Spring is officially here. All over Greater Vancouver BC people are getting ready to get dirty in their backyards, greenhouses, and community gardens. If you’re among them you’re preparing seeds and sharpening those gardening tools. However, you may be neglecting one thing that will make or break the success of your crops for the harvesting season to follow – your body. There are a number of injuries and pains that can keep you from the horticultural heaven you love so much. Before you stick your green-thumbs in the soil, read ahead.
3 Most Common Gardening Related Injuries and How Physiotherapy Will Help
Rotator Cuff Pain
Gardeners often experience an increase in inflammation of one or more of their shoulder tendons, which is why you may also know this injury as “shoulder tendinitis”. It can result from trauma, repetitive motions and even poor technique when gardening, causing pain, weakness and loss of function. IMS dry needling can be employed to correct this nagging pain, but there are also other effective treatments such as the active release technique. View more.
Hand and Wrist Pain
Office workers get all of the press of late when it comes to this injury. But before there were computer keyboards, tablets, and smartphones putting pressure on these appendages gardeners were (and continue to be) among the most at-risk. Frequently digging, tilling, planting, watering by hand can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. While you can help prevent or minimize pain by maintaining proper wrist and arm alignment with a wrist brace, manual therapy is a highly effective physiotherapy technique to burry this problem for good.
Lower Back Pain
Gardening and lower back pain unfortunately go hand-in-hand. You’re constantly bowing to care for your growing crops and flower beds, but to avoid bed rest from back pain you must ensure that you bend at the knees. As a gardener you know this as well as a bodybuilder doing deadlifts. The issue, is that you may not have the leg strength and lower body mobility to do so every time you need to get low in the garden. In addition to lower back stretches and exercises (as prescribed by your physiotherapist) you must incorporate leg movements into your gardening warm-up and cool-down too. By strengthening and improving flexibility you’ll be better able to bend at the knees and keep your lower back from doing all of the work. View more on lower back pain and how physiotherapy will help.
If you are gardening in the Greater Vancouver area we encourage you to schedule a consultation at our Burnaby clinic before you get too deep in the soil this season. Contact us today at 604.558.2273 or complete the form found here.