Back care

General back care

Warm up before starting to garden by gently stretching your muscles. If it's cold, wait until later in the day when it's warmer.

Avoid repetitive garden work. Alter your position regularly as you work, take regular breaks and drink plenty of liquid.

Don't lift heavy objects. If you must lift something, remember to bend your knees and keep your back straight. Use a wheelbarrow to move objects where possible. Wear belts that support your back if necessary.

Gardening with a bad back

Use our simple tips to help you make the make the most of your garden.

Garden layout

• Avoid leaving bare patches of soil. They encourage weeds to grow. Mulch the surface of the soil using chipped bark or well-rotted manure. This helps to retain the soil's moisture, saving on watering.
• Reduce the need to bend down by raising flowerbeds from the ground. Grow trailing plants over the side to hide or soften their edges.
• Keep flowerbeds narrow so you don't have to stretch over plants.
• If you have a small garden, avoid having a lawn. It will need mowing once or twice a week during summer.

Tools

• Use tools with long handles, such as forks and trowels. Some tools have extensions or telescopic arms which reduce your need to stretch.
• Use pruners and loppers that have a ratchet system. This makes cutting easier and saves putting pressure on the back and shoulders. Keep the blades sharp to avoid extra strain.
• Put secateurs in a holster attached to your belt. This saves having to constantly bend down to pick them up.
• Use hoses on reels or an automated irrigation system in your garden. Don't use heavy watering cans. If you do have one, only fill it halfway.
• See further information for details of Thrive, a horticultural charity that has information on its website about where to buy tools.

Plants

• Plant slow-growing shrubs. They're easier to maintain than annuals and herbaceous perennials.
• Grow some plants in containers, because they are easier to reach. Even vegetables such as courgettes, potatoes and lettuce will grow successfully in pots. When moving containers, use a trolley or wheelbarrow.
• If you are a fan of fruit, choose fruit trees grown on dwarf rootstocks so you can pick the fruit at a comfortable height. Or train fruit trees as espaliers against a wall or as stepovers.
• Practice weed prevention wherever possible to minimise the need for bending over. For example, use ground cover plants to help suppress weeds.

No-dig method

• The no-dig method of gardening involves spreading manure or compost and fertiliser over the surface of a flowerbed. It's ideal for gardeners with bad backs or those who want to grow vegetables but can't face the thought of all that double digging (digging to twice the depth of a spade). Many gardeners argue that the no-dig method is better for the soil because it doesn't disturb the soil structure. Although it initially involves digging over the soil to remove perennial weeds and levelling the soil, the following years are much easier.
• If you want to try this method, the best time to spread the manure is in late autumn. This gives the soil a chance to settle down before planting in spring. Another layer of mulch can be applied during the growing season. Then, sit back and allow worms to take the organic material down into the soil for you. Repeat this process each year to build soil fertility.

Further information

For general information about back pain and how to cope with it, check out BBC Health: understanding back pain

For more information about coping with a bad back contact:

• BackCare,
• 16 Elmtree Road,
• Teddington,
• Middlesex, TW11 8ST
• Tel: 020 8977 5474
• Fax: 020 8943 5318
• Website: www.backcare.org.uk

For information about gardening with a disability contact Thrive:

• Carry on Gardening, Thrive National Office,
• The Geoffrey Udall Centre,
• Beech Hill,
• Reading RG7 2AT
• Tel: 0118 988 5688
• Fax: 0118 988 5677
• Website: www.carryongardening.org.uk