As temperatures begin to rise and flowers begin to bloom, you may find yourself drawn to start or tend to your garden. Utah springs and summers offer the perfect opportunity to get outside and begin planting beautiful flowers, lush foliage, and fruits and vegetables. But, even the most seasoned gardeners may find themselves dealing with hip and back strain during this activity.

While you may enjoy your time in the garden, it isn’t always the kindest to your body. From heavy lifting to hunching and digging, hip and back strain isn’t all that uncommon. Thankfully, there are a few easy adjustments you can make to your standard gardening routine that can help you avoid this discomfort and ensure your enjoyment all season long.

Why Spring Gardening Can Trigger Hip and Back Strain and Pain

When the snow begins to melt and temperatures rise, you may find yourself heading out to the garden to see how it fared through the winter weather. Even the most well-kept gardens tend to need a bit of TLC before you can begin planting and rearranging. However, this sudden change in physical activity can be the cause of your hip and back strain. 

Your prolonged crouching, bending, and heavy lifting, as well as hunched posture, put excessive strain on the muscles in your spine and hips. This strain is especially common if you’re building out a new garden in your backyard. Additionally, choosing improper gardening tools can exacerbate the problem.  

While you may experience increased hip and back strain during the peak of gardening season, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are several incredible and easy changes you can make to your gardening routine and everyday activity to ensure you’re ready for Utah’s upcoming gardening season. 

Proper Lifting Techniques to Protect Your Spine in the Garden

A lot of gardeners will experience sudden, unexpected hip and back strain after lifting heavy pots, moving plants, and emptying out large bags of soil. For many, the common cause of discomfort is improper lifting. While it can be easy to quickly grab something and utilize your back muscles to lift it, this can lead to excessive strain and injuries. 

If you want to avoid this discomfort, it is important that you learn proper lifting techniques. To ensure you are properly lifting heavy objects, try the following techniques:

• Bend at the knees, not at the waist
• Keep objects close to your body to reduce strain
• Engage your core, especially when lifting
• Avoid twisting when lifting or carrying, and instead shift or turn completely
• Test the weight by nudging the item with your foot before lifting
• Consider using support tools like wheelbarrows or garden carts

While it can be tough to incorporate this into your routine at first, it will pay off over time. 

Ergonomic Gardening Tools That Reduce Strain and Fatigue

The right tools can make a significant difference in preventing strain while gardening. Ergonomic tools are specifically designed to work with your body’s natural mechanics, reducing the stress placed on your joints, back, and hands. Look for tools with features like padded handles, which reduce grip force and prevent repetitive stress injuries in the hands and wrists. 

Long-handled tools, such as trowels and cultivators, allow you to work from a standing position, minimizing the need for constant bending and crouching that can lead to lower back strain. Additionally, consider using lightweight tools made from materials like aluminum. Less weight means less effort is required for lifting and maneuvering, further reducing overall strain. 

A kneeling pad or garden stool is also essential for maintaining a better posture, keeping your back straight and alleviating pressure on your knees and hips. Investing in these items is an investment in your comfort and longevity as a gardener. Whether you’ve dealt with these problems in the past or want to avoid them altogether, these tools are essential. 

Best Stretches to Loosen Your Hips and Back Before and After Gardening

One of the best things you can do to prevent hip and back strain is by stretching before and after heading into the garden. But what stretches are best for alleviating and preventing this common gardening discomfort? Consider incorporating the following stretches into your routine to address this strain.

Dynamic (active, controlled) stretching beforehand:

• Standing Back Extensions
• Hip Hinges
• Side Body Stretches
• Cat-Cow Stretches

Static (slow, full extension) stretching afterward:

• Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretches
• Standing Quad Stretches
• Lying Knee-to-Chest Twist
• Figure-4 Stretch

If you find that your everyday stretches are struggling to address your hip and back pain, it may be time to turn to a chiropractor for support. With their comprehensive physical examination, they can identify the root cause of your discomfort. From there, their care will help you get back on the road to enjoying gardening. 

Smart Gardening Habits to Prevent Injury All Season Long

As mentioned above, the best way to prevent hip and back strain and injuries is by stretching and warming up your body. However, this isn’t the only thing you can do to protect your body while spending time in the garden. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or new to the trade, consider the following to reduce your risk of developing injuries:

• Protect your knees and back by kneeling on a cushioned pad or using a kneeling bench instead of squatting or hunching. 
• Remember to lift with your knees instead of relying on your back muscles when picking up heavy bags of soil, pots, and new plants.
• Avoid tight, repetitive grips and switch tasks every 20 minutes to engage different muscle groups and avoid overuse injuries. 
• Schedule regular appointments with your chiropractor to ensure you catch minor injuries before they lead to chronic pain. 

Turn to Muscle & Joint for Comprehensive Hip and Back Strain Treatment

Our team at Muscle & Joint Chiropractic knows just how important it is for Utah residents to get some time outdoors. Utah’s warm weather can be fleeting, and you don’t want to miss out on a single day outside due to unshakeable hip and back strain. When you partner with our team, you can trust us to create a custom treatment plan that adequately addresses this strain, ensuring you get to enjoy every second of good spring and summer weather.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with our team to address hip and back strain, contact us today. 

