Gardening with Chronic Back Pain

Dealing with Back Pain in the garden

Up to 80% of American adults complain of acute back pain at some time in their lives, but for 5-10% of the population the pain is chronic and severe. For workers under 45 years old, back injuries are the most common cause of disability. Construction workers, nurses, and machine operators are at especially high risk for lower back injury.

Herniated disks, osteoarthritis, compression fractures, and spinal deformities are among the most common causes of chronic back pain. Although bending, lifting and twisting are movements which often exacerbate the problem, gardeners with “bad backs” do not have to pack away their watering cans and trowels.

Bring the Plants to You

By raising your workspace from ground level to waist-high, you will drastically reduce the amount of bending required to care for your plants.  This will help alleviate any stress to chronic back pain sufferers. Consider building a raised bed on stilts or on a table. Most plants can thrive with only 6-8” of a good soil mix, but root vegetables may require more depth.

When designing your raised bed, remember that the deeper the soil level, the heavier the bed will be. Make sure that your bed is supported and provide adequate drainage. of chronic back pain will not be able to crawl into the bed. Do not make your bed too large, or you will not be able to reach the middle – a general rule of thumb is that no part of your waist-high garden should be more than two feet away from an open side.  Sufferers 

Because they are off the ground, tabletop gardens will dry out more quickly than their traditional counterparts. Be prepared to water more often, as much as twice a day during dry spells. It is difficult, though not impossible, to over water an above ground garden.

This high water throughput tends to leach out valuable growth minerals. Raised gardens may need more fertilization to thrive, so keep a careful eye on your plants to determine if supplemental treatments are needed throughout the growing season.

If the idea of a large, tabletop bed does not appeal to you, consider a bank of containers. Pots are available in a large variety of sizes and styles to accommodate nearly any plant and décor. By arranging your container garden on a shelf, railing or table, you will not need to bend as much to care for your plants or harvest your crops. Like above ground beds, container gardens will need good drainage and frequent watering.

Good Choices for Bad Backs

If your taste or budget requires a ground-level garden, consider choosing plants that will make your job easier. Delicate microgreens that require constant harvesting are tasty, but a firm head lettuce that only needs to be picked once will require less bending. Compact mounds of low-growing annuals will be harder to keep tidy and attractive than a flowering vine growing up a trellis.

How you grow garden favorites can also affect the impact on your back. Instead of letting tomatoes, melons, beans and cucumbers spread across the ground, install a length of sturdy fencing and train the vines to grow upwards. Not only will your crops be more visible and less likely to blight, but you will save yourself the pain of bending and crawling at harvest time.

Appropriately sized tools can also keep you gardening despite chronic back pain. Choose a hoe, cultivator and rake that you can comfortably maneuver without bending. Plastic extenders are available to help you reach your work while keeping a straight back.

With planning and care, chronic back pain does not have to keep you from gardening. Remember your back when you layout your garden, choose plants and purchase tools this year.

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