If there is an activity that is regularly practiced by people in Ottawa, which is rarely spoken about in the medical field, it is gardening. Yet it is a very demanding passion for the lower back, shoulders, knees and hands. Do you know that in terms of gardening, your physiotherapist could give you good advice?
Gardening and physiotherapy: be careful!
In our daily tasks, we spend a lot of energy to adapt our work environment to make it as ergonomic as possible. But for gardening, we have to adapt to the work surface, which remains as land and soil.
The lumbar sprain
Before planting our flowers and vegetables, soil preparation by manual digging is particularly difficult for the lumbar region. We often come up against the weight of the material, which can vary enormously because of its moisture. For example, if you use clay or dry or wet sand, the weight can vary greatly. If you expect to lift a shovelful of 10 books and in reality it weighs 30 pounds because of its fluid congestion, you risk being injured.
Remember also that the lower back is biomechanically built to make bending and stretching of the trunk. If you add twisting to your movement you will require an unusual effort of your soft tissues. That’s when a lumbar sprain can occur.
The nun’s knee
To work at the height of our plants, we often put ourselves on our knees. This extended position may be harmful because it increases the pressure on the patella-femoral joint. At a time when religious nuns frequently prayed kneeling, they used to develop bursitis or what we call the nun’s knee.
There are now small garden benches convenient to protect the lumbar spine and knees. However, you should take the time to understand how you should use them.
Tendinitis
We are satisfied when our plantations grow rapidly. Even using fertilizers to accelerate their growth. By cons, weeds grow about as fast and you have to weed them. This repetitive activity takes effort and puts strain on your wrists and hands which often results in multiple tendonitis.
Many patients come to our clinic with an injury caused by the many hours devoted to their passion for gardening. They wouldn’t want to stop gardening because they always claim that they have a responsibility for what they have sown. Physiotherapists have a few tricks in their toolbox to help you pursue your passion.
Finally, gardening and physical therapy can be a winning combination to practice your passion in complete health! To receive the right advice, consult a physiotherapist today.
