More Gardening Tips -- Erin Harrop, MSPT

April and May showers bring...

Spring flower beds to be cleaned and mulched, and vegetable and herb gardens to be prepared and planted.  With the weather finally starting to warm up consistently, for anyone who likes gardening (or doesn't like gardening), there is always plenty of work to be done in the yard as everything begins to grow.  With final clean-ups from winter and early spring, and preparations for the spring and summer seasons, there are many common yard tasks that can lead to stress and strain on muscles and joints and cause pain, such as digging, weeding, planting, lifting, raking and mulching. 

If you have been sedentary for most of the winter, have been dealing with previous injuries, are pregnant or have recently given birth, or are a senior, you may be more prone to injuring yourself.  Shoulders, neck, back, and knees are common areas of concern with gardening and yard tasks.  Taking consideration of some of the following tips can help to minimize your risk of injury.

• * If you have not been active in awhile, sometimes it can be helpful to start with a warm-up before beginning yard work.  You can start with a brisk 5-10 minute walk around the yard or down the street and then complete some simple stretches in your shoulders, neck and back.  Gentle shoulder shrugs and circles, gentle side to side neck stretches, and clasping your hands in front and behind your body to stretch can be helpful.

• *Don't over do it!  Be mindful of the sensations in your body and keep your tasks slow and controlled.  If you are feeling discomfort in any region of your body, stop and stretch, or switch to another task.

• *Take breaks and change position frequently.  Being in a static position or moving in the same pattern can cause increased stress and tension in a focused area of your body; overstretching some muscles or causing spasm in others.

• *Use appropriate body mechanics: bending your knees and using your legs with your core muscles engaged for any pulling, pushing, lifting or bending activities.  This will help to avoid straining your back.  Attempt to only kneel on one side, keeping the opposite foot on the ground to keep a flat back and provide your back with more stability, and switch kneeling leg as able.

• *Use tools if you have them:  a wheel barrow or garden cart to move tools, planting materials, yard waste; kneeling pads or pillows, et cetera.

• Taking a short walk or light stretching after completing your tasks for the day may help you cool the body down and stretch worked muscles in the body.  A warm shower or bath can also be helpful with easing muscles.

• *If you experience any lasting or severe pain, contact your physician or physical therapist.  If you have any further questions about how you should be modifying your yard work or gardening, contact us at Tru-Care Physical Therapy, 401-884-9541.  Erin Harrop, MSPT

Gardening without Pain

It's April 7th and I think I may be seeing signs of spring! The daffodils at my back door have bloomed. The birds are nosing around the bird houses for a new nesting spot. The neighbors are out raking, trimming, pruning.



Gardening is hard work, especially after a long cold winter. Our bodies are just never prepared for the bending, twisting and lift that comes with getting our yards ready to explode with green grass and vibrant colored flowers. So be sure to plan ahead and pace yourself, especially if you know that your (fill in the blank-- back, knee, shoulder....) has not been feeling so well in the past. Try not to push to get it all done in a single weekend.

Yoga For Back Pain-- Part 2

Part II         Improving mobility of the lower body is also important in controlling back pain.

            Tightness in large muscles in the lower body are also very frequent causes of in low back pain. The most common culprits are the hamstrings (back of your thigh) and the hip flexor, a deep muscle in the front of your hip that attaches to the low back . The hip flexor can causes increased curve in the low back  and pulls your pelvis forward if it is tight. The hamstrings often cause a flattening of the curve in the low back and tilt the pelvis backwards when it is tight. This creates abnormal stresses upon the spine.

Why am I Taller in the Morning?

Ever notice that when you get into your car at the end of the day you need to readjust the mirrors? Somehow you are not sitting as tall as you did when you got into the car in the morning. Are you shrinking?

Well, yes, in a way you are. The discs in your back are cushions of sorts and they react to pressure. After a good nights sleep lying stretched out without compression on your spine the discs are full and plump. This makes your spine a little longer and taller. Once you are up sitting, walking and vertical all day gravity takes its effect and slowly compresses those discs. As they compress they loss a bit of fluid and and become a bit narrower bringing your vertebrae closer together. Essentially you are shorter than when you started your day!  

Over time our discs become "dehydrated" and are less plump and flexible. This is part of the reason that over our lifetime we may lose up to 2 inches or so. On average we begin shrinking at about age 40 and lose about a 1/4 inch per decade. If you are losing more height than that some other issues may be involved. You could be losing muscle bulk and decreased strength allowing for poor posture that can result in decreased height. Osteoporosis could also be a culprit as the bones lose density they can also compress. 

So don't be surprised when you need to adjust your mirrors. It's part of standing upright all day. If you feel you are losing more than the average be sure to check in with your physician or physical therapist to be sure there are no other factors involved. Try to keep yourself active, maintain your muscle tone and strength. These will keep you standing tall.

Visit Tru-Care for more information or call 401-884-9541

Vertigo -- The Room is Spinning, Make it Stop

Vertigo can be caused by many things including head trauma, stroke, neurological issues or tumors.  This post will focus on a very easily treated form of vertigo-- BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo).  This type of vertigo is related to changes in position of the crystals that are a component of the inner ear. 

Symptoms include brief bursts of dizziness, spinning sensations, nausea and or lightheadedness. Some complain of a vague sense of not being "grounded" and being off balance.  Symptoms are often intermittent being present for a few days or weeks, stopping and recurring again. 

Self Assessment Yoga Style

Thanks for checking out our second post on Posture in the month of May.  Last week we told you what "optimal posture" would look like.  Today's article incorporates some self mobility, assessment and awareness to work on correcting your posture by sensing were you are in space.  Let us know how it feels when you get your self "stacked up right" (or is it "upright"!!!)

Standing Postural Assessment 2: You can also check your posture by bringing awareness to your body. Give it a try on your own, or come see Erin at our yoga classes Tuesday at 8 AM or Thursday at 7:30 PM. Stand with your feet slightly apart, placed directly under your sit bones. Shift your weight slightly forward and backward on your feet a few times. Then, settle with equal weight on the heel and ball of the foot. Next, shift your weight onto the inside and outside edges of your feet a few times. Then, settle with equal weight on the inside and outside points of the foot. Moving up, stack your knees directly over your ankles. Then hips over your knees. Check in!  Do you have equal weight on each leg?  Are you able keep muscles relaxed along the front and back of your legs? Now, bring your attention to your tailbone and pelvis. Your center of gravity is located here. Tip your pelvis forward and backward a few times. Then, settle so your tailbone is pointing down towards the floor directly between your feet and your belly is tightened slightly like you are zipping up a pair of pants. Continue by moving your attention up your spine stacking each vertebrae on top of one another. Now, turn your attention to your rib cage, gently rock forward and back a few times to feel gravity pull you in each direction.  Settle in the middle so your rib cage is stacked over your hips and you feel like your rib cage is floating effortlessly over your abdomen. Bring your attention to your shoulders. Shift your shoulder blades up and down, forward and back, then in circles. Settle with your palms facing forward, your shoulder blades gently pinching and your chest opening. Now move your attention up your neck, one segment at a time until you get to the base of your head. Gently tuck your chin so the crown of your head is reaching towards the ceiling and the base of your head is gently resting on the top of your neck.   Imagine yourself being pulled from the crown of the head along that "plumb line"  that we discussed in the previous post.  Lengthen out your body, reversing the effects of gravity. Stand tall and feel what it is like to draw awareness to your posture.

As always we hope the information is helpful in your daily pursuit of good health and improvements in mobility