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Is Gardening Dangerous?
This may seem like a strange question. Gardening is a very popular recreational activity that is also a great way for people to accumulate necessary health-related physical activity. A recent study from Central Queensland University places gardening on a list of injury-producing recreational activities. But is gardening dangerous?
You would need to define dangerous. In terms of injury we usually classify an activity as dangerous based on the rate and severity of injuries. In the CQU study it was found that approximately 43 of every 1,000 gardeners reported a medically attended injury in the 12 month period prior to the study.
Should we be concerned about this injury rate? Probably not. Rugby League by comparison, had an injury rate in excess of 583 players per 1,000 participants, a rate almost 14 times higher than gardening. Of course this is what would be expected.
In terms of severity, gardening injuries have the potential to be quite traumatic, caused by working with power tools and other sharp implements. More likely, however, the injuries are minor over-use, or under preparation injuries. Backs, knees, shoulders, elbows are all exposed to injury through improper use - poor lifting or postural techniques, or under preparation - a lack of suitable conditioning and, or warm-up prior to participation.
Like any physical activity the relative conditioning of the participation predicts that occurrence of many injuries. If you do not work in the garden on a regular basis you are more likely to feel the aches and pains of the weekend then if you have regularly conditioned your body to the task.
Do people get injured gardening? Absolutely. Injury is the unintended consequence of activity, and gardening, like any physical activity, has the potential to cause injury. But simple safety precautions and proper conditioning relative to the demands of the task offer the promise of making gardening a safe and enjoyable recreational activity.
Article by Professor Kerry Mummery
Central Queensland University
