Don’t worry we haven't branched out to giving gardening tips and competing with Monty Don. Although if you haven’t planted out you Dahlias do so now before it’s too late!
As the standard April mix of sunshine and showers carries on, we expect to see our gardens flourish, but we also know that making this happen takes hard work.
Here is some age-old advice to help you tackle your garden pain free.
Number 1:
Plan your gardening jobs and ease into them. Warm up your muscles and joints before you start – remember that gardening is manual work and you need to be kind to your body with stretches, shoulder rolls and wiggling your hips.
Number 2:
Lift sensibly, avoid repeated lifting, twisting, stooping and ask for help if the item is too heavy or you’ll spoil your day/week. Use the best tool for the job that you can. Weeding with a long-handled fork means a lot less pressure on your back and knees than kneeling with a short, handled tool. When you do need to kneel, use a kneeling pad.
Number 3:
Use a wheelbarrow, don’t overload bags and break-up jobs into smaller ones. Mix and match the parts of your body you are using so that you don’t fatigue one group of muscles.
Number 4:
Take breaks and keep hydrated (even on cold or wet days). Take care to dress for the weather and don’t keep going until you are exhausted because you will regret it the next day.
Finally remember we are here if you need any advice on staying pain free. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
Joe Allnutt - Director & Osteopath
Read more about Joe in Our Team section