Back Care In The Garden

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Gardening With Sciatic and Back Pain

This page is about your back care in the garden. The aim is to help people who have back and sciatic pain and who want to find a way to continue gardening. Working towards pain free gardening, and solutions to your back and sciatic pain.

I have included hints and tips from my own experience of lower back pain and sciatic pain to help you enjoy your garden, back care after gardening, garden books to accessible gardening and special ergonomic gardening tools to help people with back pain.

I Love my garden. When I got back pain and sciatica I thought I would have to give gardening up forever. However, with a little planning and care for your back, that does not have to be the case.

Please note the Free back pain guides and back pain relief solutions and ways to cope in the garden.

Take your back care in the garden seriously and have fun Gardening!

Back Saver Grip Tool Attachment

Backsaver Long Handle Tool Attachment (10001)

Amazon Price: $8.50 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

The back saver long handle tool attachment reduced the strain on your back and shoulders.

It is very handy as it can be transferred between tools thus making more of your tools easier for you to use.

Pain Free Gardening For You

Spring and summer are often a key time for existing back issues to flare up if we are not well prepared. Also for newly acquired backpain and backstrain as we get out there to sort out our gardens after a winter rest. So take your time, respect your back and give it some relief.

Here I provide back care information before during and after care while gardening, useful books on accessible gardening, back care products back care tools and some free products "The 10 Point Back Pian" and the "7 Day back Pain cure" to help you.

Do not miss out on the "Lose The Back pain System" as well which is the main thing that helped me eliminate my back and sciatic pain .

When I got back pain and sciatica I thought I would have to give gardening up forever. However, with a little planning and care for your back, that does not always have to be the case.

Beautiful Gardens And Caring For Your Back  

Preparation for Pain Free Gardening

Warm Up Your Back Muscles For Pain free Gardening

First it is important you find out from your healthcare provider if you are safe to do a little gardening if you have a back condition and especially if you have had back or spine surgery.

If you get the go ahead:

Whether you already have back pain or are wanting to avoid backstrain and have pain free gardening, it is important that you warm up before you start work in the garden.

Especially after a winter season of gardening inactivity our muscles are not used to gardening and thats when a lot of backstrain occurs. Spring and summer are the main times of year that doctors surgeries fill up with people having newly acquired backpain or existing backpain may get worse with the unprepared for activity.

Do any back care stretches you have, go for a short walk and treat it like you are an athlete getting ready. You are after all about to do some real physical work!

You may find it helpful to have a warm bath beforehand, particularly if you already have back pain. I always do this and it does help me.

If you already have back pain or sciatica you may find, if heat helps you, that putting a heat pad on your back to continually warm the muscles helps.

Only once you are fully warmed up should you start on your gardening tasks...

Check with your healthcare provider if you are safe to do a little gardening if you have a back condition and especially if you have had back or spine surgery.

Get Your 10 Point Back Pain Plan

Back Pain ? Feel Better

I have written a guide or rather a 10 point plan how to take back control over your back and sciatic pain based on my own experiences and what I learned.

I wrote this to help people so that you can have the benefit of my experiences and what helped me to do and consider.

If you would like to receive and read it please sign up for it by following the link below. You do not have to pay for it.

"Your Back Pain 10 Point Plan"

Covered in The Plan

1. Never give up! Keep searching for your solution.

2. Tackle stress, anxiety and depression.

3. Back care questions.

4. Don't continue doing what doesn't work

5. Record your pain.

6. Explain your pain.

7.Relieving Pain

8.Looking After Your Posture

9. Do You Really Need Back Surgery?

10. Know your body. Your responsibilities.

“What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it.Charles Dudley Warner.”

Ten Tips To Working In Your Garden-Pain Free

Ten Tips To Pain Free - Ease Your Back Pain In The Garden.

I used to garden all day, a short break for lunch and that was it. I loved it and wanted to do as much as possible in my time off. BIG MISTAKE!!

If You have a Bad back you simply should not do that any more. If you dont currently have a bad back its a good way to get one!

Here are Ten Tips to help.

1.Do a little gardening, rest , then do some more.

2.Vary activities, a little weeding, a little pruning etc.

3.Do not stay in one position for too long eg when weeding, get up stretch and move regulary. Repetitive tasks may put a strain on your back and other muscles.

