Prevent serious injuries while working in the yard

METRO DETROIT — Injuries are common occurrences while working outdoors; however, they can be prevented by following recommendations of local doctors and personal trainers.

Many injuries suffered while working in one’s yard tend to be back injuries, neck injuries, pulled muscles and knee injuries. Common ways to prevent these types of injuries don’t take long or require much work.

Elizabeth Pietrykowski, owner and personal trainer at Peak Physique in Troy, said it’s very important to warm up your body before working in your yard or gardening.

“A great place to start would be to foam roll in order to lubricate your fascia and prepare your body for work,” she said. Foam rolling involves using a dense foam cylinder and rolling tight parts of the body over it.

“Foam rolling can relieve pain and tension caused by adhesions between fascia and muscle,” Pietrykowski said.

She noted some other exercises to try, as well.

“A simple way to warm up your arms is to do arm circles by raising your arms out to the side and make small circular motions. Often, low back pain originates in the SI joint (sacroiliac joint), which is where the pelvis and the lower back meet. We can warm up or release this area by using a lacrosse ball. Place the lacrosse ball in your SI joint and lean against a wall and slowly lift your leg. This will allow your body to hinge correctly and work effectively and avoid pain in the low back,” she said.

She also said one thing that can help while working in the yard is to make sure that when lifting something heavy, to use your legs to lift it.

“Injury occurs when lifting something heavy by leaning over and not bending your knees and engaging your legs. Another good idea — if you’re kneeling, to place a pad under your knees. Engaging your core is important when doing any activity in order to protect the low back from strain. When you are either raking or shoveling, it’s important to make sure that your shoulder blades are squeezed together, chest up, and knees are bent,” she said.

Drinking a lot of water can also keep you hydrated and fight off the fatigue that leads to missteps and injury.

Brad Semp, founder and CEO at Backology, said that strengthening your spine and back muscles and maintaining their protection against injuries is something to focus on.

“Working in the yard, whether it’s mowing the lawn, raking leaves or planting flowers, can be surprisingly strenuous on the back. Many people think that improper bending and lifting techniques are the main culprits behind common injuries like muscle strains, herniated discs and sciatica. While it’s true that poor technique can contribute to these issues, the real problem often lies deeper,” he said.

He said that over time, the deep spine muscles, which provide essential support to the spine, tend to weaken in nearly all people.

“This weakness can make the back more susceptible to injury, even with the most careful movements. By focusing on strengthening these deep, paraspinal muscles, you can better protect your spine, maintain proper posture and enjoy your yard work with less risk of pain or injury,” Semp said.