Ergonomics comes to the pumpkin patch
Tools to reduce aches and pains when toiling in the garden
Sore wrists, stiff backs, aching knees: sure signs of spring as gardeners log long hours digging, weeding and planting.
Ergonomic garden tools, supposedly designed like a good office chair to work with the body’s natural mechanics, are said to reduce those aches and pains. A hand cultivator, for example, might be angled to work with your wrist and your shoulder relaxed. A shovel could have a round handle so you can use your gripping hand in various positions.
But do these tools perform? That all depends, according to Steven Smith, a certified professional ergonomist with ergonomics consulting firm Human Factors North.
Gardening, Smith says, involves a lot of stooping and especially crouching — “leaning forward, butt in the air” — and that’s murder on backs, hips and knees.
“Good tool design promotes a neutral or straight posture, reduced use of force or excessive reaching,” he explains.
So something like a longhandled weeder, which allows you to lift a weed, roots and all, out of the soil without bending over, is a good thing.
However, Smith cautions, it’s caveat emptor.
“Just because something says it’s ergonomically friendly doesn’t mean it is,” he says.
A tool may have a cushioned grip indented to fit your fingers, for instance, but everyone’s hands are different.
Smith says if you do look for ergonomic tools — they’re typically more expensive but are often made from better quality materials — seek out items that fit comfortably in your hand and allow you to work with wrist, back and other parts of your body in a straight or relaxed, “neutral” position.
If you’re buying pruners or other clipping tools, choose a product that you think will make cutting easier. “Our bodies are not good at applying force,” Smith says. If it doesn’t perform as expected, take it back.
Ergonomically designed or not, use your tools smartly, Smith suggests. When crouched, reduce strain by keeping your elbows close to your body instead of reaching far forward. Use knee pads or a kneeler, available in gardening or building materials stores.
The simplest thing, he says, is to incorporate rest and variety when gardening so no one part of your body gets overworked. “Take some breaks and mix it up: work on your flower bed, then cut some grass and then go back to your flower bed,” Smith says.
Call it gardening with your head, not just your body.