9 Tips for Yard Work Safety
Jun 07, 2023
Why Does My Body Hurt After Yard Work?
Spring has sprung, which means the neighborhood is alive with the buzz of lawnmowers and the smell of fresh potting soil. But if mowing the lawn or pulling the weeds has you remembering last year’s back pain, you might think twice about doing yard work yourself.
Working in your yard shouldn’t be a chore, but a fun activity that gets you outside and lets you take pride in your home. Find out how you can prevent common injuries and relieve back pain after yard work with Doctor Hoy’s® when you follow these nine yard work safety tips.
Common Yard Work Injuries
Whether you’re an experienced gardener, a meticulous homeowner, or a DIY landscaper, anyone can injure themselves while doing work outdoors. Accidents from yard work are common in the spring and summer, ranging from mild muscle soreness to severe injuries from lawn equipment. Typical yard work injuries can include:
- Strained or pulled muscles
- Shoulder pain or tendonitis
- Heavy lifting injuries
- Calluses and blisters on the hands
- Scrapes, cuts, and burns from lawn or garden equipment
- Slips and falls from ladders, roofs, or trees
- Insect stings and bug bites
Even the most careful individuals can get hurt, and almost all yard work incidents are preventable. Thankfully, minor aches and pains are easier to manage. If you have discomfort from back or joint pain after working in the yard, Doctor Hoy’s Natural Pain Relief Gel is a fast, safe, and effective way to relieve your pain.
How to Prevent Yard Work Injuries & Back Pain
Yard work and back pain making it hard for you to enjoy the nice weather? Weeding, mowing, raking, gardening, and other outdoor tasks take a toll on your muscles and joints, causing soreness, aches, and sometimes other accidents. Here are some spring yard work safety tips to keep you out of pain:
Plan Ahead
The early days of spring are the best time to begin planning what to do with your yard or any necessary home maintenance. Take your time to plan projects in advance so you know what materials you need and how long it will take you to complete. Not rushing a project will lessen your chance of injury.
Wear the Right Clothes
Wearing protective clothing like gloves, closed-toe shoes, and long pants can protect you from various potential accidents. Gardening gloves improve your grip on tools and safeguard your hands from splinters, poison ivy, or cuts. Tennis shoes and long pants protect your feet and legs from ricocheting debris when mowing and protective lenses protect your eyes when using a saw or trimmer.
Stretch Your Muscles
Stretching before physical exercise, including yard work, prevents you from pulling a muscle. Tasks like pulling weeds, pushing the mower, and lifting bags of mulch might engage muscle groups you don’t often use, which can easily lead to muscle strain. Perform stretches for your shoulders, neck, back, and legs that mimic the movements of the work you plan to do.
Lift Properly
Improving your posture when lifting heavy items helps prevent pulled back muscles or strains. The proper way to lift heavy bags of mulch, dirt, or potted plants is to bend from the hips and knees while keeping your back straight. If you’re moving lawn clippings, bags of soil, or other items in bulk, use a wheelbarrow to avoid excess strain.
Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water before and during yard work to stay hydrated. Hydration is important for healthy muscle movement and coordination. It also prevents fatigue and muscle cramps or spasms that could lead to injury. For a refreshing twist plus some surprising health benefits, try drinking lemon water.
Wear Sunscreen
While you might like the nice tan you get from spending all day in the garden, wearing sunscreen is important for your overall health. Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UV rays even on cloudy days. Apply it to your face, neck, shoulders, and other areas exposed to the skin, and reapply as directed.
Sunburn can be extremely painful, but it is manageable. Our Arnica Boost Recovery Cream is a natural topical that features anti-inflammatory ingredients like arnica and aloe vera to help relieve pain, reduce swelling, and even heal your sunburn faster.
Check for Bug Bites
In the spring, your lawn is alive with more than just flowers and grass, but also bees, wasps, mosquitoes, ticks, ants, and more. While most insects in your yard are harmless, some sting or bite which can be painful or lead to a severe allergic reaction.
To avoid mosquito bites, use an insect repellent and remove areas of standing water like flooded planters or pool covers. Before going inside, look over your body for ticks and be cautious around stinging insects like hornets or wasps. Nests should be looked at and removed by a professional.
Arnica Boost Recovery Cream also helps relieve pain from bug bites. Arnica Montana is useful in treating insect bites and stings, easing soreness and bruising while speeding up the healing process.
Maintain Tools & Equipment
Tools that are poorly maintained or difficult to use can often lead to injury. After winter storage, lawnmowers and other gasoline powered tools might have stale fuel, rusted spark plugs, dirty carburetors, or dull blades. Seasonal maintenance either by yourself or a professional helps you avoid injuries related to equipment.
In addition to servicing or replacing old, rusty, or broken tools, buying new tools might be a good idea. Invest in tools and equipment that are ergonomic and comfortable to use. If you have arthritis and enjoy gardening, lightweight tools with rubber sleeves and padded handles can help you avoid joint pain from yard work.
Take a Break
A pulled muscle, aching back, or joint pain are yard work injuries that result from overuse. Pushing yourself too hard for too long can leave you fatigued and in pain. While you could try taking an NSAID to relieve the discomfort, you still put yourself at risk of serious injury.
To avoid overexerting yourself, change tasks every half hour and take frequent breaks. People who have chronic joint pain should especially take breaks while doing yard work, as it can help minimize their pain. Besides, why not take a step back and soak in the beauty of all your hard work?
Doctor Hoy’s Relieves Pain from Yard Work Injuries
A beautiful yard doesn’t have to come from back-breaking work, and relieving pain from yard work injuries doesn’t have to be difficult. Doctor Hoy’s Natural Pain Relief Gel is a topical analgesic that uses safe, effective, and natural ingredients to reduce inflammation and relieve pain from backaches, sore muscles, joint pain, and more.
For hard-to-reach areas like your back and shoulders, use Doctor Hoy’s roll-on gel in a convenient roller ball application. Use it with our Arnica Boost Recovery Cream which can be used to heal bruises, scrapes, sprains, and more. Follow these safety tips for yard work and use Doctor Hoy’s as an effective and natural solution to your body aches and pains.
References:
Preventing Spring Yard Work Injuries. (2018, May 3). Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania.
Six tips to keep yard work safe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2023. Piedmont Healthcare.
