Avoiding Pain in the Garden
Gardening season is in full swing: with temperatures and spirits high, more people leave their winter skin on the couch so they can get growing. Gardening and chiropractic are complimentary: gardening is exactly the type of activity that gets people off the couch, to the benefit of their mind, body and soul. However, some of the motions involved can put strain on the back, especially if there is a pre-existing subluxation. At Espinosa Family Chiropractic, we offer prevention and treatment modalities that keep you in a state of enjoying gardening without the hassle of pain.
Avoid aches and pains this gardening season by following these easy tips:
Warm up: Stretching for less that 5 minutes before you get down and garden can keep your body limbered and strong against the kind of twisting, bending and dipping motions that are most frequent while gardening.
Take breaks and drink water: Step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor while having a gulp of water or two. Make sure you are replacing the water that you shed so you don’t end up feeling exhausted and headache-y at the end of the day. Keeping properly hydrated makes all the functioning systems of your body work more efficiently.
Avoid twisting unnecessarily: Keep your spade in front of you, to avoid twisting behind you to reach it.
Lift properly: large loads are sometimes unavoidable in the garden, so make sure that you observe proper lifting etiquette by lifting with your legs and whole body as opposed to bending and lifting with the back.
Mix up your tasks: Remaining hunched over on your knees for a long period of time encourages muscles to tighten and strain to occur. If you can, mix it up by doing small tasks and moving from patch to patch of your garden to keep muscles limber.
If your back is not letting you enjoy gardening the way you used to, give our office in Sacramento a call. We can identify and correct misalignment, and speed the healing process of damaged tissues and strained ligaments.
Dr. Raymond Espinosa, D.C.