Spring in Oviedo, FL is a great time of the year to plant or tend to a garden. Getting outside to the garden is a good way to naturally relieve stress and is considered beneficial for over-all health. Even though, tending or sprucing up your plot with flowers and plants is considered to be therapeutic, feeling sore or suffering from back pain afterwards is not. Racking, bending, shoveling, and other activities associated with gardening can all cause back pain. Although back pain is common, it can be avoided. Luckily, you don’t have to let potential back pain put a serious damper on your gardening fun. Oviedo chiropractors, especially ones that are highly knowledgeable like Dr. Ressler can offer advice on how to prevent back pain. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to avoid back pain when gardening.
Avoid peaks of high temperatures by planning your outdoor activities accordingly. If you are going to do anything that involves being outside, plan to do it during the early morning hours or after the peak hours of the sun.
Dress for gardening success by wearing appropriate outdoor clothing. Choose clothing that is lightweight, loose fitting and light in color. Tight fitting and restrictive clothing will obstruct movement and may cause you to pull a muscle. In general, you want to dress in attire that allows you to have a complete range of motion.
Make sure to protect your skin from UV rays with sunscreen. Dr. Ressler is an extremely knowledgeable chiropractor in Oviedo on many health-related topics. When it comes to sun protection, he recommends wearing sunscreen that is SPF 30 (UVA and UVB protection) or higher and reapplying it every 30 minutes. Also, don’t forget to wear sunglasses, sun protection clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat to add extra protection from the sun!
Don’t forget your kneepads! If you are going to be kneeling on the ground, Dr. Ressler highly suggests investing in quality knee pads or a foam pad. Wearing kneepads or using a kneeling pad provides proper cushioning for your knees and is a great way to avoid joint pain.
Before you begin gardening, loosen up your muscles with a quick warmup. Gardening or doing any type of yardwork can be quite strenuous physically. It’s important to get your blood pumping and loosen up muscles, just like if you were about to perform any exercise. All it takes is 5 minutes of light stretching, walking and exercises to prepare your body for this physical activity.
Easy to follow pre-gardening warmup:
Dr. Ressler recommends marching in place for a few minutes while doing some shoulder rolls backward and forward to get the blood pumping. To stretch the upper body, he suggests pulling your arm across your body with a 20 second hold. For the legs, cross your right foot over the left, bend forward like you are touching your toes. You do not have to touch your toes but bend forward and hang there. Hold for 20 seconds. Then switch and cross the left foot over the right foot, also holding for 20 seconds making sure not to bounce or rock the body. Do each of these (upper body and lower body) stretches 4 to 5 times.
Always use proper ergonomics.
- Make sure to use both arms when performing movements. For example, movements like raking, digging holes, shoveling, or carrying objects.
- Lift with your legs by bending at the knees to avoid injuring your back.
- Maintain your center of gravity by holding the object you are lifting or carrying close to you.
- If possible, work below shoulder level and above the knees.
- If you must work above shoulder level like lifting something overhead, keep it at a max of 5 minutes.
Use a tool or an aid to avoid carrying or lifting heavy objects. Dr. Ressler tells the patients of his chiropractic Oviedo office to use a dolly, wagon or cart to lift or carry heavy objects. If you can avoid having to lift or carry anything heavy, it significantly reduces your risk of injury.
Remember to take breaks! Often when we are engulfed in a project, we typically want to get it done as quickly as possible. For a lot of people, this mindset tends to continue even if the task is becoming uncomfortable or painful. Dr. Ressler tells his patients to never push through the pain. Instead, he recommends taking frequent breaks. He explains that “doing a repetitive motion for long periods of time can lead to a stress injury.” It is important not to be in the same fixed position for too long as well. If you are determined to get the work done, you can try switching to a different task. However, make sure to also take time to stretch and walk around to avoid a potential injury.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. You need to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. Keep your water bottle close so it is easy for you to stay hydrated!
If you have neck, upper or lower back pain, don’t wait to schedule your appointment with our Oviedo chiropractic office. All Oviedo chiropractors agree that untreated injuries can lead to life-long issues. Plus, why waste the perfect time of the year to garden because you are unnecessarily dealing with pain??
Dr. Ressler uses a special spring-loaded tool called an “activator” to adjust patients in his chiropractic Oviedo, FL office. The activator device is designed to correct only the specific vertebrae or joint that is out of proper position. The activator is extremely precise and allows for complete control to adjust the neck, back and extremities (shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees ankles, etc.) Dr. Ressler’s chiropractic adjusting procedure is completely pain-free and involves no twisting or cracking whatsoever. The care you will receive in our chiropractic Oviedo office is of the up-most quality to give all of Oviedo Injury and Wellness Center patients the best results. His protocol is designed to not only relieve pain quickly, but also to prevent a future injury from occurring. Even if you are not currently in pain, maintaining your chiropractic routine is still critical! Staying current with Dr. Ressler’s customized chiropractic treatment plan ensures your spine remains correctly aligned, which prevents the risk of injury.
It’s beautiful outside and OIWC understands that you are busy and want to enjoy your free time doing something fun. Most of our patients are in and out of our Oviedo chiropractic office within only 15-20 minutes. Oviedo Injury and Wellness Center is also open late on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until 7 pm and offers same day appointments so you can get the care you need when you need it. Our staff is here to help you coordinate your appointments to our chiropractic Oviedo office conveniently around your schedule. Call 407-977-5005 or click here to schedule your appointment now!