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Did you know
that Gardening is the leading outdoor leisure activity in
America?
Ergonomics = choosing the tools that fit you and the job.
The most important thing is to pay attention to what your
body tells you — if it hurts, don’t do it. Experiment
with different positions and tools. Muscles will typically
fatigue in less than a half hour of repetitive activity. Work
slowly and steadily, taking breaks and switching tasks often.
A rest of as little as five minutes can start to relieve swelling
joints.
All of our ergonomic garden tools offer one or more
of the following benefits:
- Leverage the large muscles of the upper arm
and shoulder
- Prevent stress to forearm, wrist, and hand
- Provide more power than conventional tools
- Comfortable and easy to use
No need to ever give up gardening. Long-reach,
Light-weight, Power-Gear, Soft-Touch, Easy-Grip garden tools
are all available in our shop.
The higher the percentage of a person's strength that is required
to perform a given task, the greater the risk of developing
a CTD. There are a variety of factors that influence the amount
of force that person can generate such as Gender, Age, and Gloves
[yes - gloves! - if they're too loose or too thick and affect
your grasp]. Using tools that are designed with ergonomic principles
can go a long way toward reducing the likelihood of injury.
- GOOD
Grip strength is at its maximum when the wrist is in a relaxed
or "neutral" position like this  .
- BAD
Testing has shown that people lose up to 25% of their grip
strength when their wrist is bent. The bent posture shown
here, 
, called an ulnar deviation, is the most potentially dangerous.
The tendons responsible for flexing the fingers are easily
irritated by exertions made while in this posture.
- GOOD
Oversized "Molded" grips like this, 
, are easy to grasp and hold, reducing hand fatigue because
the wrist remains in a neutral position during use.
- BAD
"Form-fitting" grooves, like this  ,
only fit one size hand perfectly. People with larger hands
will find that their fingers overlap the ridges, causing
pain, soreness, and calluses. Those with smaller hands will
have to spread their fingers to match the grooves. Strength
testing has shown that this spreading of the fingers significantly
reduces grip strength, requiring more pressure to maintain
control of the tool.
- GOOD
Stand up straight. If you have to bend, try to do so at
the knees, not at the waist. If you can't squat, find a
way to sit. Add adjustable handles to long-handled tools
so you don’t have to bend as much.
- BAD
Stooping [bending over at the waist], rather than squatting.
Resources:
Fiskars
Gardening and Ergonomics
Gardening
and Arthritis
Garden
Gate Easy Does It
Gardens for Every Body
Resource
for Flowers
Gardening
Resources - gardening related news, books and web resources.
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