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Environmentally Friendly Leg Recovery-Michael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
Thegardener and sore muscles
Which gardener has not spent too long out in the garden and finished up with burningshoulders and neck and barely able to walk from too much kneeling and standing and carryingplants, weeds and soilBefore going any further it may be wise to cover a little accident prevention so here are somesuggestions which may also prevent a bit of soreness
Some Ways to Avoid Aching Legs and avoid injury
Before starting and finishing work, warm up and warm down
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Stretch the muscles
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Wear sensible footwear
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When lifting bend the knees and keep the back straight.
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Do not bend down to pick things up-go down with the knees bent and back straight. (See‘Circle of Tightness’ tight calves-back of the legs)
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Use a kneeler with handles at the side to help you up and down.(See lower back and knee problems caused by tight Illiopsoas and Illiotibial band)
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Do not stay in one position for too long. (See muscle memory)
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Do not move suddenly to reach for something. (See brain and muscle message confusion)
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Do not move loads that are too heavy for you
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Split the load or wait until you can get help to move it.
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Think before you do something how you are going to move it, how are you going to get it there,what are you going to do with it once you get it there?
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Try to avoid double handling
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When you sit down for a break, and want to stand up do not move suddenly, let the brain knowwhat you are going to do and move slowly.
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This way, there is no confusion between the brain and muscles as to what is to happen, so risk of pulling something is reduced (See Muscle Apprehension/anticipation ad injury)
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Do not bend down to pull up weeds. (See ‘Circle of Tightness’ tight calves-back of the legs)
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If you have to bend over, bend the knees and keep the back straight
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Use a kneeler with handles at the side to help you get up and down.
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Use long handled tools as mush as possible to save bending over.
Environmentally Friendly Leg Recovery-Michael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
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Do not stay in one position for too long. (See muscle memory)
Do not move suddenly to reach for something
When you sit down for a break, and want to stand up do not move suddenly, let the brain know whatyou are going to do and move slowly.This way, there is no confusion between the brain and muscles as to what is to happen, so the risk of pulling a muscle is reduced.
Do not move loads that are too heavy for you
Think before you do something how you are going to move it, how are you going to get it there, whatare you going to do with it once you get it there?
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.When lifting bend the knees and keep the back straight.
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Wear garden gloves
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Split the load or wait until you can get help to move it.
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Try to avoid double handlingAvoid hand trucks with one wheel at the front; they are very unstable when being wheeled.Most people fill them up with too much material, and then go for the 'snatch and grab' weightliftingmovement; then pushing against the handles to move the load.
In hot weather wear a sun hat and sunscreen
Take frequent breaks, while you plan the next job, if it is a hot day, have frequent drinks and take thembefore you feel thirsty.It is very easy to become dehydrated and you are going into this before you feel the thirst.In hot weatherdo not have the neck and shoulders bare.During the 1000 Mile walk, Sandra Brown and her husband raided all the local clothes shops andbought all the cheap cotton pyjamas they could find.They cut holes in to let air in; everyone else suffered from the heat, they were quite cool.
In cold weather
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Wear something light but warm to work in.
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Do not let the back become cold.
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Do not kneel on damp grass.
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Keep the arms and legs covered.
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When you have finished in the garden, do a stretching session and warm down.
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Do not sit down straight away when you go inside, you will find it difficult to move when themuscles have cooled down.
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Go and have a shower or bath first.When showering and everything is sore, do not have the shower hot, but just warm
When cutting the grass with a motor mower-
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Check the area for loose stones or anything that may fly up and hit you if it bounces off an hardobject.
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Wear Gloves
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Long trousers
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Preferably steel toe capped shoes or boots
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Wrap around safety glasses
Environmentally Friendly Leg Recovery-Michael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery SpecialistCopyright 2008 Michael Gillan
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Ear muffs
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Gloves
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Do not put gas in while the motor is running
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Do not have the motor running while taking the mower over a gravel path.
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Make sure there is no one around while mowing.
For security- If you are working out in the back garden make sure your front door islockedHaving followed all that and you have still pushed things too farYou can feel you have overdone things when you go for a shower or bath aftergardening and sit down to rest-when you try to move-oops!You are frozen in the sitting position and the pain is intense on trying to stand and walkHow easy is it to relieve the aching legs after gardening?There are 2 main ways of relieving them of soreness-passiveandactive
This is the
passive
way-waiting for the legs to recover themselvesThe reason for having the legs elevated is to let the fluid and used blood that may have builtup in the lower legs and ankles flow back to the body through the veins-this allows fresh bloodto be carried into the muscles through the arteriesOr use an
environmentally friendly
pro-active leg recovery systemEasier than you think when you learn how to use the muscles to work on themselves
Look at the photo above-how many towels and bottles of oil do you see?None because the latest in
non-polluting
, non-technical method of leg recovery techniques isbeing used
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