Our Top Tips for Safely Getting Out in the Garden this Summer

With Summer just around the corner, more people are heading outdoors to enjoy gardening - not just as a hobby, but as a powerful way to stay active, connect with others, and benefit from nature. Gardening combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to sunlight, which helps lower blood pressure and boost vitamin D levels. It also improves dexterity, strength, and aerobic fitness, contributing to overall health. Additionally, the social connections formed through gardening may help delay dementia symptoms, while regular movement supports older adults in preventing or managing chronic conditions and maintaining mobility.

However, have you ever noticed your back feeling achy, and sore after gardening? Don’t let discomfort take the joy out of your time outdoors—here are some tips to help prevent and alleviate back pain before and after gardening!

1. Warm Up Properly! Gardening involves plenty of bending, lifting, digging, and pulling, so it’s essential to prepare your muscles beforehand. A few gentle stretches can help get your body ready for action, such as cat camel, lumbar rotation, extension, knee to chest stretch. Warming up reduces the risk of injury, improves flexibility, and enhances joint stability, ensuring a more comfortable and pain-free gardening experience.
2. Pace yourself and plan ahead. Tackling all the heavy gardening tasks in one day can put unnecessary strain on your back. Instead, spread out the harder jobs like digging, pruning, and trimming over time to avoid overworking any one area. Mixing up tasks can also help reduce strain—try 20 minutes of kneeling to weed, followed by 20 minutes of mowing, then 20 minutes of hedge trimming. Using a timer can keep you from overdoing it.
3. Focus on your form and lift safely. Lifting heavy pots, bags of soil, or gardening tools incorrectly can strain your back and lead to injury. To protect yourself, take your time, keep your feet stable, and bend at the knees rather than the waist—using knee pads if needed. Maintaining proper form helps distribute weight evenly and prevents excessive pressure on your lower back, where hunching can flatten the lumbar curve and cause discomfort.

Follow these simple steps for safe lifting:

• Face the object directly—never twist.
• Bend your knees, not your back.
• Engage your core by pulling your stomach in.
• Keep the load close to your body.
• Lower it down smoothly without twisting.

4. Choose the right tools to reduce strain. Using proper tools can make gardening more comfortable and prevent unnecessary stress on your back. When kneeling to weed, opt for lightweight, short-handled tools and keep them within easy reach to avoid overstretching. Long-handled tools are useful for trimming high branches but be cautious of your balance when looking up. Keeping tools sharp and rust-free also makes tasks smoother and less physically demanding. Essential tools can help reduce strain while gardening. Wheelbarrows and garden carts make transporting heavy loads easier, minimizing the need for lifting—just be sure to keep objects close to your body when loading them. Garden stools and benches provide support for planting and weeding, reducing the need to squat and helping maintain good posture, while cushioned kneelers add extra comfort and protect your knees.
5. Give your back a break. Taking regular breaks helps counteract the strain of bending and lifting, giving your spine time to realign and reduce pressure. Pausing periodically can ease tension, prevent stiffness, and lower the risk of back injuries, allowing you to garden more comfortably.
6. Listen to your body!!! Your body will tell you when it’s had enough, so don’t ignore any signs of strain. If your back starts to ache, take a break or call it a day—pushing through discomfort can lead to injury. Try rating your pain on a scale from 0 to 10, aiming to keep it at 5 or below. Anything higher means it’s time to stop. If you experience severe lower back pain or any other intense discomfort, stop gardening immediately to avoid causing further harm. You may also want to use hot or cold compresses to soothe tired muscles and reduce inflammation, or even taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller like ibuprofen if the pain worsens.

These tips will help you keep gardening pain-free, but if you do end up with a sore back, rest, hot or cold compresses, and pain relievers can help. If your back pain doesn’t get better after a few weeks, it might be a good idea to check in with a healthcare professional for proper evaluation and treatment.