Living on the edge of the Wasatch Front, you have access to some of the greatest hiking trails in North America. However, it can be difficult to truly enjoy these trails if you aren’t taking adequate care of your body. Due to the extreme elevation gains and uneven trails, it can be easy to accidentally injure yourself while hiking. 

However, with adequate precautions, you can avoid these injuries, including preventing knee and back pain. Whether you’ve just moved to the area and need some advice or have dealt with injuries in the past, there are a few easy ways to stay safe. If you want to learn more about preventing knee and back pain while hiking, keep reading. 

1. Make Sure You’re Warming Up

Before you take to the trail, it is incredibly important that you take a few minutes to adequately warm up your body. Even the most gentle stretches before your hike can make a major difference in preventing knee and back pain. Make sure to perform dynamic stretches that engage the muscles in your calves, hips, and thighs. Without these stretches, you may otherwise hurt or seriously injure these muscles during your hike. By stretching ahead of your hike, you also improve your overall flexibility and enhance performance throughout. 

2. Pack Light Whenever Possible

Although this isn’t always possible depending on the intensity of your hike, it is essential that you pack light whenever possible. While it might be tempting to pack your backpack full of lots of equipment, you should leave anything you don’t absolutely need at home. Once on your back, make sure to adjust the straps to ensure a proper fit and even weight distribution. Adjusting the weight distribution of your pack and removing unnecessary items is essential in preventing knee and back pain at the end of the day. 

3. Wear Appropriate Footwear

While you might want to run out for a quick hike, regardless of the shoes you are currently wearing, it is important to wear appropriate footwear if you’re preventing knee and back pain. Improper shoes during a hike don’t provide enough support to your feet, legs, or hips, which can make you more susceptible to injury. Additionally, wearing improper shoes may mean you have less stability and traction in more extreme hiking situations. Before going out for a hike, it is best to wear well-fitting hiking boots that offer ample arch support and traction while on the trail. 

4. Use Assistive Equipment

Even the most seasoned hikers need to consider using assistive equipment if preventing knee and back pain is their priority. For most hikers, this means investing in high-quality, reliable trekking poles. These poles ensure stability when navigating uneven terrain, which is incredibly common across the Wasatch Front. Some hikers, including those who have dealt with more significant injuries or muscle atrophy in the past, can benefit from assistive technology like exoskeletons. This technology offers support to the lower back and behind the knees, making it easier to navigate up steep terrains. 

5. Maintain Proper Posture

As you begin moving from gentle slopes to more steep climbs, it can be difficult to maintain proper posture. However, keeping a close eye on your posture during your hike is essential in preventing knee and back pain. Keep your head up, eyes forward, and shoulders back as you hike. Improper posture can put strain on the muscles in your shoulders and back, leading to an increased risk of pain. In addition to keeping an eye on your posture, make sure to engage your core throughout the hike to support your back, especially when wearing a heavy pack. 

6. Don’t Hesitate to Take a Break

If preventing knee and back pain is your highest priority, one of the best things you can do is take breaks whenever you need them. In many cases, you may feel the need to fight to keep up with friends, family, and other hikers. However, their abilities and yours may not be quite the same. Pushing through discomfort, especially when on uneven terrain, can put excessive strain on your muscles, leading to an increased risk of injury. If you feel like you need it, don’t hesitate to take a break. Even if the break is only a few minutes long, it gives your body a chance to recover before continuing on the path. 

7. Listen to Your Body

In addition to taking breaks whenever necessary, it is also important to listen to the other signals your body is sending you. If you feel too tired to continue the hike, are experiencing difficult to remedy pain, or are generally too uncomfortable, it is best to take a break, stretch, or turn around. Choosing to continue only puts you at risk of developing more severe injuries. If you’ve found that stretching and resting isn’t enough to remedy the problem, you may need to reach out to your primary care provider for support and additional care. 

8. Schedule Regular Chiropractic Checkups

The last step in preventing knee and back pain as a hiker is scheduling regular appointments with your chiropractor. They can identify problems within your back, hips, and knees well before they begin presenting themselves to you. With regular chiropractic adjustments and monitoring of your physical health, your chiropractor can provide you with expert advice, supplementary exercises, and treatment adjustments to help you maintain your current healthy state or make major changes that improve your overall comfort throughout your hikes and everyday activities. 

Preventing Knee and Back Pain at Muscle & Joint Chiropractic

If preventing knee and back pain on your own has been difficult, trust that our team at Muscle & Joint Chiropractic in Tooele County is here to help. We understand that no two hikers are exactly the same. When you turn to us for support, you can trust that we’ll perform a thorough consultation and craft a specialized treatment plan that is unique to your body’s needs. With our team on your side, there are no cookie-cutter treatment plans, and instead unique treatment designed with you in mind.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with our team to discuss preventing knee and back pain, don’t hesitate to contact us today. 

