I went to see Ashley with a bad back that left me unable to run, train or even walk properly. His help and treatments have very quickly got me back to normal and he's given me a lot of great advice and guidance for maintaining my fitness long term. I've met a few of the team there and everyone is very friendly, welcoming and professional. It's a great setup and I couldn't recommend him more highly.
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn
11:47 13 Aug 18
Really enjoyed training with Ashley – I'd barely set foot inside a gym before but over 6-8 weeks he taught me a variety of exercises for the whole body and gave me the confidence to train on my own, as well as offering nutritional advice and helping me work to improve a knee problem. Everyone at Precision Wellbeing is friendly and welcoming too, and it's a really nice space to exercise in. Thanks!
SJ S
SJ S
13:10 27 Sep 18
Could not recommend the services offered by Precision Wellbeing Group more; I read some of the other great reviews on here before booking an appointment, and if anything the service I received exceeded my expectations. I saw Ashley for an initial consultation and then several follow-up sessions for muscle pain in my back; I was able to book my first consultation same day, and was able to book flexibly around my work schedule for all subsequent appointments. Ashley was extremely professional and highly knowledgeable, with a friendly conversational manner that helped to put me at ease at a time when I was suffering from quite a lot of pain. From the first appointment I noticed an improvement, but I was also impressed by how thorough the assessment and follow-up process was; it really helped me to feel more relaxed and reassured about my recovery. I've really noticed how both the treatment/exercises during sessions and recommendations for home have helped significantly with my back. I also feel skilled up with the exercises and recommendations I need to build my strength up and avoid re-injury moving forward. Overall, a great service that I would recommend to anyone.
Ben Freedman
Ben Freedman
15:15 18 Jun 18
Highly recommend. Michael has been absolutely superb. I have been seeing him due to a prolapsed disc and sciatica down my left leg. I have seen many back specialists in the past and have to say Michael is up there with the best. Very learned, very educated and informative and a pleasure to be around
Tamara Smith
Tamara Smith
12:27 31 Jul 18
I couldn't turn my head left or right for 2 weeks. One session with Ashley and my mobility is back, I understand where the issue originated and what postural/habit changes I need to make. I'm sending all my friends to him - thank you!
See All Reviews

*DISCLAIMER: The above reviews are customer reviews and are not necessarily reflective of typical results. Results may vary on an individual basis.

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Precision Wellbeing
Pinnacle Fitness and Health
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Whetstone
London
N20 0EX

Call- 07825 418481
Email- info@precisionwellbeing.co.uk

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