Continuation of our Spring is in the air suggestions. Many people will be adding fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants to their garden. You will be buying fertilizer, loam, potting soil, mulch and all the other bagged products to bring your lawn and garden to perfection. Just remember that these bags are often heavy and you need to lift and transport them properly. You will be lifting them from the displays to your shopping cart, the shopping cart to your car, from the car to the garage or storage area and then to the area of final use. Lift with your legs and not your back. Use a wheelbarrow or cart to move them as much as possible reducing the strain on your back and shoulders. Be careful when you are turning over or augmenting the soil as the soil is compacted from all the snow and rain this fall, winter and spring. Use shovels, cultivators, rakes and garden forks that have handles long enough to prevent excessive bending and provide you with superior leverage. Be careful of the amount you are turning over at one time. The soil is heavy and compact and can be quite heavy. If you are using power equipment such as tillers, aerators or power dethatchers, remember this equipment is heavy and be careful lifting and transporting it. If you are renting it make sure you have help putting it in your vehicle and make sure you have help getting it out of when you get home. If you are going to dethatch your lawn with a hand rake remember to wear gloves as your hands can blister very easily. The raking motion you use to dethatch can severely strain your back or worse so please use caution and do the dethatching in small batches. If you are going to be kneeling down to work in your garden remember to use knee protection. The use of knee pads are good, but they make a kneeling pad that is attached to a frame that has handles that you can use to assist yourself in getting up and down. Remember to keep your back as straight as possible and don’t try to do everything at one time. They also make small gardening shovels, rakes and hoes that have longer and padded handles so that you don’t have to bend over excessively. Using the right equipment to do a job makes the job more enjoyable and reduces fatigue. The cost for good/correct equipment will pay dividends in your mental and physical health. If you do over do it give us a call at Chicago Neck and Back Institute and we will be glad to get you back to good health.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015