A Green Thumb Doesn’t Have to Mean a Sore Back: 6 Tips for Pain-Free Gardening
Posted June 09, 2025 by Ann Wargo, PT, MsMHA, CAPS, CMCP
Gardening isn’t typically considered a high-risk activity. However, back injuries from common tasks like weeding, digging and planting can occur if proper precautions aren't taken. Whether you're mowing, raking, weeding or planting, it's no secret that yard work can sometimes lead to back pain. This is especially true as we age, since the likelihood of experiencing back pain increases over time.
So, how can you protect your spine while tending your garden?
1. Use Proper Bending and Lifting Mechanics
Gardeners often work in a slightly bent-over position, looking at the ground. Even just leaning over while standing engages your back and neck muscles, which can lead to soreness over time. Follow these simple tips:- Lift with your legs, not your back. Keep your back straight and bend your knees.
- Sit or kneel to work whenever possible. Use a foam pad or knee pads for comfort.
- Avoid bending over at the waist to pick up materials.
- Support yourself when reaching. If you must bend and reach, try kneeling first. For more range of motion, kneel on a foam pad. Place both hands on the ground and move into a tabletop position (back straight, limbs perpendicular to the ground). Shift your weight onto one hand and use the other to reach for and pull items towards you. Then, bend your knees to lift yourself up.
- Know your limits, especially if you have knee, hip or back issues. Don’t lift more than you can comfortably manage. Break down heavy loads into smaller ones and make more trips. Move soil in smaller buckets or shovel it into a wheelbarrow instead of lifting heavy bags.
- Use tools. Move pots separately from plants and use a cart or wheelbarrow for heavy items like large pots, planters or bags of soil.
- Don't use brute force. Never rely on sheer strength to remove stubborn roots, rocks or pipes.
2. Avoid Twisting
Twisting places added stress on your spine. To avoid unnecessary back strain:
- Resist the urge to twist and reach just to finish faster.
- Pivot your feet. When moving an object from one spot to another, turn your whole body by taking small steps rather than twisting your torso. Then, set the object down.
- Use wheeled helpers. A garden cart, wheelbarrow or rolling garden seat can make moving objects easier.
3. Pace Yourself and Don’t Overwork
When starting any physical activity after a break, it's easy to overdo it. To prevent back and neck strain:
- Build up stamina. Don't try to tackle a full day of gardening right away, especially if you're not used to the physical demands. Break the job up into smaller segments to complete over time.
- Start small. Begin with about 30 minutes of work, then stop, rest and notice how your body feels.
- Listen to your body. If you feel stiff or sore, take a longer break or stop for the day. If you feel fine, continue for perhaps another hour or two, then reassess.
- Stop if pain occurs. If your back starts to feel tight, knotted or sore, stop gardening for the day. Resume the next day only if you feel better.
4. Brace Yourself and Take a Seat
- Use a garden seat. Using a low stool, garden seat or even a portable stadium chair allows you to work comfortably while seated, reducing strain. Spread your legs in a V-shape (knees straight or slightly bent) and work on the area directly in front of you. You can also vary your position by tucking one leg in.
- Get up safely from sitting. When getting up from a low seated position:
- Rotate your torso to one side and place both hands firmly on the ground.
- Use your hands to push yourself into a tabletop position (on hands and knees).
- Lift your torso until it's upright (perpendicular to the ground).
- Plant one foot firmly on the ground in front of you.
5. Switch Sides Regularly
- Protect your hands and wear gloves when digging or raking.
- Alternate arms frequently (e.g., every five minutes).
- Switch your grip. Take turns placing your non-dominant hand higher on the tool handle.
- Rake symmetrically. When raking, try to keep the rake centered in front of your body and pull it straight back towards you, rather than working off to one side.
6. Know How to Treat Aches and Pain
Gardening is a wonderful, healthy hobby, but its physical nature can leave muscles tired and sore. Regardless of age, it's important to know how to manage these aches:
- Stretch gently after gardening to help prevent pain and stiffness.
- Use ice. Apply ice packs (wrapped in a thin towel) to sore areas for 15-20 minutes to reduce inflammation and pain. Repeat if needed.
- Stay fit. Maintain good general fitness with regular exercise, such as walking. If you have back issues, see your physician and discuss a referral to a physical therapist.
By following these tips, you can continue enjoying your passion for gardening while keeping your back healthy and pain-free.
About the Author
Vitality eNews Sign Up
Receive the Summa Health eNewsletter for the latest health tips, advice and updates.