When you live in a place like Tooele County, it isn’t uncommon to commute into the Salt Lake City area for work. While you may love living in a quieter setting, this commute may mean hours in the car every day. Although you may enjoy this time in the car, your everyday commute may be doing more harm than good in relation to your recent accident recovery. 

Whether you’ve injured your back or neck, these long commutes and frequent sitting in the car may make it difficult to achieve the relief you’re looking for. In this blog, we’ll explore how sitting in the car can stunt your accident recovery and what you can do to move toward the long-term pain relief you deserve.

How Daily Commuting Impacts Your Healing

If you’ve recently been in a car accident, the last thing you may want to do is get back in the car. However, if you commute to work or school every day, you may not have any other reliable option. While you may be worried about how this time in the car will impact your anxiety levels, it is important to also understand the impact it can have on accident recovery. 

Long periods of time sitting in traffic can be especially difficult on your body, especially following whiplash and back and neck injuries. You may experience slower soft tissue healing when you sit for extended periods. Your commute is generally a higher-stress event, which may prevent the proper rest you need for adequate recovery. 

Finally, long commutes, especially those between the Tooele and Salt Lake areas, can leave you with fewer hours in the day to perform essential responsibilities. This may result in you choosing to skip out on an hour or two of sleep to get your chores done. However, this can further slow accident recovery, as you need adequate sleep to heal properly. 

Sitting vs. Recovery: The Spine Stress You Can’t Ignore

When you are sitting in your car, it may seem like you’re finally getting a moment to sit back and relax a bit. However, the prolonged sitting that comes with regular commuting can put exceptional strain on your already irritated back muscles, joints, and discs. Although rest is essential for recovery, the static sitting during your commute can further complicate matters.

Although it seems restful, the muscles in your back must work constantly to hold your position in the car, especially against frequent vibrations and gravity. Additionally, sitting can put up to 90% more stress on your back, which leads to even more complex problems immediately following your recent accident. 

This additional strain, coupled with poor blood flow due to your sedentary state, can lead to muscle atrophy. While it might not seem especially beneficial, some movement through your accident recovery is essential. By sitting in your car for prolonged periods, you put yourself at major risk of muscle atrophy and chronic pain. 

Understanding How Posture, Traffic, and Tension Play a Role

Maintaining proper posture, managing tension, and addressing physical stressors during your commute are critical components of your accident recovery. When you’re in a car accident, you may find yourself dealing with spinal misalignment and muscle tension, which may lead to chronic pain if left unaddressed. 

Paying close attention to your posture while driving can reduce strain on already irritated tissues, while managing stress can aid in healing and help you restore your lost range of motion. Failing to manage these factors during your commute can lead to the intensifying of your auto accident injuries. 

While it can be difficult to maintain proper posture and manage stress and tension during your commute, it is essential that you do your best to stick with these good behaviors. The hard work you put in during your everyday commute can make an exponential difference in your long-term accident recovery. 

Adjustments to Reduce Commuter Strain During Accident Recovery

It can be difficult, if not impossible, to cut out your commute. If you have no other option, there are a few changes you can make to reduce strain and discomfort during your accident recovery. These adjustments include:

• Shifting your seat position to an upright 100–110° angle for better spinal alignment.
• Investing in a lumbar support cushion or rolled towel for lower back support. 
• Performing gentle neck, shoulder, and hand stretches during your commute. 
• Practicing deep breathing when stopped to help reduce anxiety levels and tension.
• Positioning the steering wheel 10-12 inches from the chest to reduce shoulder strain. 
• Ensuring your headrest aligns properly with your head to prevent neck injuries. 

While these adjustments may not seem like they’ll make a major difference, even the smallest changes can significantly reduce strain and added stress during your accident recovery. 

The Importance of Scheduling Chiropractic Care For Accident Recovery

While the adjustments you make to your everyday commuting routine can make a major difference in your accident recovery, there is more you can do to find lasting relief. If you want to ensure your comfort and well-being, it is best to schedule regular appointments with a trusted chiropractic team throughout this process.

Your chiropractor can perform regular assessments of your injuries, help you identify and address delayed injuries, and ensure you’re taking adequate steps toward long-term recovery. Whether you were in a low-speed fender-bender or a major accident, their support will help you address major problems before they lead to chronic pain. 

Additionally, with the support of an expert chiropractic team, you can trust that you aren’t just getting the same old treatment options. Instead, they will listen to you when you bring up major concerns and perform a thorough assessment to ensure your treatment plan is tailored to your specific injuries and help you find lasting relief. 

Schedule Care with Our Muscle & Joint Team Today

If you were recently in a car accident and are looking for a reliable chiropractic team in the Tooele area, turn to our team at Muscle & Joint Chiropractic. For years, we’ve helped Northern Utah commuters address major car accident injuries and find lasting pain relief. No matter what injury you’re experiencing, our team is confident that we have the tools, training, and expertise to help you recover from them all.

When you are ready to accelerate your accident recovery, contact our team to schedule an appointment.