Ready, Set—Garden!
John P. Bradley, PT
The idea for this column came to me as my wife and I was
strolling through the Philadelphia Flower Show recently. (A
tradition we have enjoyed with family since we married) You
could sense the passion and fervor of all these gardeners,
clamoring to get a glimpse of the beautiful landscapes and
flowers. The sought after inspiration for their own gardens
was found everywhere according to the continued “oohs
and aahs” wafting through the air. The desire to dig
is powerful.
But how many of these impassioned gardeners would throw themselves
into their gardens this spring only to incur muscle strains
and joint sprains as they dug, lifted, carried and twisted
all in the name of their beloved sport of gardening? There
is perhaps no other event in the year that starts the phone
ringing in my office than the start of gardening season. If
any of us were to take the field in softball, soccer or volleyball,
we would all be acutely aware of the importance of “getting
in shape” before the season began. For some reason,
we don’t view the start of gardening season similarly.
When you look at the muscles involved in gardening and the
amount of physical strain incurred with digging, mulching,
raking, weeding and carrying heaven knows how many bags of
fertilizer, the similarity to athletic endeavors is more obvious.
But do you really prepare yourself for this level of physical
exercise? (Sorry, paging through plant catalogs does not constitute
a “workout”.)
In my office, I definitely see a pattern to the types of
injuries associated with gardening work. The most frequently
injured areas are the shoulders, back and legs. Many times
the cause of injury is taking these reconditioned areas through
more motion and force than they can handle. Tightness in the
muscles of these areas makes you prone for injury.
Here is a simple program of stretching for these areas to
start now, before you reach for the shovel or wheelbarrow.
Once the “games” begin, do these stretches after
every session in the garden. This is the best time to stretch,
when your muscles are already warm, and you will get the most
benefit from the stretch. Do all stretches for 3 repetitions
each, holding gently for 30 seconds.
- For the upper body: Stand in a doorway
or corner with your hands at head level on the wall. Slowly
lean in until you feel a stretch in the upper chest and
front shoulders.
- For the back: Lie on the floor or ground
and gently pull both knees to your chest with your hands,
curling yourself into a ball.
- For the legs: Lean against a wall or
fence with one leg behind you and the other leg forward.
Slowly lunge forward, keeping the knee of the back leg straight.
You should feel a gentle pull in the calf of the rear leg.
Oh by the way, if your neighbors are chuckling at you stretching
in the garden, don’t dismay. They will be the ones calling
me for help come Monday morning!
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Delaware Physical Therapy Association
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