Avoid Muscle Strain While Gardening

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - HealthGrowing your own food for health, fun and sustainability can be a fun and relaxing way of reconnecting with Mother Nature and with the rising cost of groceries, growing a vegetable garden can be a great way to save money on home grocery budgets. But the use of hoes and weed wackers has also been sending aspiring gardeners to their local doctor of chiropractic with yard-work related muscle strains and pains.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010 more than 35,500 people injured themselves using a stepladder and more than 41,000 Americans injured themselves while gardening or using gardening equipment. “Gardening and yard work can bring on many injuries for a variety of reasons. Specifically, people tend to do too much too soon,” states local Chiropractor, Dr. Ismael Torres Rosario, clinic director of Chiro One Wellness Center of North Aurora. Dr. Ismael Torres Rosario and Chiro One Wellness Centers offer the following tips to help you enjoy a safe, productive day of sp
ring landscaping:

  • Be sure to switch the side on which you are operating the equipment as often as possible, and to balance the muscles being used, alternate your stance and motion frequently.
  • Take frequent breaks.
  • Consider electric-powered items, especially if you experience back or neck pain, as they tend to be lighter than their engine-powered counterparts.
  • When picking up or putting down your equipment, be sure to bend from the knees, not at the waist.
  • Keep the object close to your body as you lift, not at arm’s length. “While it is critical that you operate your yard equipment safely, it is equally important that you prepare your body for the work you are about to do,” explains Dr. Rosario. “To help avoid injury, be sure to include a warm-up/cool-down period that involves stretching.”

Dr. Ismael Torres Rosario serves as Clinic Director of Chiro One Wellness Center of North Aurora located at 110 Hansen Blvd. North Aurora, IL 60542. Dr. Ismael can be reached at (630) 701-1450. Se habla espanol. For more information, visit www.ChiroOne.net.

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