GARDENING PAINS: Your Remedy and Prevention .

Are you one of those who turned to gardening during the lockdown or quarantine days of the Covid19 pandemic? 

Many discovered gardening as a therapy to ease the pain from the loss of loved ones if not the loss of employment or the lack of income opportunities. Some took to it as a way of release from anxiety over uncertainties on what the future holds with the more dangerous variants of Covid-19 virus causing breakthrough infection. Others found joy in realizing that they have a  green thumb or can grow a tree in addition to succulents.

If you are one of them, you are what we call in the Philippines gardening community as Plantita y Plantito who experienced not only the healthful and emotional benefits of planting and caring for plants but also the pleasurable bonding time that gardening gave to the whole family during the era we describe as plantdemic.

Is gardening all pleasure with no pain?

Anyone who got hooked on gardening during this period can say that once you start it, you just can't stop and let go. The pleasure of seeing your plants grow from a seed, a bulb or a stem to a healthy and beautiful, blooming plant is so fulfilling that you will wish to work in the garden endlessly. 

But gardening is not without pain. Aside from the frustration of seeing your plants slowly die or disappear overnight after exerting all efforts to keep them healthy, there is physical pain one can suffer in gardening. 

There are gardening tasks and activities you may consider as normal and routine that can lead to body aches and pains, and at worse injury, if you are not aware or conscious about them.

Causes of Pain and Injury from Gardening

Pain is usually felt in the muscles and can be caused by improper handling, lifting or moving heavy items, using defective or unmaintained gardening equipment, awkward body position or poor posture while working. 

Many of us often do ‘short cuts’ in reaching for something because we do not want to get up from a comfortable position, and this can cause unnecessary strain in our muscles.

The more serious ones are bone dislocation or breakage arising from a fall, major cuts, insect bites and allergies caused by not using appropriate safety equipment like a ladder, safety belts, goggles or gloves. 

Some may not notice or may just dismiss a painful sensation as an ordinary muscle strain or pinched nerve. However, if persistent pain with growing intensity is ignored,  this may eventually lead to a more serious situation that could prevent us from enjoying gardening as a hobby or as a source of livelihood.

Low to High Intensity Gardening

Gardening activities range from low, medium to high intensity depending on how much effort each requires. 

On a regular basis, I spend most of my time working in the garden from 7AM to 6PM, Monday through Saturday. This includes planting and re-planting, germinating and marcotting, moving heavy pots, dragging sacks of soil, lifting pails of water, and cleaning garden tools or equipment. 

Once a month I go up the ladder to clear my New Guinea Creeper of dry stems and leaves that get stuck in the trellis, and trim the fast growing bamboo trees to a round shape to prevent them from reaching towering heights. This is in addition to basic painting or  carpentry projects for my garden that require the use of manual and electric-powered equipment. 

A high intensity gardening day for me registers at least 6,000 steps in my tracker watch. 

Age Matters

Age should not matter if you really want to achieve something. 

I move around the house and garden mindless of my age and consider myself a millennior (a senior citizen moving like a millennial). I did not realize that notwithstanding a record of good health, there are limits to what one can do when you reach senior years.  

After a year of full-time gardening, I started to feel morning back pain on the left side of my body. The pain seemed to disappear with simple stretching exercises and during my busy gardening hours. However, the back pain kept on coming back the next morning. Liniments or heat-rub oils were effective in providing temporary relief. The pain then began to extend to my arms, and I could sense that my fingers where getting stiff. My sleeping pattern started to get affected when I could not get a comfortable sleeping position that will trigger a sound sleep.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS)

According to medical literature, the syndrome is a result of repetitive muscle contraction brought about by repetitive movements we do when performing jobs or hobbies and by stress-related muscle tension. 

In this condition, pressure on the sensitive points in our muscles called trigger points causes pain in the muscle. Oftentimes, we feel the pain in parts of our body which do not seem related to it and this is called referred pain.

A Physical Medicine Rehabilitation doctor diagnosed me of MPS and prescribed a series of Physical Therapy treatment to address my condition. By this time, the back muscle below my left shoulder was already sore and elevated compared to the right although there was no inflammation.

