| If you love your garden as much as I do and you | | | | getting a company in to do the hard graft for you |
| have backache, pinched sciatic nerve symptoms, | | | | then you can concentrate on doing the finishing |
| sciatica or one of the many back pain issues you | | | | touches. If you share a garden or have an allotment |
| may be wondering if you can ever garden again. | | | | consider asking if people would swap tasks with you |
| Gardening can be hard on the back and I thought I | | | | so you do more of some things for them and they |
| would have to give it up forever. However I | | | | do more of say digging for you, it’s worth a try! |
| discovered that is not necessarily the case… | | | | • Consider a series of raised beds with paths in |
| • Gardening is a very physical activity but there | | | | between so you can move easily between them to |
| are lots of things you can do to make it easier. Even | | | | tend your plants without too much bending or |
| if you really cannot do the physical work you can still | | | | overreaching your back. Don’t make the beds |
| take a very active part in your garden. Also | | | | too wide as you need to comfortably reach them. |
| gardening is a great motivator. If you want to do | | | | • When gardening with back pain issues warm up |
| your garden and you are dealing with back aches and | | | | first. Do any back pain exercises you have been |
| pains you are much more likely to keep up with any | | | | following, go for a short walk and treat it like you are |
| back pain exercises and be diligent about looking | | | | getting ready for some real physical activity …which |
| after your back. | | | | you are. If it helps you use a heat pad while you are |
| • First do check with your healthcare professional | | | | gardening to keep the muscles in your back warm |
| to make sure it is safe for you to do gardening | | | | and less prone to injury. After gardening do your |
| activities and if there is anything you should | | | | stretches again and get into a warm bath or shower |
| absolutely avoid doing. | | | | as soon as you can. |
| • It is vital if you have back pain and pinched | | | | • Frustrating as it is, do a little, rest then do a little |
| sciatic nerve symptoms that you try to get to the | | | | more. I used to be an all day gardener but now I |
| root cause of your pain and treat that along with the | | | | respect my back and listen to any little aches and |
| symptoms to get lasting relief. Learn as much as you | | | | pains and stop before it needs to shout at me! Vary |
| can and ask lots of questions. Feel free to visit my | | | | the activity so you don’t do repetitive tasks |
| website at for back pain solutions, information, | | | | which put a strain on your lower or upper back. So |
| suggestions and inspiration. Never give up looking for | | | | mix it up with a little weeding, trimming, pruning etc. |
| your solution. | | | | • What a pain it is when you just want that big |
| • Look at your garden with a critical eye from | | | | pot moving a couple of yards. Do wait until you can |
| your “bad backs” perspective and if | | | | get someone else to do it. It is not worth |
| necessary consider a redesign. This is something | | | | aggravating your recovery from back pain for the |
| everyone can do and many gardeners do anyway | | | | sake of a little patience. |
| once in a while. If you have persistent backache, | | | | • Let someone know you are in the garden |
| back pain or disc problems you just need to take a | | | | working. If you do overstrain your back you will want |
| few more things into account. You know your back | | | | the comfort of knowing someone will be checking on |
| like no one else does. Evaluate what jobs you find | | | | you from time to time if necessary. |
| difficult and will hurt you and which are fine for you. | | | | • Consider some of the many tools you can buy |
| Listen to your body and let that be your guide. | | | | to help you if you have general backache, pinched |
| • Consider a low maintenance garden. Plant so | | | | sciatic nerve symptoms, upper or lower back pain. A |
| that there are no bare patches of earth where the | | | | small investment in some good quality tools will ease |
| weeds can grow. Less weeding equals less bending | | | | strain on your back and mean you can be |
| and less backache. Go for low maintenance plants | | | | independent in your gardening |
| and shrubs. Concentrate plants needing more | | | | • If the physical work is really too much for your |
| attention in one area and consider a raised bed for | | | | bad back at this stage you can do all the design, |
| them so less stooping for your back. Place the area | | | | planning, ordering and task list. Teach others how to |
| nearer to your house or your garden shed. Your | | | | do what you know so they too can grow from the |
| tools will be closer to hand that way. | | | | experience and learn to love gardening. Visit |
| • Scented plants are fantastic in raised beds for | | | | gardening forums and pass on your knowledge. For |
| everyone to enjoy. You can even grow great | | | | the year I could not do any gardening due to my low |
| vegetables in large raised beds and have more | | | | back pain and sciatica symptoms I taught my |
| control over the environment and soil. Raised beds at | | | | husband, following him round every inch and he went |
| waist height mean little or no bending for a bad back. | | | | from being not at all interested to now loving it. Now |
| If you have a small lawn, consider gravelling it or | | | | I just need to get my garden back! |
| using chamomile or other lawn plants. | | | | • Always think what you CAN DO not what you |
| • When you first get back pain your garden can | | | | can’t do. Just because you have back pain and |
| suffer as you deal with the initial pain. If your garden | | | | pinched sciatic nerve symptoms you do not need to |
| has done its own thing for a while you need to take | | | | give up your garden. |
| it in hand. If family or friends cannot help, consider | | | | |