The onset of spring and summer is for many the start of the gardening season and a time to get out into the garden to mow the lawn and care for the flowers and trees.

Gardening can be addictive and as everything starts to grow again regular maintenance of your garden can be hugely rewarding and relaxing.

As the warmer weather increases so does our need to be in the sunshine nurturing our plants, trees and outside spaces.

Looking after ourselves though is just as important as looking after our gardens.

It is very easy to underestimate the amount of work involved when planning to do some gardening and get over enthusiastic.Gardening can involve a lot of work that we don’t normally do on a day to day basis.

It is a great activity to keep you fit but prolonged bending, lifting, twisting and digging are all hard work.Take it slowly to begin with until your muscles and joints get used to increased demands.

If we push ourselves too much and overdo it the ligaments, muscles and joints of the spine can become sore and inflamed, triggering muscle spasm and the gardener’s backache can last longer than just the evening on next day.

There are ways to help prevent injuries occurring while gardening. For example, the way you bend and move does determine how much strain that you put on the spine. Using certain muscles while doing these activities can help to reduce the likelihood of developing pain and injury.

Here are some chiropracticself-help tips for all you gardeners;

Before you start – warm up

Before starting its beneficial to do some stretching or warming up exercises first.

Go for a short but brisk walk and do some hip stretches – lie on your back, pull your knees into your chest one at a time then both together, hold for 30 seconds each.

Arthritis for example can affect people at certain times of the day so plan your gardening when you feel at your best. You will be able to enjoy it more and be able to complete certain tasks more easily.

Another good warm up to support the back when lifting is abdominal bracing which is basically holding your tummy in tight. Pull in your tummy button towards the spine using just the stomach muscles – hold tight for 10-15 seconds and relax. This can be repeated as often as you like.

Essential for bending and lifting are the buttocks – the bodies biggest muscles. Try clenching for 3-5 seconds & repeat ten times. These exercises are designed to increase the stamina in the abdomen, back and buttocks.

For other useful exercises your chiropractor can recommend why not visit www.backblog.co.uk

Other useful Chiropractic tips;

• Don’t spend all day on one task – vary the activity
• Use a cushion or kneeling stool with handles
• Enjoy the gardening but don’t overdo it
• Take a break every hour for at least ten minutes, go for a walk rather than sit in a chair or you will seize up
• Look for specially adapted lightweight gardening tools that can prevent bending or stretching
• Get a tool bag or holster so you can carry around everything you need instead of constantly bending down to retrieve a tool

Gardening can be an ideal activity which can help the flexibility of your joints, improve bone density and help with your overall degree in motion.

If you are interested in finding out more about chiropractic self-help tips and hints or chiropractic treatment, why not visit www.lushingtonchiropractic.com