Spring Gardening, Yardwork, & Landscaping
How does this relate to physical therapy?
Bending, kneeling, standing, twisting, crouching, lifting, carrying, digging are just some of the common things you do to help keep your garden, yard, and plants thriving!
Home owning and taking care of your land has physical and time demands. I find people tend to fall into 3 categories:
Full DIY
Partial DIY & Partial Outsource
Full Outsource
Full DIYers
love being outside and transforming their garden, yard, etc
They enjoy the fruits of physical work
They enjoy personally creating their environment
They don’t want to spend money on something they could do themselves
They would rather be out in nature using their body than indoors sitting watching tv or on their phone.
>> anytime you have too much pain or soreness, or want to prevent that and be less tired by the end of the work, Dr. Stubbs is here to help you!!
Partial DIYers
I want to do xyz, but I’d rather pay someone to do abc.
Abc: doesn’t bring me joy, I don’t have time for it, I don’t have the equipment or know-how to do it right nor do I want to spend the time or money to be able to do it right ; and I definitely don’t want to ignore it. >> This is the perfect thing to outsource and get off your to do list so you can spend your time in a happier way.
I love doing XYZ, and I want to keep doing XYZ on my own. Does XYZ make you sore for days? See Lauren! Dr. Stubbs can design a strengthening plan around your life and body to greatly reduce that soreness with xyz that you love!
I don’t feel safe anymore or I hurt after doing X, maybe I should outsource it. >> See Lauren! Dr. Stubbs can do a physical assessment of your body, home, and space to work with you on a plan to eliminate that pain or improve your safety. If a safety issue is truly present, she will tell you and support your outsourcing decision, and even make a trusted recommendation!
Full Outsource
I don’t have the time, knowledge, or physical desire to do anything in my yard.
If you would like to be in your yard doing something, but physically feel unsafe or can’t do it, Lauren can help build and guide you through a plan to improve your ability to do some specific things!
If you desire more knowledge and know-how: Guilford Garden Center, Greensboro Parks & Rec, and other nurseries around town offer educational classes and workshops to help you learn more. You can also find a lot of educational content on Youtube if you have a little time to watch it.
Congrats on realizing what doesn’t bring you joy or what you need to set a time boundary on to best support your life and family. Here are some recommended landscapers:
Image Landscape Management - owned by Sean McColgan, 336-814-7125
Flowering Foundations - owned by James Richardson, 336-392-8112
Southeast Landscapes GSO - owned by Wes Crompton, 336-929-6864
Here’s a recent list of yard management tips to do for a beautiful yard this spring, shared by a local trusted landscaper: (Sean McColgan, owner of Image Landscape Management)
> Pick up limbs, debris, and leaves from turf and landscaped beds
> Service all equipment and sharpen mower blades
> Mower height at 3.5” in the cooler months and 4” in the heat
> Edge and blow hard surfaces after each mow
> Spread pre-emergent and fertilizer now to keep weeds at bay and green up the lawn
> Prune shrubs, with caution, so as not to hinder spring blooms
> Mulch in March/April
> April 15th is the recommended day for installing spring/summer annuals
Here’s what Dr. Lauren Stubbs the Physical Therapist sees:
> Pick up limbs, debris, and leaves from turf and landscaped beds: bend lift and twist with light weight to moderate weight objects repetitively
> Service all equipment and sharpen mower blades: wear gloves, be careful around sharp parts using a variety of grip and pinching styles to clean and pull apart some equipment, lots of hand, wrist, elbow work.
> Edge and blow hard surfaces after each mow: stand, walk, and hold/carry a moderate-weight object away from your body that’s vibrating for at least 10 minutes
> Prune shrubs: repetitive squeezing and gripping that you’ll definitely feel in your hands and forearms to elbow, and possibly up into your shoulders with reaching over big shrubs
> Mulch in March/April: carry and shake a large awkward bag with slight twist or sidebend of your trunk or shovel from a wheelbarrow and scatter onto the ground using arms to push and raise shovel and trunk to stabilize and twist with a long shovel level to bend and scatter.
March/April means you have 1-8 weeks to prepare yourself!
> April 15th is the recommended day for installing spring/summer annuals: you have 6 weeks until you are kneeling, crouching, stooping, bending, reaching, and digging to plant your lovely annuals!
If any of those positions hurt for a prolonged period or even repetitively, now is a great time to get assessed, and complete a treatment plan so you feel much better this planting and growing season!
Why do I need to worry about gardening and landscaping and yardwork?
> Maybe you want to enjoy your outdoor space with a beautiful yard, garden, patio etc.
> Or maybe you want to sell your home successfully as you make moves this spring.
Curb appeal is important to start thinking about.
Why does curb appeal matter?
Straight from trusted real estate agent Phil Cathcart with Remax Realty:
> First impressions last.
> Make an impact and set your house apart by increasing its curb appeal to help improve your selling outcome (days on market, concessions, offers, etc).
(If you are looking for a realtor, or have questions in this ever-changing real estate market, Phil has the insight, experience, & answers and would love to chat with you! 336-207-0759, info@cathcartpartners.com)
Do you enjoy working in your yard or gardening?
Do you enjoy beautifying and taking care of your outdoor space?
No?
Did you say no because it hurts or causes a lot of soreness afterwards? >> See Lauren! Dr. Stubbs will do an assessment and design a strengthening plan around your body, life, and outdoor work needs to reduce pain and soreness. So that you can do the outdoor things that bring you joy.
Did you say no because you don’t like the bugs, dirt, work, being outside, or the equipment needed? >> then contact Sean at Image Landscaping Management who enjoys doing that! And spend your time doing something that brings you joy.
Happy Spring!
I hope you get outside and enjoy the sun, blue skies, nature, yard, greenspaces, flowers, fauna, and growing herbs or food!