Preventing Knee Pain during Spring Gardening

As we step into spring, many of us are planning and starting our gardens, weeding, raking, and preparing for planting. Gardening has numerous health benefits: building strength, promoting sleep, boosting mood, and getting quality sunshine and Vitamin D. However, gardening does place stress and strain on joints and muscles when digging, planting, weeding, mulching, and raking, particularly the knee. Gardener’s knee is a common gardening-related injury that involves inflammation, swelling, and pain in the bursa at the front of the kneecap. To prevent knee pain when gardening, check out our gardening injury prevention tips!

Knee Pain After Gardening

The knee is the largest joint in the human body and acts as a hinge joint, built to endure the strain and stresses of everyday activity. At the knee, three bones meet and move against each other: the bottom of the femur (thigh bone) meets the top of the tibia (shin bone) and the patella (kneecap), which glides along a groove located at the bottom and front of the femur.

The knee can be injured during gardening due to the repetitive pressure, friction, and strain of prolonged kneeling to weed, plant, prune, and water the garden. A common garden-related injury is gardener’s knee, or prepatellar bursitis. Gardener’s knee involves inflammation of the bursa at the front of the kneecap. Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between the bones and soft tissue to prevent friction. The bursae can become irritated due to extreme pressure from kneeling for an extended period of time when gardening and produce extra fluid, which causes swelling, pain, and pressure on the kneecap and other parts of the knee joint.  

An early symptom of gardener’s knee is irritation of the knee joint when kneeling or bending in the garden. As gardener’s knee progresses, symptoms include a visibly swollen knee, redness and tenderness, and difficulty bending the knee and walking.

To address gardener’s knee, apply ice to the sore knee for 10-15 minutes after gardening and elevate the knee. Physical therapy can help relieve gardener’s knee pain through manual therapy; stretching of the hip flexors, quadriceps, and hamstrings; and targeted strengthening of the muscles that protect your knee, particularly the quadriceps and hamstrings.  

Tips to Prevent Knee Pain When Gardening 

To prevent knee pain when gardening, check out these tips:

• Always warm up before working in the gardening, stretching your legs gently and engaging in some dynamic warmups like a short walk around your yard.

• Alternate your position often to reduce strain on the knee and improve blood circulation. Take frequent breaks.

• Use knee pads, a padded cushion, or a gardening stool to reduce strain on the knee when performing gardening tasks. Rotate between kneeling on a cushion and sitting on the gardening stool.

• Strengthen your thigh, hip, and core muscles for support and to reduce stress on the knees.

• Use long-handled garden tools that allow you to stand, rather than kneel.

• Apply ice to your knees after gardening to reduce swelling.

• Install raised beds or use a garden table to eliminate the knee for extended kneeling.

• Lift properly, bending at the knee, keeping your back straight, and holding the object close to your body.