Gardening Injuries !

TheDietShop.ie

Some might say that I am posting this in the wrong forum but I recon its the right place for it.

I recently damaged my back while digging in the garden, I would give any JCB a run for its money. (not any more )

Has anyone else suffered a back injury while gardening and if so I would like to here your words of wisdom, i.e - what to do, what not to do etc..

I am pretty crippled at the moment (lower back on right hand side) I was thinking of getting a lumber support belt. Very frustrating with the nice weather and so much work to do :mad:

Thanks.

jezko

TheDietShop.ie wrote: »

Some might say that I am posting this in the wrong forum but I recon its the right place for it.

I recently damaged my back while digging in the garden, I would give any JCB a run for its money. (not any more )

Has anyone else suffered a back injury while gardening and if so I would like to here your words of wisdom, i.e - what to do, what not to do etc..

I am pretty crippled at the moment (lower back on right hand side) I was thinking of getting a lumber support belt. Very frustrating with the nice weather and so much work to do :mad:

Thanks.

The worst thing we can do is leave our winter armchairs and run out in spring and over do it... keep fit and don't try do it all at once...

Rotavators are a pet hate of mine... jar's my spine everytime (An old injury)

fodda

Ever tried these tools? www.chillingtonhoes.com

TheDietShop.ie

Looks interesting, something I think a lot of people could invest in.

MASTER...of the bra

TheDietShop.ie wrote: »

Some might say that I am posting this in the wrong forum but I recon its the right place for it.

I recently damaged my back while digging in the garden, I would give any JCB a run for its money. (not any more )

Has anyone else suffered a back injury while gardening and if so I would like to here your words of wisdom, i.e - what to do, what not to do etc..

I am pretty crippled at the moment (lower back on right hand side) I was thinking of getting a lumber support belt. Very frustrating with the nice weather and so much work to do :mad:

Thanks.

Don't mess with a back injury, ice it ALOT(get one of those gel packs and keep it in the fridge, bags of peas are a pain), it'l keep down the inflammation, get a thermacare heat wrap and put it above or below where it hurts not on it, Unicare pharmacy had these on offer a few weeks back might still have them, rest it abit, go for a few walks. If your lucky you may have just tweaked a muscle.

When it's better go for a 5 min jog (walk is no good) before digging again, warm up. Until then find something else to do and seriously consider throwing someone a few quid to get your veg patch ready.

Look up a few back exercises, something was not right for you to hurt in the first place.

Argos lumbar support, I don't know if these are expensive. Probably are.

TheDietShop.ie

MASTER...of the bra wrote: »

Don't mess with a back injury, ice it ALOT(get one of those gel packs and keep it in the fridge, bags of peas are a pain), it'l keep down the inflammation, get a thermacare heat wrap and put it above or below where it hurts not on it, Unicare pharmacy had these on offer a few weeks back might still have them, rest it abit, go for a few walks. If your lucky you may have just tweaked a muscle.

When it's better go for a 5 min jog (walk is no good) before digging again, warm up. Until then find something else to do and seriously consider throwing someone a few quid to get your veg patch ready.

Look up a few back exercises, something was not right for you to hurt in the first place.

Argos lumbar support, I don't know if these are expensive. Probably are.

Thanks for the good advice, I think a lot of people could do with reading this post.

As for the Lumbar support in Argos I beat you to it, I have one on reserve to collect.

fodda

A short handled spade or fork to dig with is pure torture, i think the video on that website is a perfect example on how strenuous on your body it can be to dig soil over.

If you look at Africans and others who are producing their vegetables by hand they dont seem to dig their soil with a spade.

William Powell

fodda wrote: »

Ever tried these tools? www.chillingtonhoes.com

I used to collect (old) garden tools and have tried all the chillington hoe variants and personally don't get on with them at all. I'd class them as a 3rd world agricultural tool and not as garden tools, great for earthing up spuds but thats all I'd use one for.

TheDietShop.ie

fodda wrote: »

A short handled spade or fork to dig with is pure torture, i think the video on that website is a perfect example on how strenuous on your body it can be to dig soil over.

If you look at Africans and others who are producing their vegetables by hand they dont seem to dig their soil with a spade.

I'm pretty tall 6'3" so probably am using tools that are designed for the average person (females included)

fodda

William Powell wrote: »

I used to collect (old) garden tools and have tried all the chillington hoe variants and personally don't get on with them at all. I'd class them as a 3rd world agricultural tool and not as garden tools, great for earthing up spuds but thats all I'd use one for.

Well i think the company has been around for over 100 years so they are i suppose old type gardening tools?

Other countries in Europe use them like Spain, Portugal, Germany/Austria, Eastern Euro countries etc and they were used extensively in the UK and still are maybe? Similar tools are called Azadas in some spanish speaking countries.

Personally i think the short handled garden fork/spade is one of the worst tools ever invented. Long handled spades yes but a short handled tool is a back breaker.

When it comes to growing food with hand tools the "3rd world" as you call them could run rings around us and i suppose should be the ones that we learn from?

TheDietShop.ie

Its funny I used to do a bit of running and would always have a good stretch before and after my runs but never for anything else.

I think a longer fork (must have a handle) is a must. I would love to be turning over the soil in my veg patch as had planed to put down the spuds I had chiting and also onion sets and possibly some carrots next weekend. I will have to ask my dad nicely

Corsendonk

Sounds like your using too short spades and forks. I am 5,11 and most of the so called garden digging tools sold in the large hardware chains seem to be designed for women of 5.5 and for digging the soft soils of a raised bed. I often have to replace the handle with a longer one to prevent damaging my back. I sometimes pick up proper digging tools at the old style builders providers or at farm clearance sales.

fodda

Believe it or not i suppose you could say that most people today think that a spade or fork only ever had a 3ft plastic handle and a good quality one is a stainless steel spade with a plastic handle.:rolleyes:

My parents until a few years back still had the garden fork that they bought when they got married which was 1949. It had a thick ash handle and the fork was forged steel made in the UK.

Garden tools should be made from hot forged steel (carbon steel?) because it is stamped or hammered in to shape while still glowing and semi molten just as a blacksmith would have made it a long time ago.

Most tools today are made from cheap quality steel and pressed in to shape so are stretched and stressed at this time, then when you use them they just workharden themselves with all the constant banging and just split or the handle drops off long before this, but then people just wont pay that bit extra and thats what it is all about?