Safe Gardening

For Your Joints

By Michelle Andrews, M.D.

Summer, it's that time of year to enjoy your garden. All the snow ands cold is behind you and you have a beautiful garden to dream about. Gardening is fast becoming a national past time. As an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and an avid gardener, I'm often asked to give seminars, and the one I enjoy most is "Safe Gardening for Your Joints."

Many seminars I give relate to common knee and shoulder problems, but the "Safe gardening for Your Joints" seminar is different. Gardeners often go to seminars on garden design, pest control, flower varieties and growing tips, but my seminar is for the orthopaedic health of the gardener.

Gardening is physical; it's exercise. It's good for  your neighborhood. The common gardening injuries I see in my practice fall into two categories: traumatic injuries and overuse.

Traumatic injuries, such as falls, are due to wet and uneven surfaces or tripping on hoses or tools. Overuse injuries are caused by doing to much or perhaps using the wrong technique. Examples of overuse include tendonitis about the elbow after trimming hedges and bushes all morning or kneeling while weeding.

Here is an explanation of common injuries and their causes.

HAND

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, involves numbness of the hand, usually at night. Small hand tools or vibrating motor equipment can contribute to swelling of the hand and pressure on the median nerve which supplies sensation to the thumb, index and long finger.

Tendonitis. Pain and weakness are the hallmarks of tendonitis, which is often the result of overdoing a certain activity (lifting, shoveling and spreading mulch). This involves pain in the elbow area. Pain about the elbow is commonly referred to as tennis elbow (outside of the elbow) or golfers elbow (inside of the elbow).

KNEE 

Anterior Knee Pain. Kneeling and bending, even digging in hard, clay soil can irritate the kneecap and surrounding structures in the front of the knee.

Meniscus Tears can result from deep squatting while planting and weeding. There are two menisci in the knee, which are small discs of cartilage located between the thigh bone (femur) and the shine bone (tibia). A meniscus  tear can cause knee pain, swelling and locking.

Special Circumstances-Joint Replacements. If you have total hip replacement avoid bending at the hip due to the possibility of hip dislocation. If you're had knee replacement, avoid directly kneeling on the knees.

Healthy Joint Gardening Tips

1. Take breaks. Limit time doing one activity. Weed for half hour then stand up, stretch or get a drink of water. Then change your activity, like switching to light pruning or raking.

2. Stay Hydrated. Take water breaks.

3. Use Knee Pads. When weeding, use foam pads or knee pads. There are small scooters or lightweight stools to sit on which can protect your knees and back.

4. Use Proper Tools. Tools with extensions (long handles)  allow you to avoid kneeling or crouched position. Small hand tools with springs to help open and close will decrease the chance of tendonitis.

5. Care After Gardening. If you have some soreness after gardening, ice the area 5-20 minutes a couple of times a day.

If you experience continued pain, swelling and weakness, medical attention may be appropriate.

PRACTICE PROFILE

Dr. Andrews has the distinction of being the first-ever female orthopaedic surgeon to be a team physician for a Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, while on the faculty at John Hopkins University. Since returning to Cincinnati SportsMedicine (where she completed her medicine fellowship), her practice has evolved into seeing patients with knee and shoulder problems.

An avid Gardner, Dr. Andrews is very active in the gardening community. In addition to providing lectures on gardening injuries, Dr. Andrews is also asked to lecture on topics ranging from osteoporosis to sports injuries.