Yard Work Without the Backache

There's a reason my schedule fills up every August: gardens don't weed themselves, mulch doesn't spread itself, and Western North Carolina yards grow like they're being paid to. The work is good for you — the way most people do it is not.

Here's what forty years of looking at late-summer backs has taught me.

Kneel, don't bend. An hour of weeding bent at the waist puts sustained load on the low back in its weakest position. A $15 foam kneeling pad changes the whole equation — get down to the weeds instead of folding over them. Your knees will complain less than your back would have.

Switch sides more often than feels necessary. Raking, shoveling, hoeing — they're all one-sided motions. Twenty minutes of twisting the same direction, repeated every weekend, is one of the most common patterns I see in the office. Set a timer if you have to: ten minutes, switch your grip and lead foot, ten more.

Let your legs pay the bill. Bags of mulch and soil are sold in 40-pound bags for a reason — that's about the limit for most of us to move safely. Squat to the bag, hug it against your body, and stand with your legs. Holding a load away from your torso multiplies what your spine feels — at arm's length, that 40-pound bag can load your low back like several times its weight.

Break the job into rounds. The spine handles variety far better than marathons. Three 40-minute sessions with water breaks beat one brutal two-hour push — hydrated muscle tissue simply tolerates work better.

The next morning matters too. Some soreness after honest work is normal and fades in a day or two. Pain that's sharp, that shoots down a leg, or that comes with numbness or tingling is a different animal — that's not a soreness to stretch through, that's a reason to get checked.

This article is general education, not medical advice, and doesn't replace an examination. If you're dealing with pain that lingers more than a few days, or any numbness, weakness, or pain radiating down an arm or leg, call the office — that's what we're here for.

— Dr. Kevin Greenspan