Nip pain in the bud

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Nip pain in the bud
Mary Lou Aguirre – The Fresno Bee
Living – July 1, 2009 - 3:00am

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Being aware of your posture and taking breaks can help you avoid gardening aches.
Tackling those gardening chores without developing some aches and pains isn’t always easy.

Experts say the key is to take it slow, which is sometimes challenging for avid gardeners like Sue Kendall of Fresno, Calif., who was 58 when she took up gardening and now, seven years later, is known for her expertise for growing roses.

Kendall had surgery for a rotator cuff injury and has eased back into her routine by doing a series of frequent breaks and stretches as she gardens.

Slowing down isn’t easy for Kendall, nor for other gardening enthusiasts. But it’s exactly what is needed, according to Jeffrey Restuccio, author of the book Get Fit Through Gardening (Hatherleigh Press Ltd., $15.95). Restuccio views gardening as exercise and a well-tended garden the benefit of a good workout.

“Gardening by itself is not good for you; it’s only when you garden using proper form and technique that you reap its benefits,” he says.

Here’s Restuccio’s advice on giving your body a break. You can also view his recommended gardening positions at his Web site, www.getfitthroughgardening.com.

Stretch before and after you weed, dig or hoe in the garden. Warm up for five minutes before stretching and stretch again before you cool down.
Change your garden activity every three to five minutes.
Protect your back. Bend from the knees. Keep your back straight as you squat down from the knees and rise straight up using your legs.
Keep your gardening ambitions in line with your time and ability. A smaller garden will be less work.
Choose tools that do the work for you. In other words, you push or pull, and it slices the earth. Also make sure your tools are of adequate length to avoid stooping.
Limit gardening to two hours.
Mike Noble, also of Fresno, turned a plain backyard into a beautiful backdrop of zinnias, mums and birds of paradise. He recalls planting a flower bed last year with a little too much zeal.

“The next day, my back was a little stiff and I couldn’t get out of bed,” says the 59-year-old. “I had been too lazy to stretch.”

He recommends spending an hour or so during the week so the weekend chores don’t take such a toll.

Carrie Lou Butchert, 72, lives in Fresno and says gardening “energizes” her.

Butchert and her husband, Jerald, spent nine hours fertilizing their 190-plus roses one Sunday this spring. In the past, the couple has been so engrossed with a gardening project that they found themselves “working in the dark.” “The fertilizing is something we do once a year,” she says. “It’s worth it. Our roses are our pride and joy. Believe me, it’s a labor of love.”

But they also plan easy maintenance gardens and use tools that don’t require them to be on their hands and knees.

Fresnan Susan Stiltz has a landscape design and consulting business. She recommends using a gardening bucket with a cushion on top for sitting while gardening. Stiltz, 59, also uses knee pads.

“Sitting on something is better than bending at the waist,” she says. “I’ll do 10- to 15-minute sessions of stretching.”

Her favorite gardening chore is pruning. But it has its drawbacks.

“There’s a lot of stress at the arms, neck and shoulder while pruning,” Stiltz says. “Heat or ice packs are good for sore muscles.”

Kendall knows too much gardening will affect her body. “You’re enjoying it so much that you’re sore when you get up,” she says.

But she has her routine planned out so she doesn’t re-injure her shoulder.

“I’m more careful and take breaks more frequently,” Kendall says. “I have chairs and benches throughout my garden for this purpose. If at any point, I feel my shoulders tiring, I stop for a water break and walk around talking to my plants.”

For more on gardening and back pain, and natural ways to help back pain, goto www.backpainloss.com

As ever

Paul