Spring has arrived which means many people are preparing their lawns and gardens. Many activities when gardening and lawn preparation are inherently an injury risk. Here are the top 5 ways to avoid injury while working in your yard.
- Warm-up before working. Avoid starting strenuous activities without preparing your body. Many injuries occur due to lack of blood flow to soft tissues and stiff cold muscles that have not been properly warmed up. Take your joints through motions you will be doing to prepare your muscles for the activities ahead.
- Use the right tools for the task. Avoid repeated heavy lifting when a tool such as a wheelbarrow can be used instead. If you must lift, keep the load lighter. Choose hand tools that fit your hands and use proper gloves. Avoid prolonged kneeling without using a padded surface to protect your knees. When you do kneel, kneel on both knees to decrease stress to your knees.
- Be aware of your posture. Lifting and digging require good postures to avoid stress to our bodies. Our spine should remain lined up including our head and neck. Avoid flexing the low back and hinge at your hips instead. Your arms are more protected working in front of you vs. out to the side.
- Keep it light. No need to carry heavy bags. Buy smaller lighter bags of soil to avoid heavy lifting. Use smaller watering cans and avoid watering plants higher than chest height. If necessary, use a ladder to get your body to a better position. Ladders are a fall risk so be sure to use per manufacturer instructions and always have three points of contact.
- Body Awareness. Drink when you are thirsty. Take many short breaks to avoid muscle and mental fatigue. Alternating arms for repeated tasks is another way to rest your muscles while working. And most importantly, think before you move. Think about best postures, safest way to do a task and decide if you can more easily use a tool or device vs. your body to complete the task.
Enjoy the warmth and longer days of Spring without setting yourself up for injury. If you have more questions, feel free to reach out at https://www.optimumergo.com/contact .
