|
|
Working as a Horticultural Therapist at the Nuffield Orthopedic
Centre in Oxford.
|
Do You Suffer From Backpain? Can’t Do As Much Gardening?
Before starting fredshed I worked for 6 years as a horticultural therapist, helping
elderly and disabled people at The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, England.
The “Nuffield” is one of the worlds leading
Orthopaedic hospitals and is famous for pioneering surgery. As part of my work I helped
teach on a course for people with serious back problems.
My job involved researching tools and techniques to
help people use gardening as a form of “rehabilatative therapy” often after
surgery. During this time I produced 2 books and obtained and tested hundreds of tools
from around the world.
|
|
Working as a Horticultural Therapist at the Nuffield Orthopedic
Centre in Oxford.
|
On this page I will outline some important principles
for working with tools in the home and garden and feature a few special tools that are
particularly good if you have a back problem. **
** The advice on this page is written for people with
minor back problems such as low grade pain (backache) and difficulty bending. If you have
these problems or anything more serious then I recommend that you consult a
qualified physician or therapist before undertaking any serious gardening or DIY work.
For detailed and more personal advice,. e mail fred@fredshed.com for details.
| To see my Tools Database for Elderly and Disabled People | www.carryongardening.org.uk | |
“My
Back is done in and I can’t do the gardening anymore!”
How many times have I heard this from
desperate and depressed patients in the hospital. Well for what it is worth my own back
really is "done in"** so much so that I am paralysed from the waist down and use
a wheelchair.
However! I
can usually do the gardening, and if I had the time, I could come and do yours too!
The secret to gardening with any kind of back problem
is to use your brain, think more, find special tools and equipment to
reduce strain and most importantly
PACE YOURSELF - TAKE RESTS –
DON’T DO TOO MUCH
STOP BEFORE IT HURTS
Unless you are prepared to take on these ideas in full
then, I would recommend that you give up now and hire a gardener or call in the
concreters.
|
Still with me?
good!
To overcome this type of problem you need
to be determined and not be put off. There is a saying, "where there is a will-
there is a way".
Firstly, know all you can about your condition, seek
advice from different sources, and become your own expert, but part of the team. You could
even keep a diary to try to identify what effects your condition.
Before doing any gardening or DIY make sure you do a
few warm-up exercises. Gently stretch and move to prepare your body. Wear the comfortable
clothes, and try not to get cold.
Think of your garden or work area as a GYM,
do the work carefully and properly and you will benefit. Overdo it or misuse the equipment
and you may get hurt.
Pace yourself, even keep a timer in your pocket.
Don’t be a Turkey and stop when you hurt. Stop
before and come back to fight another day.
Think like an athlete, when you stop, cool
down, do a few gentle cool down exercises, go and rest, maybe have a cup of tea, (have one
for me).
The following tools are some of those I often recommended for people with
back problems**
|
|
The grabber rake has been around in various forms for many years and is an excellent time and back saving tool. The one shown above is red but if you would like a green one known as the Rake and Grab please use the link below to purchase from one of my recommended suppliers. Rake & Grab
This product was invented over 20 years ago and has seen several incarnations. It is a reasonable rake and a very good grabber. A good 2 in 1 tool
|
|
Best tool to pick up leaves without bending
Its simples .. It works, I have one,
|
|
|
Use long handled Tools - keep that back straight! Long handled fork and trowel - from Draper Tools
|
|
|
A Soil Miller - an alternative to digging with a fork |
|
|
Raised Beds and Raised Planters If you have difficulty bending and/or digging then growing your plants in raised timber beds may be a good solution. By bringing the plants nearer to your reach and not walking on the soil means that there is less compaction and therefore less cultivation of the soil required. When I first started researching tools and techniques for gardening with back pain there were no off the shelf raised beds available and most were custom built out of railway sleepers and concrete panels. Thankfully today kits are available in eco friendly treated timber so that you can build a raised planter to your size and height easily and cost effectively. For aesthetic reasons and also to accommodate plants of different heights I like to see raised beds of a mixed height as shown in the photograph opposite. click to see options on raised planters
|
Raised bed kits - Designed and delivered from a Fredshed approved supplier
Raised bedding is now an established and proven method of growing plants - as well as having benefits for the gardener who cannot bend. |
|
Long Handled Cut and Hold Pruner This long handled cut and hold pruner is one of my favorite tools and one that I have used for over 10 years. That's why it won the first ever Golden Shed Award. It comes in different sizes from the 650mm version shown here right up to the telescopic one that extends to 3m! This tool is ideal for light pruning up to16mm thick, and for deadheading roses etc. Whilst working as an NHS horticultural therapist I recommended this tool to hundreds of patients with back pain. I received many letters of thanks and never had a tool returned faulty. 650 mm version shown left- but the best version is longer at 1m and is superb for reaching climbing roses or into the back of deep prickly borders. The "snapper" can be used one or two handed and has a lot of handle adjustment. It is also very well made and I am still using one that I have had for over 10 years.
|
|
|
The Bosch ISIO is similar to the Award winning Wolf trimmer but it is smaller, lighter and cheaper. 2 Tools in 1 Grass and shrub trimming! The Bosch ISIO can be converted from a grass shear to a small shrub trimmer in seconds and is surprisingly efficient. I also like the drop in charger base and metal tin that the tool comes in. Running time is very good thanks to the Li-ion batteries and I get 20 minutes use which included some woody shrub material. The softer the material you cut the longer the battery will last between re-charges. The Bosch ISIO is available as a grass trimmer and/or a shrub trimmer. There is also a kit that includes both blades which is very good value and known as the "Bosch ISIO shape and edge kit" A new , breakthrough in powered garden tools, this lightweight grass shear and shrub trimmer has Lithium Ion batteries for power and durability. Lithium ion batteries are also more environmentally friendly than Nicads or Nimh batteries.
|
|
|
Helping Hand Pick Up tools These tools can be useful in the garden, my personal favourite is the one below which can even pull out weeds and has a extendable spike to collect litter too.
|
The Gardena Gripper is an excellent long reach pick up tool for gardening. It has strong jaws with a metal tip that can actually grip some weeds to pull them out. If the jaws cannot get the item , the Gripper also has a flip out spike that is designed to stab rubbish. |
Best Garden Kneeler Seat This sturdy little seat can be used for kneeling or sitting and has the added advantage that it can be folded flat for easy carrying and storage. These seats have been around for many years and I often recommended them to people during my work as an NHS Horticultural Therapist at the Mary Marlborough Centre in oxford. (now known as Oxford Centre for Enablement) Some of the plastic garden kneelers and seats are very slippery to grip or unstable to sit on. This seat is manufactured by Draper Tools and is the best I have found. If you want a similar seat that is a little higher for taller people there is one made by Town and Country. Also if you don't need a seat but kneel a lot then save your knees from bruising with a foam pad.
|
|
For more tools or enquiries e mail fred@fredshed.com
If you found my site helpful and would like to make a small donation please use the link below. Thank you. Fred
Other Pages
Builders bits cordless chainsaws Decorating Tools Digging Tools forks & Spades
DIY products garden shredders lawn tools new products mowers
Cordless Hedgetrimmers Powered garden equipment Robot Mowers
pruning tools Weekly tips page Watering Equipment
© Fred Walden 2012