4. Do not lift heavy things by yourself. Always get someone to help or better still use one of the many special gardening tools for moving objects.

5.If you have back pain and sciatica always let someone know you are working in the garden, just in case you should need assistance.

6.Rather than lifting and carrying a heavy watering can either use a hose or a smaller watering can. In a hot summer especially your plants in pots will need watering, I know the smaller watering can will mean more journeys back to the tap but it is better for your back. To be more eco friendly fix a water butt and use the water from there.

7.Use special back saver friendly tools to make it as easy on your back as possible. They can make quite a difference. Try to avoid digging or working over sun baked soil, go with the elements and dig when the going is easier.

8.Know your limits of your back.. It may be you can graduate to most tasks in the garden but digging or lifting may prove too much. Do not feel you have to be able to do everything! Split up tasks with other members of the family or friends or neighbours or get a handy person or gardener in to do the things you find difficult.

9.Take regular breaks for drinking water, it is easy to get dehydrated when gardening, especially in a hot summer, but be careful at any time, so regular water breaks will prevent that. Avoid mid day heat. Dehydration is not good for you or for your back and discs.

10.Treat yourself and your back as well as your plants !

Do a little gardening, rest , then do some more, vary activities, keep hydrated, use back saver tools and know your limits

The Healthy Back Institute And Gardening

Steve Hefferon from The Healthy Back Institute sharing his garden and tips with us. I have Steves permission to share this video . Thank you.

Raised beds are good for many soils to increase production and are also easier on our backs

Steve is the co founder of The Healthy Back Institute and Lose The Back Pain system- which is a great system to help you to tackle your back pain.

If it hadn't been for lose the back pain and Steves invaluable support I wouldn't be planning my garden for this year .... Steve Hefferon is the main person who supports people through the Lose The Back Pain system and in my experience does a wonderful job :)
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Lose The Back Pain For Pain Free Gardeners

If you have back or sciatica pain you must read this today !
Lose The Back Pain
Learn how to reduce or eliminate your back and sciatic pain in the comfort and privacy of your home

Identify the muscle imbalances you have and get rid of them with specific corrective exercises.

Learn about back pain relief strategies.

Get great support.

Beautiful Hosta Border In The Garden 

Garden Hopper Mobile Stool and storage

Sturdy Garden hopper on wheels doubles as a useful and welcome seat and it has its own storage space enough for all the gardening bits and pieces,

It even has a space for your drink!

Step2 5A0000 Garden Hopper Mobile Garden Stool and Storage

Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $29.99

For the gardener who needs to take a break and sit down sometimes and also a very handy storage device.

Back Care Garden Helpers!

Great Products For Easier On Your Back Gardening :)

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Gardeners-Ease Stiff, Sore Joints.Back Care After Gardening.

You Need Rub On Relief !

Care of your back after gardening is very important. Do you have sore knees and aching back or hips?

Does your back ache and your joints feel stiff? Looking for Pain Relief?

If you are interested in back care after gardening or relieving those aching muscles, you may like to learn more about this "Rub On Relief" cream.

Click on the link below to learn more...
Care of your back and aching muscles after gardening RUB ON RELIEF cream.
You can get the same pain relief as Olympic athletes and NFL superstars so you can

* Ease stiff, sore joints
* Relieve joint and muscle pain
* Reduce swelling
* Flush away oxidants and toxins
* Cool inflamed tissues
* Soothe joint soreness
* Eliminate free radicals in joints
* Lubricate aging joints
* Increases blood circulation in joints
* Eliminates your worse pains
* Speeds muscle and tissue repair
* Helps spasms
* Fights inflammation
* Unlocks stiff hands
* Fights nighttime pain
* Helps muscle soreness and cramps
* Reduces swelling
*
and without the horrible smell of most other rubs.

Long Handled Gardening Tools For Easier Gardening.

Good Garden Tools Make Gardening Easier On You and Your Back

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Romantic Roses, Perfect Poppies In The Garden 

Back Care Gardening Accessories :Knee Pads

Knee Pads To make gardening easier and pain free.

If you are OK to kneel when gardening, Knee pads are great as you can then kneel while gardening rather than bending or stooping too much.

If you find it comfortable on you and your back to kneel at least for some of the time you are gardening you may want to consider knee pads.

