AVOID MUSCLE STRAINS WHILE GARDENING 

Gardening involves a tremendous amount of muscular activity, just like a sport and you would never play a sport without stretching first.  Because there's so much bending involved, gardening is especially hard on the back and legs.  If muscles are still stiff when they're put to work they're certain to get strained.  Working with a cold back and hamstring muscles is especially dangerous.  Cold hamstrings put extra strain on back muscles. And cold back muscles tend to twist the vertebrae, which could pinch nerves and cause sciatica.  Gardeners are also frequent victims of tennis elbow, another problem that can be avoided by doing some simple arm and wrist stretches.  Incorporate some warm-ups beforehand - walk around the yard, do tai chi or stretch for 5 to 10 minutes. This will get blood flowing to the muscles and makes them more limber.

It's especially important for people with osteoarthritis to limber up before they start working in the garden.  Arthritis makes joints swollen and stiff and some arthritis sufferers have trouble bending, kneeling and gripping handles.  Stretching helps gently mobilize the joints and makes the tasks that follow easier to perform and even light gardening can help improve arthritis.  Studies have shown that gentle exercise can help relieve arthritic pain and slow down the progression of the disease.  Once you're limbered up, there are plenty of ways to take some of the physical effort out of gardening.  Many people plant raised beds to take the strain off their back.  You can sit or kneel next to them, or, if you decide to stand, you don't need to bend down as far to reach the plants.  Gardening expert Marjorie Harris swears by ergonomic hand tools.  They're lightweight and have bent handles, which reduces the strain on wrists by keeping them in a natural straight position.  Long-handled tools can also help keep bending to a minimum.  Harris favors a 36-inch garden claw with attachments, planting bulbs and loosening soil.