Traditionally, St Patrick’s Day is the day to start in your garden for the Spring Season. And for many of us this means a reoccurrence of back pain and muscle aches. Gardening for some of us is just a chore but for others it is our primary leisure activity and a source of much enjoyment.

Whichever category you fall into, it is essential to prepare your joints and muscles prior to descending on your garden this spring.

The main reason people get back pain is because they underestimate the amount of muscle involvement required to perform gardening activities. With many of us, these muscles have not been used through the winter months and therefore are prone to injury and over-use.

Digging, prolonged stretching and bending over while planting puts undue stress on the ligaments and joints in the lumbar spine, neck and extremities. When a joint is overused it will become inflamed and tender, triggering a protective muscle spasm leaving you with that horrible, dull ache for several days after gardening.

If left untreated or exposed to repeated overuse, dysfunction within the joint may occur over time. This can potentially lead to irritation on spinal nerves resulting in referred pain into the extremities, with one example being Sciatica.

There are many ways to treat musculoskeletal pain. Chiropractic provides a non-surgical and drug-free treatment. It is a 100% natural approach to health care, as it is based on restoring function to our bodies on a skeletal, muscular and nervous system level.

If any of the above is a concern to you, and you are suffering any back, neck pain or extremity pain, then Chiropractic treatment could be for you.

Dr Gemma Bailey is a qualified Chiropractor. Having studied at Glamorgan University, she graduated in 2005. She is also a full member of the Chiropractic Association of Ireland and practices at the Fitzwilliam Health Clinic in Dublin 2.

Chiropractic gardening tips

1. Kneel on one knee rather then repeatedly bending from the hips
2. Try and vary the tasks into short bursts of different activity
3. If you suffer from knee problems use a cushion to kneel on or a gardening stool to sit on, this should avoid slouching
4. When digging, keep your back hollow and legs well apart. Use your legs rather then your back
5. Keep warm and covered up– this prevents muscles from becoming chilled
6. If you ache the next day, speak with your Chiropractor for further advice and treatment. They will advise you if you should use ice, heat or if further treatment is required