Avoiding the Pitfalls of Autumn Yard Work, part 1

As the weather becomes cooler and the leaves start to turn color, many people start to do their fall outdoor cleanup. One thing you may want to consider is the number of Americans injured doing yard work every fall. Approximately 42 million people seek emergency room treatment for injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these injuries happen while homeowners are performing seemingly routine tasks; like fall yard work. These facts may cause you to think that "fall" is actually short for "pitfall". Fall, it seems, is becoming the season for injuries, back injuries, tumbles from ladders and lawn mower accidents.

Here are a few simple tips to avoid common injuries while in the yard this fall.

The leaves changing color is one of the charms of fall, but once they get on the ground, raking them sends thousands of people to the emergency room each year. Raking is vigorous exercise, and you should pay close attention to your arms and back to avoid injury.

So to prevent injury from raking, make sure you:

1. Warm up with some stretching and light exercise before you start to do any raking. Sometimes we think this doesn’t do anything but I work out all the time at the Y and have learned that it does make a difference.

2. Use a rake that is comfortable for you, your height and strength. There are many tools being made today that are more user-friendly.

3. Protect your hands by wearing gloves or use a rake with padded handles to prevent blisters.

4. Wear appropriate clothes. Be aware loose clothes can sometimes get caught in things. Also sometimes your hat can obstruct your vision so you miss low branches, or uneven surfaces. Wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant soles as wet leaves can be slippery.

5. Always remember when picking things up like a bag of leaves, bend at the knees, not the waist. Do not overfill leaf bags, especially if the leaves are wet as they really become heavy. You should be able to carry the bags comfortably to avoid back injury.

6. Change your movement often by alternating your arm and leg positions or switching jobs for a few minutes.

7. Beware of twisting motions as it places undue stress on your back, like throwing leaves over your shoulder or to the side.

Raking leaves is an annual chore, and many people just throw the leaves away. If you just bag your leaves and have them carted off, the nutrients they contain cannot be cycled back into the soil as they would be in a natural habitat. It’s a waste of great fertilizer. Instead run them through a shredder then they can be used as an excellent mulch for the perennial garden. Or instead of raking your leaves at all just use your mower and mulch them into your grass. It is important though to not leave a layer of leaves on your lawn or garden because it doesn’t allow proper circulation of air and water to the plants under them, and can cause irregular growth, or smother what’s below them, especially in lawns.

Raking leaves is hard work and is an unavoidable fall activity but it is a good way to get to know nature and to smell the fresh air of the outside, though jumping in the leaves can be more fun. By taking the proper steps you can avoid the injuries and muscle strains of raking.

Avoiding Pitfalls “By the yard”