Back exercises and tips to help avoid back pain

As garden season approaches - Here are our tips to avoid Back Pain this Spring

Winter will soon be behind us and our thoughts are turning to the new growing season ahead. For those of us who love the hands-on of growing our own, we know all too well that overenthusiasm in the preparation of the ground can have frustrating consequences when we find ourselves in pain or immobile because we sprained or strained something!

Gardening can involve a great deal of hard physical exercise, yet a pre-workout stretch often gets overlooked as we launch straight into the digging and planting (I am as guilty of this as anyone and bitterly regret it the next day!).

There are, however, a few simple steps we can take to get those muscles warmed up and stretched out so we don’t risk an injury or stiffness the next day.

Start with simple shoulder rolls to warm up the shoulder joints and gently swing your arms forwards, backwards and round in circles until the creaking and cracking stops and you feel the joints start to feel warm and relaxed.

Next take your head gently from side to side then tuck your chin to your chest – hold for a few seconds in each position and only stretch as far as is comfortable, we don’t want any overstretch injuries before we even start the gardening! Avoid rolling your head backwards in a circle as this can put awkward grinding pressure on the neck which can cause pain or discomfort.

A gentle way to warm the back, hips and knees is to do gentle hip and knee rolls – first stand with your feet shoulder width apart and slowly circle your hips one way then the other. Then keep your legs and feet together whilst gently circling your knees.

Finally bend forward gently to stretch out the back of your legs and slowly roll back up so your shoulders straighten last.

Of course there’s an even better way to reduce the risk of injury and that’s keeping your body in optimal condition through chiropractic, soft tissue release and core work! We strongly advocate this preventative approach and work with you to ensure that your body is functioning well and better able to adapt to the demands placed upon it.

Taking a few minutes to do these before gardening can greatly improve your mobility and reduce the risk of pulling muscles or putting your back out when working in the garden, but if you’re unfortunate enough to suffer muscle aches and soreness that don’t settle or are interested in learning more about our preventative plans please contact us or book a session.

Enjoy the approach of spring and may your growing season be a fruitful one.

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