There's plenty to do around the yard this season. There is debris to be cleaned up, weeds to be pulled, bushes to be pruned and flowers to be planted. Getting your yard ready for the warm weather is certainly a tall order, and it can also be dangerous. Yard and house-related activities account for up to fifty percent of physical therapy clinic visits every spring.
While the injuries sustained doing yard work vary broadly across the population, the three most common types of injury are rotator cuff tendonitis (and tears), disc bulges and sciatica.
During these months, the shoulders and back (among other parts) endure more stress than almost any other time of the year. It is during the initiation of heavy, time-consuming activity that the body is most likely to break down, and this occurs for several reasons.
First, muscles that are not used to operating at heavy loads become fatigued quickly. This fatigue leaves room for injury to discs and tendons. Secondly, muscular endurance is always an issue in the early part of the season. Our bodies are not used to moving heavy furniture, pulling up weeds or operating hedge clippers for hours on end.
As a physical therapist and yard keeper myself, I understand the drive to finish a task all at once. I would like to offer you a few simple ways to get your yard work done while staying healthy at the same time.
Weeding is one of the most labor-intensive outdoor jobs and is responsible for more low-back injuries seen in a physical therapy clinic than almost any other springtime activity. Repeated pulling at stubborn weeds creates a strain in the lumbar discs. With your back in an already compromised, bent-forward position, one good yank at a tough weed may be enough to bulge a disc. A half-kneeling position is a much safer way to pull weeds.
Setting out lawn and patio furniture often requires a bit of heavy lifting. Whenever possible, grab an extra set of hands to help with awkward or heavy items. Many hands makes a healthy back.
Not all the planting needs to be done at once. It is understandable that our planting opportunities are limited by weather during the New England Spring, but several consecutive hours of planting leaves you at risk for straining muscles, ligaments or other tissues. These strains often sideline people for weeks at a time. Breaking up the planting into small increments minimizes your risk of injury and maximizes your chance of having everything you want in your garden.
Raking and cleaning up debris takes a lot more energy than it is often credited. When raking sticks and leaves, take slow, steady strokes with the rake. This ensures that you don't burn too much energy and increases the chance that your body mechanics will stand up to the task of debris detail.
Pruning hedges with heavy sheers is an easy way to acquire rotator cuff tendonitis. Over extending your arm with a heavy object in your hand is a quick recipe for a tendon injury. When trimming back bushes, keep the sheers close to your body and try to keep your shoulders at or below ninety degrees of elevation. This position protects the delicate rotator cuff from tearing. A surgical repair of the rotator cuff is followed by a lengthy and uncomfortable rehabilitation, so shield yourself from harm before it happens.
Take breaks frequently. Many injuries result from overly tired muscles. When a muscle becomes fatigued, its ability to stabilize a joint or create enough force to accomplish a routine task diminishes considerably. It is at this point that people risk injuries such as discs, nerves and tendon tears.
Change activities whenever possible. Repetitive activities wear down body parts. Changing your activity every thirty minutes is an easy way to avoid a repetitive strain injury.
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