An expert guide to gardening when you have arthritis

From independent.co.uk

The experts offer the following tips on how best to garden if you suffer from arthritis 

More than 10 million people across the UK, young and old, live with some form of arthritis, a condition that profoundly impacts daily life, including the simple pleasure of gardening. Yet, practical approaches can significantly alleviate pain and discomfort, helping to reduce aching joints when undertaking basic tasks in outdoor spaces.

“Pacing, posture and positioning are key,” says Damien Newman, training, education and consultancy manager at Thrive, a gardening for health charity which helps improve people’s health through gardening and horticulture.

                                                                                                              (Alamy/PA)

Obviously what you can do in the garden depends on the type and severity of the arthritis, but it is important to keep exercising, says Dr Wendy Holden, medical advisor and honorary consultant rheumatologist at charity Arthritis Action.

“Exercise is not going to cause any harm and that’s an important thing to know. Even if things hurt, it’s not causing damage. You can’t damage your joints by using them.”

Tasks which may be difficult

“If you’ve got stiffness and pain in your hands, things like gripping secateurs are going to be difficult. Potentially, hedge trimming would be difficult and other physical manual dexterity tasks,” Holden explains.

If you have pain in the knees and hips, it’s going to be more difficult to kneel down to do weeding and you’ll need to be careful lifting anything.

The experts offer the following tips on how best to garden if you suffer from arthritis.

Position yourself comfortably

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“Obviously, if you have arthritis affecting your lower limbs, gardening in a seated or stood position is going to be a lot easier on the joints that are being affected,” says Newman.

“Try to keep your back neutral and work with your limbs at 90-degree angles.”

Don’t overstretch by using long-handled tools which are too long for your body, he says, as overstretching restricts blood flow which can exacerbate symptoms.

Conversely, tall people tend to bend over when using regular-sized rakes and hoes, giving themselves backache, so make sure you obtain one that is right for your height, says Holden.

Think about posture

“I’ve seen so many people who have broken a bone in their back just from lifting a heavy plant pot. You have to be extra careful and just bend from the hips and use your knees to lift and keep the object close to you.”

If picking up items by your fingers is uncomfortable, when carrying lighter equipment such as a seed tray or a piece of turf, rest it on your forearms and hands, keeping your elbows tucked in to reduce strain, Thrive recommends.

Don’t overdo it

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the wonder of the activity and pacing yourself is really important, accepting that it’s ok to do a little bit and then a little bit another day,” says Newman.

“Mowing the lawn might be quite a strenuous activity for somebody with arthritis that’s affecting their knees, hips or ankles. If you’ve a large garden, think, ‘I’ll tackle that over a week’ rather than thinking ‘I have to mow all of the lawn in one go’. It’s about being comfortable and breaking conventions.”

“I often see people who’ve got a lot of thumb pain after they’ve been pruning at the beginning of the year. That can cause a temporary worsening of some pain. My advice is, just don’t do it for too long,” Holden adds.

She suggests people do a variety of jobs during the day, rather than repetitive ones, to work different joints, and try to switch your grip on tools as well.

Use ergonomic tools and good-quality outerwear

Consider adaptive gardening tools, available on sites such as Peta, which have special grips to help people with arthritis, Newman suggests, and also provides handles which you can adapt to standard garden tools.

                                                                                         An ergonomic trowel (Thrive/PA)

Holden adds that wearing gloves probably improves your grip on things and that some people like compression gloves on their joints for comfort.

Don’t wear flimsy flat wellies all day, she continues.

“Either wear flat wellies with lots of socks in them so your feet stay nice and warm, or wellies with insoles to give you lots of nice support if you’re on your feet all day.”

Stay dry

Watch the weather to choose your optimum gardening time, the experts agree. Joints often don’t like being cold and wet, so staying dry is obviously important, as is staying warm and wearing lots of layers, Holden advises.

Think about the cold too, which can exacerbate joint pain, Newman continues.

“Don’t pot-wash in January, do it in a heatwave when everyone’s happy to put their hands in the water,” he advises.

Make your garden lower-maintenance

“Fill your garden with plants that don’t need so much intensive care,” Newman suggests.

“Shrubs and herbaceous plants are much easier to maintain than perennials or vegetables, which need lots of preparation of the ground, mulching and activities which put a fair bit of pressure on our lower limbs, whether it’s pushing wheelbarrows or using long-handled tools.”

Use ground-cover plants so there’s less need to weed or mulch, to give arthritis sufferers an easier life, he says.

If you have a deep border, make a pathway through it so you can access the back more easily, and reduce the size of your lawn if you want to do less mowing.

Raised beds are a good idea to help prevent the need to bend over or kneel down when gardening.

Don’t feel guilty about investing in gizmos which will ease your efforts and help you enjoy your garden, such as robotic lawnmowers and auto-irrigation systems, he adds.