Still don't stay in one position too long but knee pads can be a good buy.
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Steve Hefferon and Lessons Learned in The Garden

This is a video by Steve Hefferon co founder of The Healthy Back Institute and he has given me permission to use his video here. I think he has some important messages here about gardening and about life.

He talks about taking care of the little things and what happens when you don't or feel you can't. "When Life gets in the way", or sometimes when pain or health matters get in the way too.

He makes the point that even though we are told Don't sweat the small stuff, if you tackle things when they are small it is easier and a faster remedy but when they get big they can overwhelm us.

I took from this not only to tackle the ONE weed Before it becomes 1000 !! But to notice what is going on in my body and to take care of my back each and every day whatever I am doing. If I had done that at the very first signs of my back issues it would not have got out of hand like it did and caused me so much pain and distress.

Tasks in the garden, or in life in general, can often seem way too big especially when in pain, but if we do one little thing every day towards a goal then we can get somewhere....

This is close to me as my Dr at the time I had severe back pain, told me that i would NEVER garden again with my back the way it was. As a gardener you will know how upset that made me feel. (He is not my dr now!) I have a brilliant Dr now who works with me on any health issues.

However for my back pain and sciatica I could not have done better than to find "Lose The Back Pain system" and all the support I got from Steve Hefferon there.:)

Sometimes the small things in our garden or in our life do get on top of us and we all do need support through those tough times....so if you are in pain and feel overwhelmed do ask for help.

Thank you Steve for allowing me to use your video and be proud of that gigantic tomato plant !!.
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Designing Your Garden For Pain Free Gardening

Garden Design for back pain or a bad back

If you have chronic back pain you may need to consider a redesign so you can garden more comfortably.

It is the same process you would go through if you were designing any garden and you can do it yourself or get a professional garden designer.

There are many books on garden design to help you get some ideas and I am sure you have plenty of your own.

Consider a low maintenance garden. Plant so there are no bare patches between the plants therefore less room for weeds. Less weeding means less bending and strain on your back. Gravel gardens or planting those plants whch require more attention in pots or raised beds may suit you.

Consider laying membrane which allows water and nutrients to pass through but makes it hard for weeds to get a grip. You will need to mulch it with bark, gravel , slate etc dependant on what you like.

Go for low maintenance plants and shrubs and not the ones that need a lot of attention or digging up after they have flowered.

Consider raised beds. I have two raised beds, actually at waist height as when my back pain was very bad I could not bend at all and that was the only way I could still get contact with my garden. A friend of ours, handy with wood made them for us to my individual specifications.

If your lawn is very small it may just be easier on you to gravel it over. You can still grow plants throughte gravel but it takes awaythe need to be coping with a lawnmower.

So just a few ideas, I am sure you will have plenty of your own....

Accessible gardening

When gardening becomes difficult due to back pain, sciatica , accident, illness or other disability sometimes we need to have a rethink of our garden so we can continue to enjoy it.

Accessible Gardening

Amazon Price: $37.82 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

This shows how to modify an existing garden to make it easier. Advice on selecting ergonomic tools and plants that are lower mainteneance. Also shows how to make a raised bed planters.

A very worthwhile guide.

Books On Accessible Gardening.

Make Your Garden Work For You And Your Back

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Gardening In Pots Pain Free Gardening 

General Garden Design Books

Guides To Designing Your garden

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Flowers In Gravel 

Stylish Garden Wellies!

Digging Without Backstrain?

Backsaver spade to help your aching back

What do you think of this backsaver spade device?
Back Saving Digging
by backsavingspade | video info

1 rating | 6,030 views
curated content from YouTube

Ergonomic weeder

Radius Garden 205 PRO Ergonomic Stainless Steel Weeder

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

Help your body with ergonomic tools. A weeder to help you .

Special Ergonomic Garden Tools

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It is vital that you take care of your back after gardening.
Take a warm bath or shower,use a heat pad to ease those back muscles, get a gentle massage,and do your "Lose The Back Pain" exercises.

Back Care After Gardening

Take care of your back.

It is vital that you take care of your back after gardening. When you have finished gardening for the day I suggest you take a warm bath or shower to ease those tired muscles.

Use a heat pad on your back to ease those back muscles.

