Norfolk Chiropractor’s advice: back pain & gardening   by R. Pollock

in Health / Alternative Medicine    (submitted 2011-06-25)

We spoke to Dr Maria Madge, Chiropractor in Norfolk, to get some tips for everyone who is heading back into the garden this summer.

"My phone has been ringing off the hook since the weather turned hot this spring - and it's pretty clear to see why… this is the time of year that we are all heading out into our gardens, enjoying every minute we can spend sorting out our flowers and vegetables. Unfortunately, after a winter of staying indoors and not moving much, our bodies can go into a bit of shock when we suddenly make demands in the form of squatting, weeding and lifting heavy things.

So many people strain their back when gardening. The result is what we call 'generalised lower back pain', which is most commonly caused by long periods of a specific, repeated activity - so anything like bending, raking, weeding and twisting. Essentially, all of those activities that you haven't been doing all winter and are now throwing yourself into in the garden!

Generalised lower back pain manifests as a grumbly lower back. Rather than individual points of pain, it is soreness caused by overuse of muscles and joints. Unless you experience pain down the leg, this type of pain will usually sort itself out in about two weeks. But if waiting around for it to fix itself isn't your style, there are a few things you can do to make it heal faster without having to head for your nearest chiropractor…

1) Stop it! Whatever activity is causing the pain, just stop it now! Way too many people 'push on through' and end up aggravating it, until it becomes a much larger problem. As soon as the grumbling starts, put down your trowel and grab a comfy seat or have a lie down.
2) Get something cold on your lower back. A pack of peas will do - but make sure you wrap it in a tea towel - don't freeze yourself too much! Cold will help to ease the joints. 15 minutes with an ice-pack will do, and SHOULD ease the pain. If it doesn't…
3) Go the other route and put heat on it. A hot water bottle (also wrapped in a towel or cover) will ease the muscles. I sometimes recommend a hot bath, but not if getting out of the bath might jolt or aggravate the problem.

I'm not a fan of painkillers, but a bit of ibuprophen will help if its very sore. It will help you to move more naturally and is an anti-inflammatory. Make sure to take it with food, otherwise it's not very nice on the tum.

If the hot / cold approach is going to work, you should see results in 2-3 days. But if either of them make the problem worse, if you experience leg pain or if the problem is getting worse, I urge you to seek advice from a professional. General practitioners are not always great at identifying back problems and might just tell you to wait a while. Find a back expert, whether a chiropractor or not, in your area and get their professional opinion - it's a much better plan than waiting for the problem to escalate!"

Dr Madge is an established Chiropractor in Norfolk and is eager to offer advice that helps people to keep moving!

About the Author

My job is to interview people who know about things that matter to people in their everyday lives - here is valuable information from Dr Maria Madge, Norfolk Chiropractor, who works with all sort of patients and has a few tips for people who, like her, love getting out into the garden when the weather's hot!