The Best Gardening Tools for Those With Back Pain
The gardening season is full of hope: fresh vegetables, beautiful flowers and a sense of accomplishment. But it can also be a literal neck (and back) pain. Kneeling, crouching, reaching, lifting and pulling are all part of gardening and sometimes these things catch up with even the most dedicated gardeners. Injury prevention will make your time in the yard a lot more enjoyable. Here are some tools to help keep your thumbs green and your spine straight.
Bring the gardening work for you
The best way to avoid hurting your back is to get rid of the need to stay bent forward for significant periods of time. Instead, try outsourcing the gardening to you .
Raised beds are one way to raise the soil and make gardening less intense. However, for some people, one to two feet will not work, so rolling planters that are raised off the ground are a great alternative. You can buy them, but they are also relatively easy to build yourself. They can be raised to table height or standing, making them easy to access and eliminate the need to kneel or bend over. You can even lift up a stool or chair to do weeding, planting, or watering, making it one of the best ways to take care of your garden without hurting your spine.
If you don’t have room for a raised pot on wheels, hanging baskets and window boxes also offer raised garden platforms. Window boxes do not have to be located under the window – they can also be placed along the railing or fence. You can also adjust their height for maximum accessibility.
Choose assisted squatting and kneeling
For large gardens and yards, you can’t always count on moving the work closer to you and having to find a safe way to get closer to the ground. In these circumstances, the key is to make things easier to access without straining your back. Instead of leaning all the way down, the padded lap bench allows you to get closer to the ground while also protecting your knees as you move.
There are also wheeled stools that also double as storage space and knee pads, making it easy to carry your equipment on your back as well. For those who already have back problems but still can’t wait to take a dip in the mud, a garden scooter is a great option. They are stronger than regular garden chairs and allow you to sit while you work.
Try additional handles and extensions
Using tools such as shovels, rakes, and hoses can also often cause back pain. The use of extensions and attachments can reduce back strain and make these tools more comfortable to use. Attaching a second handle to a shovel, rake, or hoe to use more leverage is a great way to stay upright when using these tools.
For watering with fewer bends and squats, try a watering pipe . Standing straight and not straining your lower back while working in the yard will help prevent injury.
standing weeding
Weeding your garden is a common source of back pain, as it often requires the use of force while squatting or kneeling. Tools that you can use instead of standing up and using your body weight means you’ll spend less time bending and squatting over weeds.
Some weeders act like garden rakes, uprooting weeds, while others are designed to cut stubborn roots . Their use in combination with other ergonomic improvements can reduce back pain and reduce weeding time.