Also if possible ask a partner to give you a gentle massage(avoiding your back directly if you have problems there)

Do any back care stretches you have-such as form Lose The Back Pain System

Continue doing stretching and warm baths/shower for the next few days until your muscles have eased.

Helpful Gardening With Back Pain Sites

Continue gardening with Back Pain

Carry On Gardening
An Award winning website which aims to help people who find difficulty working in the garden the ways towards easier gardening.
Avoiding Injury In the Garden
Hints and tips to avoiding injury in the garden detailing guidelines to follow. Raises the need for Back pain sufferers to take extra care when gardening.
Safe Gardening
It is possible to cope with gardening and back pain or to avoid back pain brought on by gardening by following a few safety rules detailed on this good website.
Weed Out Back Pain In The Garden
Article detailing how to garden with a bad back and some hints and tips to try. Also includes Back Pain solutions.

 

Back And Sciatic Pain Stopping You Working In The Yard??

When gardening with back pain is not possible...

That was me for over a year. I could barely walk, no bending and was in pain all the time with sciatic nerve tingling and numbing pain. Gardening was out of the question. I had been told I would never garden again, but thank fully I found my back pain solution in Lose The Back Pain System(see "Thank you Lose The Back Pain " Lens below) and water therapy and proved them wrong.

If however you are told for the time being that it would be damaging to you to do the physical work in your garden you need to think how you can still be involved.

Here are just some ideas...

1. You can take over all the design aspects

2.You can order all the seeds/plants etc you need.

3.You may still be able to do the sowing of seed in cells or pots at waist height and pricking out.

4.You can supervise the gardening work. (I drove my husband nuts "supervising" but he still loves me!)

5.Utilise gardening forums to at least talk about gardening - you may find it helps to just talk with like minded people and you may be able to impart useful advice.

6.You may like to have a go at photography in your garden-you don't have to be great as long as its fun!

7.Spend time learning more and reading more about great gardening.

8. Teach your children if you have any how to care for plants-they can follow your instruction.

9. Look after the houseplants-watering,feeding etc.

 

Useful Links Back Pain and Gardening

Gardening and Back Pain

Back Pain -Is it The Price We Pay For A Great Garden?
Back pain article linking to the dos and don'ts of back pain lifting and dumping when gardening.
Poll Says Gardening Tops The List Of Back PAin Woes.
Poll highlights gardening as a major culprit in back pain in the spring and summer, and tips to help prevent it.
Back Care For Gardeners
Good UK based website detailing care for your back while gardening as well as more general and extensive gardening information and support.

Easier Gardening With Great Garden Tools

Check this out for easy gardening tools.
FRED's SHED
Excellent range of garden tools and accessories for the gardener who needs easier ways to garden at this site. Worth checking out

From the site homepage:

"My aim is to find, and develop the best tools to enable anyone to work to the best of their ability. This means carefully chosen, top quality tools, that last a lifetime and that can be serviced and repaired."

Just gorgeous! 

“A garden is a friend you can visit any time.”

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Friends Of The Garden-Gardeners talk

I hope you found this lens useful. I would love to hear from you.

Share your love of gardening, your thoughts on back pain and gardening and any hints and tips that have worked for you in your garden.

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Disclaimer:Garden Back Care

I am a recovering back pain sufferer and not a medical expert.This lens contains personal opinions that are not intended as medical advice. The contents are not intended to diagnose, treat or give a medical opinion.

Please take advice from your healthcare professional if it is safe for you to garden if you have back issues or had back surgery.

The information here is no substitute for medical diagnosis and guidance. Consult a physician in all matters relating to health, particularly concerning any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Never disregard medical advice, or delay or change treatment because of something you have read here. For assistance with back pain, or any other medical condition, always consult a qualified healthcare professional. You health is your responsibility.

More Back Pain Relief Information

Back Pain Relief, Back Pain Hints, Sleeping With Sciatica and useful Back Pain Links...

Visit these lenses if you are interested in learning:how to cope with and relieve or eliminate your back and sciatic pain.

Written from my direct first hand experience of sciatica and back pain.
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About Jasmine Ann

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BLOG;LIFE WITH MY PET BACK 

Blogging about back and sciatic pain and getting on with it.

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BACK PAIN SOLUTIONS AND INFORMATION PAGES 

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