Save Your Back Work Smarter, Not Harder According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, and back injuries account for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses. About 80 percent of adults are estimated to experience a back injury in their lifetime, and about 10 percent will suffer a re-injury. Outdoor activities is the number one cause of back injury in the home. These injuries are are primarily due to gardening related activities. As members of a relatively sedentary society we, as a whole, get relatively little joint-strengthening activity and then comes the weekend and we have an overwhelming urge to cram an entire weeks worth of activity into a few hours. The result - back pain come Monday morning! What are some of the most common causes of pain? Heavy lifting - especially repetitive lifting over a long period. Twisting at the waist while lifting or holding a heavy load - this happens frequently when using a shovel or digging fork. Reaching and lifting - over your head, across a table, or out of the back of a pick-up. Lifting or carrying objects with awkward or odd shapes - such as moving or lifting that mower or tiller. Working in awkward, uncomfortable positions - such as harvesting or weeding for long periods. Sitting or standing too long in one position. Slipping on a wet floor or ice.
The amount of force placed on your back under certain conditions can be surprising. Anytime you bend or lean over to pick something up, you put tremendous pressure on your lower back. 
Think of a lever and fulcrum. With the fulcrum centered under the lever, how many pounds of force is required to lift a ten pound load? Answer - 10 pounds. 
Considering that the average human torso weighs approximately 105 pounds, when you lift with your knees straight, you actually put 1,150 pounds of force on your lower back to lift a ten pound load. Add to this the fact that a great many of us are overweight to one degree or another and the amount of force on your lower back is multiplied by ten for each pound we are overweight. In other words, if a person is 20 pounds overweight and we lift with our knees straight, we add an additional 200 pounds of force on our lower backs. But move the fulcrum (your knees) further forward and that force is greatly reduced. But heavy lifting and repetitive work are not always the cause of severe pain in the back. According to statistics, the simplest act of getting out of the car, bending over to pick up a dropped pen or tool on the ground have caused excruciating pain that has required treatment. What does all of this have to do with garden tips and tricks? Simple, a hurting back is one of quickest ways to cut short a day of activities outside and it is often easily avoided. - Before you start an outdoor activity, take a few minutes to do some warm-up exercises to stretch your back, leg and shoulder muscles.
- Avoid bending for long periods of time. Stop and stretch often. Change positions often and consider 10-15 minutes the longest period of time before stopping to stretch or at least change posture and position.
- Outdoor activities require enough bending on their own so look for ways to avoid bending at all if possible, regardless of how simple it may seem. Even the simplest task can be painful given the right circumstances.
- You don't get points for being Superman (or Wonderwoman). Get help to lift heavy or awkward items and avoid reaching.
- Get yourself out of the mindset that you have to complete every task right now. If you don't get it done right now, the world won't come to an end and your back will still feel like working on it later.
- Quit thinking of ergonomic as a topic for those who already have trouble. Ergonomics is a way of thinking to avoid having to seek and rely on ergonomics later. Start now looking for tools and techniques to avoid straining joints so you don't have to rely on ergonomics later in order to get any enjoyment at all.
When it comes to taking care of yourself it's like the old advertisement said - "Pay me now, or pay me later" 
Sometimes, the simplest and seemingly most ridiculous remedies can have huge impacts on your back. Here a simple clothes pin keeps an ink pen from rolling off the desk (yes, this is my practice). The result, no bending over to retrieve the pen. | 
How often have you simply dropped a hose or tool, only to have to bend over to pick it up again? Here a simple "Shepherd's Hook" kept in your tool cart makes a quick, portable and effective tool rest and hose holder. Simple things can have a huge impact on your body. |
Yes, I would have to say that taking care of yourself is a garden tip that should be considered and reconsidered. Given the number of back injuries incurred by folks from all walks of life, it should be taken seriously by all of us. For what good is an interest in gardening and outdoor activities if you don't have the physical ability to enjoy it? It's to late once the injury occurs. Gardening and other outdoor activities should not be labors of pain and torment. But rather sources of enjoyment where one can find release, joy and a sense of peace. These are attainable goals if we will but "WORK SMARTER - NOT HARDER". the "Hillbilly Gardener" |
