Gardners Back Warning April 22, 2009

New Back Warnings for Gardeners

It has recently been noted that green-fingered residents could be doing some serious damage to their bodies.

In the area of North Somerset, complaints of aches and pains in the back are on the rise. Simply because gardeners are failing to stretch before planting and digging up weeds.

The local chiropractor, Lee Harvey of Weston Chiropractic Clinic, said  that he regularly sees around ten people each week with back problems due to gardening. This usually affects the lower back, though there are many others who simply phone in for advice on the subject.

But why does gardening over-exert these residents? According to Harvey, it’s down to the fact that people are mainly inactive during the winter and suddenly start doing more activity with a few hours of gardening in the warmer weather.

To further emphasise his point, Harvey likens gardening to using a car that has been sat in the garage for the past 6 months – “it is going to get a flat battery”.

Problems have increased dramatically over the April bank holiday weekend, where people start gardening more but also take their waste away, loading heavy boxes into the backs of cars and doing damage to their backs. It is such strenuous activities that our bodies are not used to that cause so many problems.

Blogger Chris Knight also commented on the problem, suggesting that people take time to warm up before getting started in the garden.

Harvey also recommends that once the pain starts you should recognise the sign to stop doing what you are doing. If you are experiencing strong pain then the best relief is to put ice on your back with a towel underneath for around 10 minutes, and to keep mobile if possible.