Stretch after gardening

Do some stretches after gardening to alleviate backache. “Lying on your back and pulling your knees up to your chest is good for an aching back,” says Holden. Have a bath to warm up your joints.

If you have osteoarthritis in the base of your thumb and it aches after gardening, you can buy resting thumb splints to wear in the evening for support, she adds.

Enjoy your garden

“Essentially, going and spending a bit of time in the garden is good because it relaxes you. That can be quite valuable for people with arthritis, because being relaxed and less stressed does have a physiological response and reduces the symptoms of pain and arthritis,” says Newman.

“It’s a space to enjoy, where you will do the bits that you want to do and find ways to not do the bits you don’t want to do any more.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/property/gardening/arthritis-gardening-tips-help-cure-b2812382.html

Tips to gardening with arthritis

From tribtoday.com

By Eileen Novotny

When I began going to water exercise class years ago, I would often hear someone in the group telling others that “Arthur” came to visit or was back. I soon realized that they were not talking about an unwelcome visiting relative but experiencing joint pain from one of the more than 100 conditions of the joints from which over 27 million American suffer.

Arthritis causes pain, stiffness, swelling and heat in the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, hips, back, etc. Yuk. Not what I wanted to hear.

Even when Arthur comes back, we need to counter that pain with one of the great jobs in life that is proven to lift our spirits and bring us mindfulness. Getting outside to work in the garden is one of the joys in life and arthritis can prevent that.

The Arthritis Foundation has several resources that give tips on gardening with arthritis as does the Ohio State University OhioAgrAbility site. I have incorporated several of these tips in my vegetable and perennial gardening and can vouch for them — they work and help me enjoy gardening even more.

Stooping causes pain, so finding a way to bring the garden closer to you is important. The key is discovering new ways and adapting and adjusting.

I have a raised planter box, which is perfect for raising herbs and one or two tomato plants. I have a rolling work seat that my husband found. Positioning it next to the raised bed relieves the stress on my back and knees. I plant in containers, both ceramic and fabric grow bags that I place on rolling dollies that enable me to move them with minimal bending and effort.

Several OSU Master Gardener Volunteer friends have recommended joint-friendly tools, some long-handled for easy reaching and some easy-to-grip hand tools that lessen the stress on your hands and wrists. A little research on the internet or at your local garden shop will help you get the best possible choice for your situation.

This winter is a great time to do the research, make the orders, or make hints to your loved ones of things you need to keep gardening.

Gloves are a life-saver. I cannot say enough about wearing gloves to protect delicate skin from cuts and scratches and possible infections. Consider gloves with a bit of padding in the fingers and the palm to help distribute pressure and improve your grip.

Do some gentle stretching before you begin your gardening to loosen your joints and prevent injury. Hydrate, hydrate and take frequent breaks.

Ready now to head out to your garden for some great pain free exercise that is good for the body, mind and soul?

Find out more about tools and design at http://go.osu.edu/easiergardening .

Download a guide for you or others at https://go.osu.edu/arthritisgardening .

Novotny is an Ohio State University Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.

https://www.tribtoday.com/life/lifecovers/2024/01/tips-to-gardening-with-arthritis/ 

Gardening with Arthritis: 5 Habits to Avoid Pain and Joint Strain

From creakyjoints.org

Gardening is often recommended as healthy physical activity for those with arthritis, but it’s important to avoid joint strain and injury

Working in your garden can be a great way to stay active if you’re living with arthritis. You may also find it helps you connect with friends and neighbours who also have green thumbs.

“Gardening is not only enjoyable; it is also a good form of exercise that conditions your muscles and helps with arthritis,” says David Felson, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a rheumatologist at Boston Medical Centre. “You just need to be careful to do it in a way that doesn’t cause damage.”

In some cases, gardening can exacerbate arthritis pain, so take time to determine which gardening strategies work best for you.

When you’re gardening, remember to take regular breaks, even if it doesn’t feel like work to you. You may need to take more frequent or longer rest breaks when your arthritis is more active to avoid placing too much stress on your joints, according to UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

Pay close attention to any pain signals: If you have pain that increases during or after a gardening task, take it as a sign that you’ve done too much. In that case, try to shorten your bouts of gardening next time.

Everybody’s garden is unique based on where it’s located, which plants you’re growing, and your own abilities for tending to it, but there are five general ways you can make gardening easier and safer when you have arthritis.

1. Be mindful of carrying tools and soil

Whenever possible, avoid lifting heavy items. This might be a great opportunity to recruit your partner, kids, or a friend to help. Try to stock up on smaller bags of soil or compost, rather than one large bag that is difficult to lift.

If you do need to lift a heavy gardening item, keep it close to your body to reduce stress, per UW Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. If you’re picking something off the ground, bend your knees and lift by straightening your legs, while trying to keep your back straight.

