With spring here and the weather warming up, more people are getting back outside. Around Pleasant Hill, that often means one thing: gardening season is in full swing.
This time of year brings a lot of good things. People are cleaning up their yards, planting flowers and vegetables, refreshing garden beds, and spending more time outdoors. But it also tends to bring an increase in aches, pains, and injuries that catch people off guard.
In March, we received calls from people whose pain started after yard work. I also had conversations around the community with neighbors who mentioned that their back, knees, or shoulders started bothering them after a weekend in the garden. Some of our current clients came in saying the same thing, especially swelling, stiffness, and tightness after spending hours kneeling, bending, lifting, and reaching.
The reason is simple: gardening can be more physically demanding than people expect.
A day in the yard usually includes more than just light movement. It can mean working on your hands and knees, bending forward for long periods, carrying soil bags, lifting pots, reaching across awkward angles, setting up trellises, and moving in and out of positions your body may not have practiced in a while. Even people who stay active can feel it when the workload adds up quickly.
A little preparation can make a big difference.
Before you start, take a few minutes to warm up. A short walk, marching in place, shoulder rolls, and a few slow sitto-stands or bodyweight squats can help get blood flowing and loosen things up. It does not need to be complicated. The goal is simply to prepare your body before asking more from it.
As you work, try to avoid staying in one position too long. If you are bent over or kneeling for several minutes at a time, stand up, reset, and change positions. For your low back, this matters quite a bit. Discomfort often builds from staying in the same posture too long, especially in a rounded position close to the ground.
For your knees, use a pad when kneeling and alternate positions when you can. Switching between kneeling, half-kneeling, squatting, and standing can reduce stress from repetitive pressure.
For your shoulders, be mindful of reaching and lifting. Keep heavier items close to your body, and break up repeated overhead tasks when possible. Setting up trellises, moving pots, and reaching around shrubs can add up faster than expected.
It also helps to pace yourself. Early spring is when many people try to do a full season’s worth of yard work in a day or two. That is often when soreness turns into something more limiting.
Gardening should be something you enjoy, not something that leaves you dealing with pain for the next two weeks. A short warm-up, better positioning, and a little pacing can go a long way toward helping your body handle the work more comfortably this season.
