Keeping your lawn and your body healthy as summer approaches
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - With rain on the way for the weekend, today might be the best opportunity to get some yard work done.
While it might not seem like the most hazardous of activities, emergency room doctors can tell you lots of stories of yard-related injuries.
With so much to do and so little time, we often discover muscles we didn't know could hurt.
By the bag, by the shovelful, mulch can renew a yard's look but that can go haywire.
"When people are mulching, they tend to go a little crazy with it and they may be sort of working outside of their normal scope of exercise," said Dr. Tom Waters of the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Waters said that back injuries are one of the most common impacts on those yard warriors.
He said to keep your back out of it.
"Lift with your legs, be careful, don't lift things that are too heavy for you, and generally take it easy we do see a lot of back injuries and muscle pulled when spring yard cleaning starts," he said.
He added to use the right tools - shovels, pitchforks, wheelbarrows, and a good pair of work gloves because those gloves provide protection from when you may accidentally grab in the wrong spot.
"You know, if you have an issue with any of your lawn-mowing equipment, make sure that the device is off before you go to address it," Dr. Waters said.
Dr. Waters said riding mowers are great but watch out for tip-overs if the yard is too steep and if you're using a weed whacker, make sure to wear eye protection.
Of course, if you're clearing the gutters, you're going to have to use a ladder.
"You really just need to make sure that you're careful when you're on a ladder, make sure it's placed correctly, make sure you have another individual below holding the ladder as a spotter," he explained.
In fact, he said if you're not comfortable on a ladder, hire someone that is because ladder falls are another major source of emergency room business.
Yard work injuries are very common and we're not talking just about a sore back or pulled muscles.
A fall can mean broken bones or worse, a mower blade can cost you fingers or a foot.
In fact, the number of mower injuries in the U.S. last year was 85,000, and more than 6,000 of those were serious with about 70 deaths.
