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| Photo Credit: Bonnie Lee Appleton |
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Ergonomic pruners, made for the length and width of an individual’s left or right hand, feature curved handles that mold naturally into your hand.
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If you garden, you’re well-aware of the benefits you get from this activity –fresh produce to nourish your body, flowers to delight your senses, and an attractive landscape to please your eye and increase your property’s value. On the health side of things, you get fresh air and exercise, as well as a wonderful distraction to help reduce stress.
What you might not be aware of, however, is the fact that some of the tools you use, and some of the motions your body performs while gardening, may be injurious. When you garden, your attention is generally focused on the health of your plants. Now is the time, however, to focus some of that attention on your own “horticultural health.” How do you know if gardening is hurting you? Simply answer a few questions. Have you ever come in from a day of gardening – during which you’ve raked or shoveled or mowed or pruned – only to find that not only are you tired, but you’re in pain? Maybe you feel it in a few fingers or your wrist or an elbow? Did you just dismiss that pain, or perhaps numbness, as the price you pay for gardening? | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Bonnie Lee Appleton | | An ergonomic hose nozzle with finger grips and a lock can keeps the water coming without having to continually squeeze the trigger. |
Well, don’t. That pain or numbness may be a symptom of a repetitive motion injury (RMI) that, if ignored, may reduce your ability to garden. The RMI most commonly diagnosed in gardeners is carpal tunnel syndrome.
To stay healthy and ward off RMIs, what you need to do is integrate some “horticultural ergonomics” into your gardening routine. That means making sure you use the right tools, as well as modifying or designing gardening sites and activities to suit your body rather than forcing yourself to adapt to the design of the garden or tools.
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