Dig in to Painless Gardening
Adapted from Arthritis Today®*, the health magazine published by the Arthritis Foundation.
Gardening is one of life's simple pleasures. Nothing beats eating foods you've grown yourself, watching seedlings grow into flowering plants or simply reliving the childhood pleasure of playing in the dirt. But gardening can be tough work. Try the following to minimize the strain on your joints and make gardening great again.
- Be prepared. Take a brisk five-minute walk before tackling the garden. Also take time to stretch your chest, neck, shoulders, back and legs.
- Aim high. You can forget squatting and bending if you build raised beds. Stand with your arms to your sides. Where the tips of your fingers hit is the perfect height for the top of the flowerbed. Enlist the help of a landscaper or neighbor to build the flowerbeds.
- Plant perennials. They require less maintenance than annuals and will not need to be replanted each year, saving you time, effort and money. With proper mulching to stave off weeds, perennials are plant-them-once, love-them-forever plants.
- Invest in comfortable gardening tools. Rakes and shovels with padded handles ease gripping force, and long handles reduce the need for stooping and bending. They also provide increased leverage, which means less strain on your hands and back.
- Sit or kneel comfortably. When you must kneel, use a pad to soften the impact, and brace yourself with one arm while you garden with the other. This takes some weight off your back, but may not be possible if joints in your arm, wrist or hands are sore. Experiment with other comfortable positions, or try using a garden seat-scooter to eliminate the need for kneeling.
- Practice correct posture. Let your larger/stronger joints do the work when possible. Instead of using your fingers to lift an object, try using the palm of your hand, your forearms or even your elbows. Keep items close to your body as you carry them. Stand up straight when you work, and change positions often.
- Get rolling. Use a large-wheeled cart or child's wagon to move plants and mulch around with ease. A wagon with removable sides is ideal for loading and unloading.
- Make watering easier. Connect a hose at each of your home's outdoor water spigots to avoid having to lug heavy hoses from spigot to spigot when watering plants in your front, side and back yard. Or, if you can afford it, hire a landscaper to install an in-ground sprinkler system. The ease of use will far outweigh the cost.
- Think inside the box. If space or energy doesn't permit a large flowerbed, try planting flower boxes, large waist-high containers or even pots of flowers or herbs to sit on your windowsills.
- Stop and smell the roses. Take plenty of water breaks. Well-earned frequent breaks allow you to appreciate your garden's beauty, plan your next tasks and get more done before fatigue sets in.