Spring cleanup, gardening, mowing, landscaping and fall leaf removal can turn into surprisingly demanding workouts.
After several months of doing very little yard work, it's easy to spend the first nice weekend outside for six hours—and wonder why your back, shoulders and knees hurt the next morning.
The solution isn't to be afraid of bending, lifting or working in the yard.
Instead, think about gradually preparing your body for the amount of work you're asking it to do.
Here are seven practical ways to make yard work easier on your body.
1. Warm Up by Moving
You don't need an elaborate stretching routine before mowing the lawn.
Start with a few minutes of movement.
Walk around the yard, perform a few comfortable squats, move your shoulders and hips, and gradually begin your work.
The first heavy bag of mulch you lift shouldn't be the most demanding movement your body has performed all day.
2. Don't Try to Finish Everything in One Day
This may be the biggest mistake people make.
Your body adapts to what you regularly ask it to do.
If you haven't gardened, raked or moved landscaping materials for months, suddenly doing several hours of repetitive work represents a large increase in activity.
Instead of tackling everything Saturday morning, consider breaking a large project into shorter sessions.
This is especially helpful early in the season.
3. It's Okay to Bend Your Back
You've probably heard:
“Never lift with your back.”
That's an oversimplification.
Your spine is designed to move, including bending.
Rather than trying to keep your back perfectly straight during every gardening task, use a variety of positions and change positions periodically.
For heavier loads, keeping the object relatively close to your body and using your hips and legs can make the task easier.
But bending itself isn't inherently dangerous.
Your body simply needs enough capacity for the task you're asking it to perform.
4. Change Positions
Sometimes discomfort isn't caused by one “bad” position.
It's caused by spending too long in the same position.
Gardening may involve prolonged:
- Kneeling
- Squatting
- Bending
- Reaching
- Standing
Rotate between tasks when possible.
You might weed for a while, stand up and trim bushes, then move to another project.
Movement variety can make a long day of yard work much more tolerable.
5. Be Smart With Heavy Loads
Mulch, landscaping rock, soil, pavers and yard equipment can get heavy quickly.
If something is more than you comfortably handle:
- Divide it into smaller loads
- Use a wheelbarrow or cart
- Get help
- Move it in stages
You don't earn extra points for carrying every bag of mulch yourself.
The goal is to complete the project without exceeding what your body can currently tolerate.
6. Strength Training Helps Prepare You for Yard Work
One of the best ways to make physical tasks easier is to become stronger.
Exercises involving:
- Squatting
- Carrying
- Pulling
- Pushing
- Hip hinging
- Trunk strength
can help build the capacity needed for everyday activities.
You don't need to train like a competitive athlete.
But maintaining strength makes physical activities—from carrying groceries to landscaping—easier to tolerate.
That's one reason rehabilitation and movement can be an important part of managing recurring musculoskeletal problems.
7. Don't Panic if You're Sore the Next Day
Muscle soreness after an unusually active day doesn't automatically mean you've injured yourself.
If you haven't performed an activity recently, some soreness afterward can be normal.
Gentle movement, walking and gradually returning to normal activity may help.
However, pain deserves more attention when it is severe, continues getting worse, doesn't begin improving, or is accompanied by symptoms such as significant weakness, numbness or pain traveling into an arm or leg.
What If Yard Work Keeps Causing Back Pain?
If your back hurts every time you mow, garden, rake leaves or perform other outdoor work, it may be worth figuring out why.
Recurring back pain can have many causes.
An evaluation can help determine whether you're dealing with a relatively straightforward musculoskeletal problem or something that deserves additional investigation.
Depending on the problem, treatment may include chiropractic care, rehabilitation and movement, activity modification or massage therapy.
The goal isn't to tell you to stop doing yard work.
It's to help you build the capacity to keep doing the things you need and want to do.
Chiropractic Care for Back Pain in Maple Grove, MN
At Northwood Chiropractic & Wellness, we evaluate the problem first and then determine what type of treatment makes sense.
That may include chiropractic adjustments, exercise and rehabilitation, massage therapy or other conservative approaches depending on your condition.
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Your first visit includes a consultation, comprehensive exam, X-rays if needed, and your first chiropractic adjustment when clinically appropriate.
Dr. Greg Beenken
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