Physical Therapy Sessions

Years ago, I had a frozen right shoulder and my favorite Massage Therapist from a nearby spa was able to restore it to normal condition after a year of patient and weekly deep massage.

This time however, the hand, arm, neck and back therapy sessions done by my Physical Therapist gave me significant relief from the pain right after the first of six one and half hour sessions. At the end of the 6th session, my back pains were gone and except for some tolerable pain in my left forearm, I could sleep soundly in a more comfortable sleeping position. 

Let me share them with you.

IMPORTANT WARNING: If you have similar symptoms, these may not apply to you partly or fully as each human body differs from another.  I suggest that a doctor be consulted first before undertaking any of these procedures or exercises so treatment can be made more specific to your problem and health condition.

Paraffin Wax Hand and Wrist Therapy.  This is done by dipping the hand up to the wrist ten times in warm water and paraffin solution until it is fully covered  with the wax. The heat relaxes the nerves and muscles of the hands and loosens the joints before hand exercises. After the third session, I noticed that the skin pores on my hands also tightened and felt very smooth "a la porcelana."

Hot Pack with Electric Stimulator.  This started on the sore part of my back and then moved to the shoulder and to the arms as pain started to disappear after each session. With the tingling sensation coming from the machine coupled with the heat from the hot pack, you could feel heat penetrating into the muscles which gave immediate relief from the pain. This was for 15 minutes every session.

Shock Wave Therapy. The tapping sensation of the machine caused by the acoustic energy that hits the painful spots and muscle tissues immediately helped alleviate pain and relax sore muscles. This was done for 15 minutes every other session. 

Back and Arm Exercises.  I did not realize that my usual posture is at 60-40 position instead of the ideal 50-50. This means that I am unconsciously slouching forward and my shoulders are dropped to the front causing unnecessary strain on my back muscles now and further in the long term if it is not corrected. This was done in 2 sets of 10 times each with rest in between.

Chest Wall Stretching Exercise. This is done by pushing and pulling the chest to the corner of two walls for 15 times for three repetitions. I was advised to continue doing this at home twice a day even after the 6 sessions. 

Preparatory Exercises. These are conditioning exercises which should be done before any of the movements earlier described. 

Neck Exercises. I call this a ‘magic massage’ as my skillful Physical Therapist instantly removed my neck and shoulder pain.

Motion Exercises for Wrist and Hand. This helped alleviate the discomfort brought about by carpal tunnel syndrome which is characterized by pain, numbness, tingling sensation and weakness in the hand or wrist due to increased  pressure on the nerve of the wrist.

Soft Tissue Hand Massage. Nothing beats a tender loving touch but the soft tissue upward massage strokes that loosen and relax the muscles and the nerves. Direct but gentle pressure was placed on the muscles, tendons and ligaments, nerve and fascia in the hand and wrist. 

Moving Forward

After all these pain and therapy sessions I had to undergo, will I still continue gardening? 

I imagined a life without plants to grow and no garden to tend to. Nothing green but all brown around me. No shade trees to shield my family from the summer heat; nothing to climb and trim. No green, extended living space where we can relax and enjoy our weekend meals outdoors. No colorful flowers to cheer me up and brighten the day of passersby. No buds to nip nor leaves to prune while I sip my morning cup of brewed coffee. No bees and butterflies flying around me. No chirping birds to greet me in the morning. Nothing to talk to when I am bored and upset.  Nothing to share and blog about.

Gardening will continue to be my daily passion and inspiration. I will do it over and over again as part of my contribution in bringing back the beauty of Mother Earth. And yes, in moderation, with more caution and attention to the dangers it may cause my health and body.   

There is an old adage that says "No pain, no gain." It is not totally true in gardening. We can do gardening without pain and still harvest our gains from it - financial, physical and emotional. 

You may reach out to me at greencraftivist@gmail.com.

Keep on gardening with care,

Apple Bleza-Morales

About the Author:

Apple (or Maybelle in the corporate setting) is an HR Professional who is passionately immersed in home and community gardening as well as related arts and crafts. She completed post baccalaureate studies in Human Resources and Organization Development at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and holds a Master's degree in Industrial Relations from the University of the Philippines with focus in Human Resources Development.