Ergonomic garden tools can ease your strains
 |
|
||||||||||
What is exciting about the few good ergonomic garden tools is they are not just for the aging gardener, not just for those with keyboard-challenged hands and wrists.
Working smart with garden tools is good for everyone.
It's true that a tool's worth is in the user's eyes, of course, but after trying a few and talking to a couple of experts, here is a short guide to figuring out what might suit you or your best gardening buddy.
We talked to J.W. Yates, University of Kentucky professor and director of the Kinesiology and Health Promotions Department, and consulted Gene Rothert, whose spinal-cord injury requires that he use a wheelchair. Rothert is a gardener who manages the urban horticulture department for Chicago Botanic Garden and who wrote "The Enabling Garden: Creating Barrier-Free Gardens" (Taylor Publishing, 1994).
The main thing gardeners can do to help themselves is to pace work, doing chores in varied sequences rather than, for example, hoeing for four hours straight. They also need to be aware of retaining flexibility. If all else fails, just garden 30 minutes three times a week and you've solved chore build-up, flexibility and, probably, engaged in strength and aerobic training, too, Yates says.
Now for the tips on tools:
• Grips: Opt for cushion grips rather than ridged plastic handles, which are molded in a one-size-fits-none design. Or give your existing grip greater cushion and less hand strain by wrapping with sports tape and foam rubber. Just wearing gloves will help.
|
Look for designs that encourage straight wrists. If the issue is wrist weakness, make a wrist-splint from an elastic bandage that secures your hand to the tool.
• Pruners and shears: The problem with pruners is the jaw width. It has to be wide enough to get around what you want to cut but also needs to fit your hand size, a problem for many women. Look for tools with the grip handles close together in the cut position and, perhaps, with some strength augmentation, like a ratchet system.
They must have cushioning on the grip.
Shears are why most people use motor-powered string trimmers, Yates says.
Not only does the wide angle of the blade and grip closure cause an awkward "goose-wing" action on most people's elbows, most cause blisters after even limited use.
• Hoes and rakes: Suit the handle to your height. The idea is that you work with your legs, rather than your back, slightly bent.
You can add a longer handle. You can even tape on an old bicycle grip perpendicular to the rake or hoe handle to give you better leverage. Bent handles are supposed to make the lever balance better so you don't tip forward and strain the lower back. This can put even more stress on your legs.
• Shovels: Be alert that there is no universal shovel. You need a long, thin one for efficient digging, as in planting and transplanting. You need a broad-nosed shovel to lift dirt but not so broad that you can't lift the dirt.
• Carts: This gets very personal, but pneumatic wheels are usually the way to go. I use an easy-tilt RubberMaid cart most of the time but also value my square-bottomed, big-volume Garden Cart, both standard items in most garden shops and catalogs.
With carts, often the ergonomics are in the use. You can push a load easier than you can pull a load, and it's safer because you have more control over your muscle and joint stresses.
My favorite tools are in the new Earth Bud-Eze line. It has three, rather incredibly yellow, tools: a trowel, a V-hoe and an earth cultivator. They are leverage-enhanced with a vertical hand-grip like a joystick and a lower-arm cuff.
Combined, the ideas really reduce torque on the hand and wrist and lend strength to your work almost effortlessly, which all adds up to stamina. (877-504-9800, www.earthbudeze.com, $13 to $15 each.)
There are other "smart tools," and I have tried many, including E-ZEE's long-handled pruners with a trigger grip. This tool just didn't suit me and seemed to actually produce more fatigue while trying to hold the long arm out and up in order to prune. One that is handy is the new Clawdia, a mixed-use tool that is held and acts like a claw-extension of your hand. Great for small-scale weeding and cultivating in a seated position. (devonlake-ent.com, $14.95.)
Another one is a pale-blue, plastic spray nozzle that has a sliding thumb control, which allows one-handed operation. Gold Violin, (877-648-8465, or goldviolin.com, $25.)
A note on trying to find good, ergonomic tools. There is a limited demand for these, so it's unlikely you will find many at local stores. However, the ones mentioned here are available by mail or through the Internet.