From planting a garden to mulching your yard, the movements associated with these activities can cause pain or discomfort, particularly if you haven’t done them in a while. It’s like going to the gym for the first time. You’re using muscles you didn’t even know you had.
Here are examples of some patients who experienced discomfort while doing yard work:
A patient who was putting out mulch noted that “they’re feeling it.” A patient who loves to garden-flowers and vegetables-always has a flare-up this time of year when she’s getting started. Another patient was tilling the ground to start a brand-new garden, and experienced lower back pain and shoulder discomfort.
Again, like going to the gym for the first time, you feel that extra soreness from the lactic acid buildup. The misalignment occurs when the muscles start to tighten, which pulls on the bone and pulls it out of place. As a result, a person can experience pain or discomfort, stiffness or loss of range of motion.
How Chiropractic & Massage May Help
By getting regular chiropractic adjustments, you may avoid pain and prevent injuries from doing yard work. Dr. Hoover can adjust the spine, but also all extremities. He sees many patients with foot and ankle problems, as well as shoulder issues.
Therapeutic massage is an ideal complement to chiropractic care. Massage can relieve sore muscles and improve range of motion.
Tips for Preventing Injuries
Yard work can place significant strain on the back and neck, as well as the elbows and knees. There are some steps you can take to prevent these kinds of injuries. You should view yard work as exercise. Be careful to stretch and loosen up the neck, back, legs, elbows, and shoulders before starting yard work.
When doing yard work, such as planting flowers, laying down mulch, or weeding, ensure you maintain proper posture. Also, when lifting anything heavy while doing yard work (e.g., a big bag of mulch), make sure you’re lifting safely. This means always lifting with your knees and legs versus your back. If something is too heavy for you to lift comfortably on your own, ask someone to help you or use a wheelbarrow for assistance.