Gardening + Your Spine
At Stratford Chiropractic a lot of our clients are avid green thumbs, enjoying spending lots of time in their gardens. Something to consider when gardening is your posture and taking the time to stop and stretch while tending to the lawns and plants.
By maintaining a focus on your posture, your health and the garden will be happy and thriving. So, how do you cultivate a good posture while gardening? Here’s some simple steps and tips which might help.
- When seeding, weeding, planting and dividing, gardeners are often bent over at sometimes unusual angles. Sometimes these positions are held for longer than expected, which can lead to spinal pain and postural problems. Make sure you set a timer to take a break every 30 minutes. Stop and stretch and complete some simple spinal exercises which can be downloaded from the Australian Chiropractors Association’s (ACA) Straighten Up app!
- Mowing the lawn. Sounds simple, but can sometimes result in injury. To help reduce strain on your back and prevent slips and falls, make sure you wear comfortable shoes with appropriate arch support and good grip.
- Stay hydrated and sun safe. While these tips don’t relate specifically to spinal health, they are just important reminders for when you are spending time outside. Make sure you are wearing a hat and long-sleeved sun shirt and have plenty of water on hand, which is kept topped up during your gardening adventures.
We also recommend taking the time before and after gardening to stretch it out and plan your activities carefully. Be mindful of your body and posture at all times and make sure you take plenty of rest breaks, throughout the day.
I hope the above gardening and spinal care tips prove helpful. If you do pull up more than weeds and end up with a sore back, then please make an appointment and come in and see us. For your convenience you can book online or give us a call on (07) 4055 1667.