Tip to prevent back pain during gardening

YARD WORK

MOWING THE LAWN:

This can be a great strengthener. Maintain good alignment and relaxed breathing. Avoid slumping or overarching the low back keeps your pelvis level. If the vibration of the mower seems to aggravate your symptoms, try thick gloves or use foam tape to insulate the handles.

GARDENING LOW TO THE GROUND:

(PLANTING, WEEDING, EDGING):

Maintain good squatting methods. Also, try kneeling, Half Kneeling, and sitting on your heels
There is a no. of helpful garden products that assist with these positions, providing knee cushioning and something to push up off when going down. Be sure to stand, stretch up and backward, walk after being in these bent-over positions.

SWEEPING/RAKING:

These activities are great overall strengtheners. Use an exaggerated, wide base stance and keep your, head, shoulder, pelvis, balanced on the top of each other and facing in the same direction. Reach and pull with your legs and arms, not your back. Rake and sweep in different directions by pivoting your back leg and moving your whole body single, relaxed unit. After sweeping and raking, do neck strengthening and decompression and neck release exercises.

REACHING UP TO PAINT, PRUNE, AND CLEAN WINDOWS:

This can be good upper back, arm, and abdominal strengthener. Use ladder or step stool to keep from aching your low back and letting your abdomen and buttocks; stick out; make sure you keep your chest up, your pelvis level, and your head and neck in a neutral position. If you are uncomfortable after doing these activities try doing knee to chest neck strengthening and decompression, and/or release exercises.

DIGGING HOLES/ SHOVELING SNOW:
CAUTION:

These activities carry a high-risk aggravation and/re-injury of most neck and low back problems; they are not good form of exercises. If you have to perform these activities, avoid rounding out your spine and attempting to lift with your spine in a rounded position. Put your legs in a front to back step position and shift your weight through your legs. Keep your chest up and your buttocks sticking out that is squat instead of bend. Keep your arms flexed and lift by straightening your legs. When you start to get tired or sore stop! Stretch up and backward, walk and wait a while before continuing. Specially designed, bent-handled snow shovels make the job a little easier.

WASHING THE CAR:

This is a good strengthener for arms and legs if you attempt good bending methods. Especially helpful are oil derrick methods, squatting, and taking weight through both hands. Keep the low back relatively straight and relaxed, and work those legs by squatting and shifting.