Living with arthritis but love to nurture your outdoor space? These tips will help you keep your green fingers with ease.
Living with arthritis is challenging, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do the things you love. Gardening, for example, is not only doable when you have arthritis, but it’s good for the condition. It helps to keep your joints and muscles supple, which in turn helps to manage the arthritis. Of course, gardening done wrong can just as easily inflame your arthritis and cause you pain, so it is important to do it right.
To help you garden with ease alongside your arthritis, checkout these 6 tips:
1. Declutter
It is so important to have a decluttered garden when you have a chronic condition like arthritis. With your condition you are 20% to 30% more likely to have a serious fall and the consequences are more likely to be really serious. Random items in the garden that cause a fall hazard need to be cleared away and stored. If your shed is too organised to fit in any extra clutter, consider some storage from Storing.com. That cheap storage unit could also be handy for out-of-season garden furniture and tools.
2. Carry Responsibly
If you can avoid lifting heavy items, do. If you have to, or want to, try to use a lifting tool, keep the item close to your body and bend your knees and lift with your legs.
3. Elevate
It can help to elevate pretty much everything in your garden when you have arthritis. It helps to avoid needing to bend and stoop down, which can be painful. Elevated flower beds, garden shed benches and garden display shelving can all help keep your gardening tasks higher up.
4. Use The Right Tools
The tools that you use are central to an enjoyable gardening experience when you live with arthritis. Primarily, any tools that you use with your hands should be comfortable to use, featuring rubber sleeves, ergonomic design, taking the pressure off your joints when it comes to making them work. There are some really innovative designs out there to choose from. In addition, stools, knee pads and kneeling cushions are also really helpful when it comes to having a comfortable gardening experience.
5. Plant In Pots
Digging in the garden can be hard work that is also quite rigorous on the joints.
When you plant in pots and raised beds you don’t have to dig the ground in the same way as you do with a fully planted garden. If you do want to tend to a full garden without containers, look into no-dig gardening which removes the need to dig the ground.
6. Design A Garden You Can Manage
When you have arthritis affecting you, the sooner you can make your garden low-maintenance, the better. Raised beds, plants that are easy to prune, plenty of innovative garden storage, a well-organised shed and a nice wide path and easy access to all areas of the garden are important considerations.
Having arthritis is challenging, but it doesn’t have to stop you making the most of your outdoor space. With our tips above, and your determination, you can have a garden that thrives in your care, keeping you active and well for many years to come.
'This is a collaborative post and the author's views do not necessarily reflect those of our blog. We may receive monetary compensation for our endorsement and or recommendations'.
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