Being injured can make daily tasks difficult, and it can remove the ability to do things you enjoy – but not in the garden.
Gardening is an activity so adaptable that many injuries can be worked around to ensure you can still get outside and do something you enjoy, while reaping all the benefits of physical exercise, however limited.
Gardening is very beneficial to injury rehabilitation, physical and mental health and simply getting enjoyment out of life, says Churchill orthopaedic specialist Phil Wraighte.
He says gardening while recovering from an injury is possible, as long as you’re prepared to adapt what you would normally do to suit your new, hopefully temporarily physical limits.
Here are some tips on how to keep gardening while injured…
Use the tools you’ve been given
If your injury means you’re using a walking aid, then put it to work in the garden.
A walker is great for carrying small garden tools and punnets of seedlings around on, while crutches are a good aid for sitting down and standing up (or flicking the odd snail off your brassicas).
The walker is also a great mobile stool and provides a nice place to perch while you trim the small hedge or pick low-hanging fruit.
Do the same things you always did, but differently
Gardening with an injury is all about adapting your methods to suit your level of mobility.
If squatting in the garden to plant the seeds or rip out the weeds is no longer possible, then find something to sit on instead, be it the ground, a stool or your walker.
Is your injury or condition a long-term situation, such as osteoarthritis? Organise to have some raised garden beds built that you can easily reach and work in.
Do little bits, often
Ensuring you get into the garden for even a few minutes each day can make a big difference to your physical and mental wellbeing, as well as the state of the garden.
Pull out a handful of easily accessible weeds from your raised garden, water the lawn with the hose or cut a small shrub back. The key is not to do too much of one task, but to alternate and use different parts of your body for only a short time.
Prepare
If you are temporarily restricted to being inside or can get no further than the patio, use the time to prepare for the next gardening season.
Plant seeds in small trays, pot up plants, and venture out just far enough to water your garden with the hose, just to enjoy being out there in the fresh air. Or draw up plans for your next garden adventure.
Go shopping
Move around your garden if you can and list what needs replacing.
You may find torn netting, broken frames or perhaps you can treat yourself to a nice new pot that you can fill from the comfort of your patio. Not only will you get excited about the garden again, but you’ll be getting out and about.
Find someone else to do the heavy lifting
Being injured doesn’t mean you have to let the garden grow wild just because you can’t physically move large amounts, but you’ll likely need some help. Ask a willing family member, neighbour, friend or employ someone to mow the lawns, empty the wheelbarrow that you’ve gradually filled with weeds or carry the potting mix to somewhere you can easily reach.
Churchill Private Hospital and Specialist Centre is proud to support Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough, 5 – 8 November 2020.