Related Blogs
If so, you’re not alone. A rotator cuff tear is one of the most common shoulder injuries – making many daily activities extremely painful and difficult to perform. Common signs to watch for include:
- A deep, dull shoulder pain along the outside of the arm or shoulder that extends down towards the elbow.
- Weakness or pain when lifting or rotating the arm above the head.
- Worsening pain with overhead activities, behind the back and at night while trying to sleep.
If these…
Do you feel a dull ache deep in your shoulder that worsens at night or with particular arm movements? Do you have weakness when lifting or rotating your arm above your head? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you might be dealing with a torn rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff is a series of muscles and tendons that keeps the shoulder joint stable, while allowing the arm to rotate. Rotator cuff injuries are very common and increase with age. Injury, degeneration or…
As the weather gets warmer, more and more people will be outside participating in a range of summer activities, from sports to hikes and even gardening. While this is certainly good for your health, summer can also lead to a number of foot and ankle injuries.
Ankle Sprains
A sprained ankle occurs when the ankle rolls towards the outside of the foot, most often during physical activity, and it is one of the most common foot injuries. While a mild sprain is often nothing to…
A sports injury can be scary, especially if you're facing surgery that could keep you sidelined for weeks, if not months.
Fortunately, surgery isn't always the best option when you suffer an injury from playing a sport, exercising, or participating in recreational activities. A wide range of non-surgical treatments are available today that effectively treat muscle pain, joint pain, and lack of mobility.
A sports injury encompasses the musculoskeletal system, including…
Do frigid temperatures cause slow, achy joints that make it difficult for you to get moving? It’s not just your imagination. People living with joint pain related to conditions, such as: arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or fibromyalgia, often report when temperatures drop, their joint pain acts up.
It’s true, cold weather causes muscles to tense, which can lead to less mobility and flexibility in the joints. Some studies also associate joint pain with…
Reviewed October 2024
How strong are your bones? You may have no idea until you break one doing some mundane activity, such as bumping into furniture, coughing or sneezing.
Osteoporosisis a bone disease that occurs when your body breaks down more bone than it creates. Bone is living tissue that is constantly broken down and replaced. The disease causes your bones to become weak and brittle, and breaking a bone doing seemingly ordinary activities is typically the first sign of…
Do you have a bad hip? Achy knees? If you’re suffering from chronic joint pain, a total joint replacement can provide you with a better quality of life that includes less pain, improved motion and strength that you require for an active lifestyle.
Cartilage in joints naturally protects the bones from rubbing together. But when cartilage deteriorates due to injury, aging or disease, such as arthritis or obesity, bones begin rubbing together while in motion. This results…
Natalie Hiltbrand, an Osteoporosis Specialist at Summa Health, leads a discussion on osteoporosis treatment, as well as prevention.
When women experience pain or discomfort in their pelvic region, many times their first thought is the dreaded yeast infection. That’s not a surprise because most women — as many as 75 percent — will be diagnosed at least once with a vaginal yeast infection during their lifetimes.
However, there are vulvar disorders other than yeast — that can cause similar symptoms, including redness and swelling, intense itching, discolored discharge, blisters…
Dr. Kiel Pfefferle discusses how Summa Health is moving away from opioids and narcotics as the primary pain relief after joint replacement surgery.
If you’re like one in five Americans, you’ll eventually develop arthritis of the knee. This means the cartilage that cushions the bones of your knee begins to degrade, causing those bones to painfully rub together. When that pain becomes too much or restricts activities you once enjoyed, it’s time to talk to your doctor about treatment, including knee replacement surgery.
What’s the difference between a partial and a total knee replacement?
Sometimes…
Have you ever heard from someone that they can predict when a storm is coming because their joints hurt? It’s pretty common for people to blame joint pain flare-ups on changes on the weather, but scientists and doctors have yet to pinpoint exactly what it is about cold, rainy, or humid weather that makes joints stiff and achy.
Leading Theories
While joint pain isn’t directly correlated with dropping temperatures, the thought is that the change in barometric pressure…
If you are a runner, chances are you’ve heard of plantar fasciitis. It’s one of the most common causes of heel pain. However, any job or activity where you are on your feet for long periods of time can put you at risk as well.
An introduction to plantar fasciitis
A thick band of tissue - plantar fascia - connects your heel bone to your toes. This tissue acts as a shock-absorber on the feet. If tension and stress start to cause small tears, this ribbon-like tissue…