Spring Gardening Doesn't Have to be a Pain

by Eric Browning MPT

May 18, 2007 - April showers bring May flowers, but not without some painstaking work in the garden.  From tree trimming to digging, the prospect of a beautiful summer lawn can bring with it quite the achy body.

Muscles and joints feel the wrath of constant stooping, scooping and pruning.  For the avid gardener, these aches come with the territory.  However, a solution for these common problems may only be a few tools away. 

As ergonomic chairs and workstations have no doubt invaded the workplace environment, ergonomic and energy saving lawn and garden care equipment and accessories have spawned as well.  Now you can enjoy planting bulbs without the back ache, pruning the rose bush without the sore forearms, sitting to spade without the knee pain.

Being a physical therapist, I see a plethora of people in my office on a weekly basis dealing with soreness from a multitude of reasons.  The spring season never fails to create a spike in orthopedic problems associated with lawn and garden care.  It is important for the lay person to be educated not only in the proper ways to move such as how to bend and lift or shovel a clump of Oklahoma clay. 

I have taken the time to identify from a physical therapist’s point of view, the most ergonomic and safe lawn and garden equipment available to the general public.  My evaluation of each piece of equipment had only to do with the ergonomics, not the durability or reputation of the manufacturer.

Key points I used to evaluate each product included weight, design, length, strength or endurance required, and postural requirements for usage.

Limb Trimming:

Remington Electric Pole Saw – It’s a 13 pound, two in one saw that allows you to reach up to 10 feet to trim, or detach it for easier to reach areas. It requires upper body, spine and neck strength, endurance and flexibility to perform lengthy jobs. $99 at Home Depot

Alligator Electric Lopper- Weighing in at 6.5 pounds, this handheld saw allows a person to clamp around objects while the saw cuts limbs.  It requires some grip strength to squeeze open the clamp.  Otherwise this is an excellent product. $99 at Home Depot

Fiskars Ropeless Stik pruner – Only weighs 31 ounces, and has a five foot reach.  It cuts limbs up to 1 ¼ inch thick and is the easiest on the upper body, though may require sustained positions with the neck if the person is required to work directly above them. $40 at Home Depot

Hedge Trimming:

Remington Axcess Hedge Trimmer – Weighs 7.5 pounds, and lets you trim hedges up to 10 feet away, plus it cuts up to ¾ inch thick and has five pole positions for easy access to tricky places.  Much like the pole saw, this requires similar upper body strength and flexibility.  In general, to minimize stress, getting as close to the object you would like to trim is ideal. $99 at Home Depot

Black and Decker Hedgehog Trimmer – Weighs 6.4 pounds, has a soft grip handle, 22 inch reach and is cordless.  No tripping, and needs less shoulder endurance or awkward postures to cut those boxwoods and fast growing bushes. $70 at Home Depot

Weed-eating:

Black and Decker Bump Feed Edger/Trimmer – Very lightweight (3.9 pounds), with a straight shaft design, this edger has enough power for light to moderate jobs, 12 inch cut diameter, and should be easy on the back and arms.  It eliminates the need for a strap around the shoulder and torso. $26 at Home Depot

Grasshog XP electric trimmer – Weighs 6.9 pounds, but has 7.2 amps of power and a curved shaft design which minimizes stress on the body as long as the length of the shaft doesn’t require the person to bend over to edge.  Does not require bumping to feed the line and has a 14 inch cut diameter. $69 at Home Depot

Homelite gas trimmer – 7.9 pounds of powerful weedeating, this trimmer weighs slightly more than the others, but maintains the curved shaft design, and with a torso strap, should disperse the weight more evenly. $80 (have seen this on clearance recently) at Home Depot

Blowers:

Toro Ultra blower/vacuum/leaf shredder – Weighs a mere 7.4 pounds, is cordless, has multi-use features, and is powerful.  Much of the weight seemed to reside near the ergonomic soft handle, making this less strenuous on the upper body and back. $65 at Home Depot

Sprayers:

XL-Stream Super Magnum nozzle – This is an expensive sprayer, but a very thoughtful product.  It comes with a large handle on/off feature, and does not require long periods of squeezing which can be tiring. It is also generally larger, which means it is more easily handled in large or weak hands. $20 at Home Depot

Trowels:

Corona extendable trowel – This trowel has an extendable handle so that you can stand and work the soil without working over your knees or back. $12 Hornseed

Bronco large handled trowel- This is for those who have some grip strength loss and need a thicker handle to hold.  You can always add grip tape much like something you would find on a tennis racket to make the handle larger and more comfortable. $3 at Home Depot

Planting devices:

Vigoro long handled bulb planter – The simple long handled feature is great for saving the knees and back $10 at Home Depot

Tillers:

Garden-hound Tiller– The long handled extension with a T-shaped top is great for working with the ground using both hands, and avoiding stooping or prolonged bent positions. $20 www.hound-dog.com

Cultivators:

Houndhog cultivator – Easy to use, long handled and lightweight, this device is effective on moist ground with a simple forward and backward motion needing just a bit of downward pressure through the handle. $20 www.hound-dog.com

Vigoro Plus cultivator – This device is not long-handled, but allows for placement of both hands onto the handle for assistance with working the soil. $10 at Home Depot

Hoes:

Toro fiberglass long-handled hoe – This hoe is very lightweight which is important for this type of equipment which is going to require repetitive lifting and pulling motions.  Make sure to keep it sharp to minimize extra effort. $10 at Home Depot

Rakes:

Expandable rake – This rake expands from 7 inches to 21 inches in width, and up to 69 inches of length allowing you to rake between bushes or in the open yard.  It is also very lightweight. $18 www.lifewithease.com

Weed removers:

Weedhound long-handled weed remover – Allows you to pull those weeds without all the bending.  Has a foot plate to help stabilize and provide good downward pressure while capturing the weed. $25 at Hornseed

Gutter cleaners:

Green Thumb gutter cleaner – Eliminates the hassle of getting on a ladder with the hose to clean the gutters.  Decreases the tendency for falls and it has a 68 inch handle to deal with the harder to reach spots. $25 at Home Depot

Seating:

Rumford Gardener kneeling seat with handles – This is a basic handled seat that allows you sit or kneel.  This helps prevent sore knees, back pain, or muscle fatigue from squatting. $40 at Hornseed

Wearable gardening stool – This is a very unique seat that straps around your waist like a belt.  A metal rod with a spring on the end casually hangs behind you so that when you decide to sit, it provides a stable and mobile platform from which you can work in your garden.  Apparently, farmers who milk cattle have used this type of seating for years. $50 www.cleanairgardening.com

Other accessories:

Fist-Grip offers arm supports to prevent or minimize stress to the wrist and hand during use of a trowel, cultivator etc.  They also provide extension handles which can be screwed into an existing handle such as a long handled trowel. www.lifewithease.com

Utility carts:

Aluminum foldable cart by Foldit – Holds up to 330 pounds of equipment and folds up similar to a wheelchair when you are done.  It is great for energy conservation, less walking back and forth to get tools, and minimizing lifting. $175 www.lifewithease.com

So this spring, if you are planning on tending to your garden and lawn, pick up a few of these useful items to help prevent those aches and pains.  It is true that gardening requires a lot of water, and most of that in the form of perspiration (Lou Erickson), but it doesn’t have to make you feel like a worn out car.