Keeping Safe Whilst Gardening

It is no secret that gardening can often be an exhausting pursuit, especially as we get older, your knees, back and hands can all begin to suffer in equal measure. Fortunately there are many things you can do to help eliminate garden related injuries and strains. Here at Birstall we thought we would illustrate the risks which come from gardening and what you products are available to help you overcome and prevent these problems.

So without further ado, we will start with your knees! Many garden activities punish the knees big a great deal, kneeling over flowerbeds for example. There are a few avenues you can pursue to overcome this problem, you can either change your garden (Raising flowerbeds etc.) or change how you garden. We recommend the latter; we stock two main products which can really help rescue your knees.

The first is the Gardeners Kneeler and Stool. This versatile 2 in 1 kneeler allows you to stay comfortable when you undertake any work on your flowerbeds; it even has two strong handles to help you get up when you have finished. The product itself is light and is made from tubular steel, making it light but strong, when flipped upside down it also makes an excellent stool.

If you want to do without a kneeler, why not invest in a trusty pair of kneepads? Padded and comfortable kneepads make gardening infinitely more comfortable without having an effect on mobility. Birstall kneepads have adjustable Velcro straps and they come in three colours-raspberry, lime and plum.

Unsurprisingly, your back can also suffer whilst gardening. If you experience back pain whilst gardening (like many do) there are a number of small changes you can do to reduce the problem. To begin with, warm up before you start any gardening activities and stretch your muscles out. Once in the garden try your very best to avoid lifting heavy objects. If you have to lift an object, follow these guidelines:

• Put the object in a stable position
• Position your feet shoulder- with apart near to the object
• Bend at the knees
• Tense stomach muscles
• Slowly lift by straightening your knees
• Lower loads by following this process in reverse

Gardeners don’t have to take care only when lifting heavy objects, pushing and pulling heavy items such as wheelbarrows can also pose a risk. When pushing and pulling try and use arm and legs muscles as well as your back. Move slowly and purposefully avoiding quick movements.

Having the correct tools is also a huge part of avoiding back problems. Tools with long handles are especially useful for avoiding bending over unnecessarily. The Yeoman long handled carbon steel trowel is the perfect tool for looking after your back. Those with a bad back should also avoid using laborious means of watering their garden (watering cans) Use hoses or even better, an automated irrigation system.

Another area which often suffers due to gardening is our hands. Gardening can absolutely ruin our hands, large cracks can appear, dirty can feel like its unmovable and skin can feel dry and stretched. Gloves are an essential part of keeping your hands in any sort of good form. Thin pairs of gloves are ideal for tasks which require you to feel what you are doing, such as picking fruit. When doing more heavy duty tasks such as dealing with prickly characters, heavy duty gloves are needed. After performing any gardening tasks, hands should be thoroughly cleaned and moisturised.

Published August 28th, 2013 by Jordan. Article ref 694

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