(Reprinted with Dr. William Madosky's permission;
www.drmadosky.com)

Gardening is an activity that brings pleasure to many adults. Drive through any St. Louis neighborhood and you will see people energetically planting, trimming, raking and mulching their gardens. Often as we try to whip our gardens into shape we underestimate the time and effort it will take and overestimate our physical abilities. Later that evening or the next day we feel pain and stiffness in our neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees. Is it possible to enjoy the fruits, flowers and vegetables of your labor and minimize the discomfort or pain that you feel afterwards? The answer is yes, especially if you use the tips listed below.

1. Treat gardening as a sport. Although this may sound peculiar, if you begin gardening by "warming up" -- stretching the most frequently used muscles in your upper and lower body as you would before a sports activity -- you allow the muscles to become more flexible and able to handle the tasks you want to accomplish.

2. Carefully plan how much time and realistically how much you can accomplish. Most injuries occur from doing too much too quickly. A garden takes time to create.

3. Keep in mind good body mechanics. Carefully lift heavy bags of dirt and mulch by keeping your back straight, bending at the knees and lifting with your legs while keeping the bag as close to your body as possible. When digging with a shovel, lift the dirt and turn your entire body to empty it. Avoid lifting, twisting and throwing the dirt especially if the ground is wet or the soil is clay.

4. Rotate activities to use different muscle groups. Frequently changing your activities helps to minimize the repetitive stress placed on the joints of your spine and extremities and the adjacent muscles.

5. Use a cushion, stool or small bench when weeding. This helps to reduce the stress placed on your knees and spine.

6. Take frequent breaks. You can greatly minimize the chances of injury when gardening by taking frequent breaks every 30 minutes or so. Take a few minutes to stretch, get a drink of water and enjoy your efforts.

7. Stop gardening if you feel pain or become fatigued. Most gardening injuries occur when you are tired and are trying to do that "one last thing." If you stop gardening when you feel pain or fatigue, you will minimize greatly your chances for further injury. If the pain persists apply ice to the affected area for 15-20 minute periods of time to help reduce the inflammation. DO NOT USE HEAT -- it will increase the inflammatory process. If your pain persists, contact your physician for additional help.

For people who have chronic pain, gardening tools have been adapted to meet their needs. Tools with longer handles and larger handgrips help those who have discomfort when bending or difficulty with their grasp. People with chronic low back and knee pain can turn to platform gardening using an elevated planting bed to help avoid bending and kneeling.