“When you get a bag of soil, put it right up against your stomach — don’t hold it out, don’t toss it over your shoulder, and don’t lean with it and try to drag it,” says Shawna Coronado, author of The Wellness Garden and a gardening expert with her own experience dealing with severe degenerative osteoarthritis and chronic pain. “When you’re ready to put it down, don’t bend over. Just let it drop to the ground, because anything else is forcing your back, arms, and hands to hold an uncomfortable position.”

When possible, use your body weight to push heavy items. For instance, pushing tools or bags of compost in a wheelbarrow may be easier than carrying them by hand, says Dr. Felson.
You can also rest items like a tray of seedlings on your forearms, keeping your elbows tucked near your waist to reduce the strain on your shoulders and elbows. This prevents stress on fragile finger joints, per Versus Arthritis, an arthritis charity in the United Kingdom.

2. Use elevated flower beds

Bending, stooping, and kneeling are likely to cause pain if you have arthritis. Bringing plants closer to you is one way to avoid this.

“Building elevated beds is one of the most significant things you can do,” says Coronado. “They should be about waist-high or higher, because even if your elevated bed is knee-height, you’ll still have to bend over.”

If you can’t build elevated flower beds, it can be helpful to use a stool to sit while you garden. Doing so lessens the load on your weight-bearing joints compared to standing or kneeling.
“With a stool, your knees don’t have to bend quite as much, which is good because that squatting position isn’t the healthiest thing for them,” says Dr. Felson.

Some gardening stools come with locking wheels. These rolling stools can be helpful because they prevent you from needing to sit and stand repeatedly, according to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

3. Choose tools that are gentle on your joints

Tools that have extendable handles can help you easily garden while you’re standing or using a stool. A rubber sleeve over the handles or wearing a pair of gardening gloves can reduce strain on your fingers by improving your grip.

“One of the short-handled tools I use is an ergonomic cultivator, which has a curved handle,” says Coronado. “It offers you a handshake grip instead of a twisted grip like most short-handled tools, so it’s a lot less strain on your joints.”

While you might typically find it easiest to work with lightweight tools (say, a lightweight rake), Coronado says she’s found certain tools like hoes actually do more of the gardening work for you if they’re sturdy.

“If you have a super lightweight hoe, you have to use your back, arms, and hands to really slam it into the ground and push or pull,” says Coronado. “But if you use a heavier hoe, it instantly drops into the ground and lightens the load on your joints because it’s doing the work for you.”

When you use a tool like a hoe, Coronado recommends pulling it from side to side like you’re sweeping a broom (rather than pulling front to back) to avoid unnecessary bending.

A few more gardening tools recommended for those with arthritis, per Versus Arthritis, include:

• A ratchet pruner: This makes it easier to cut through twigs by taking several smaller squeezes to make a cut rather than one big squeeze, which reduces knuckle strain.
• A two-handed lopper: Used for pruning trees and shrubs, you’ll get great leverage without much effort with a two-handed lopper, and you can hold it lightly in your palms to protect your fingers.
• English trimming shears: Best used for light trimming, these require very little finger movement to squeeze the blades together and can be operated with one hand.

It can also be helpful to gently stretch before you start gardening. This loosens joints and can help prevent injury. One simple stretch: Reach forward as far as possible with your arms straight in front of you, advises the West Virginia University Centre for Excellence in Disabilities.

4. Prepare the soil

Digging can require quite a bit of force, depending on the soil you’re working with. One way to avoid digging is to focus on container gardening, in which you grow plants only in containers rather than directly in the ground.

“Container gardening is gentler on your joints and body than digging into the soil, because it offers you loose soil,” says Coronado. “It also allows you to change out your garden design annually so it’s attractive as well.”

If you do need to dig into the ground, look for digging tools with extra-long handles. Adding an extra handle part-way down the shaft of a spade or fork may keep you from bending too far, and helps keep your lower hand comfortable and untwisted, per Versus Arthritis.

If weeding tends to be a regularly high-maintenance task for you, consider covering the affected soil with a two-inch layer of shredded bark, which blocks light from the soil and makes it more difficult for weeds to grow. When you do need to weed, a push-pull hoe may be particularly effective at cutting weeds at ground level without much work.

You can also try to weed the garden after rain or irrigation, since it’s easier to pull weeds out of wet soil, says the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

5. Create low-maintenance gardens

Choose plants that can thrive on their own, in case you experience an arthritis flare or simply don’t feel comfortable enough to garden for a while. The best way to do this is to select plants native to your region — but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they need to look like weeds.

“Native plants can be quite beautiful, and in all regions of the United States we have native plants that grow flowers and are attractive,” says Coronado. “Native plants require no fertilization, and they don’t require as much water. You can get them started by watering the first couple of weeks, and after that, you often don’t have to touch them again.”

https://creakyjoints.org/living-with-arthritis/gardening-with-arthritis/