Request an Appointment call us 701-364-2739

4 Stretches to stay limber during gardening season

Spend too much time in your garden?

Now that the weather has started to warm up in North Dakota, many of us will start to get out into our yards and gardens getting ready for the beautiful summer months.

As you get more active in your yard, it is important to make sure you are taking care of your body. Gardening and yard work usually involves a lot of lifting, bending, and twisting, all of which can cause increased pain. One way to greatly reduce your chance of injuring yourself is to properly warm-up before getting to work.

Below are a few stretches and exercises that will help you get ready to get into the yard. To start you will want to go for a quick walk around the block or go up and down some stairs a few times to warm up.

Then perform the exercises below.

Hamstring Stretch

Hold 20-30 seconds for each leg. Repeat 2 times.

Forward and Backward Trunk Bends

Repeat 15 times each way.

Trunk Side Bends

Repeat 15 times each way.

Trunk Rotation

Repeat 15 times each way.

After you have warmed up, you want to try and limit any twisting, especially if you are lifting heavier weight. Also, try to avoid sitting in a bent-over position for an extended period of time as that can cause excess strain on your lower back. Buying longer handled garden tools, eliminating the need to bend over, can help as well.

All of the exercises above should be able to be performed without any pain.

If any of the above motions do cause some pain, our physical therapists at Apex will be to assess your motion and find out what is causing your pain. Once we identify what is causing your pain we will be able to help you get back to working in your yard pain-free!