Let’s face it, pruning can be a real pain in the . . . wrist – or hand — or forearm. A couple hours spent squeezing a pruning tool with force and repetition may cause muscle tenderness or even debilitating pain within 12-24 hours. This kind of post-pruning discomfort is referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A definitive cause of DOMS is unknown, but theories include inflammatory agents and damaged muscle or connective tissue.
Reduce Pain From Pruning Through Prevention
Preventing muscle pain after exercise has been researched extensively. Unfortunately, research shows little preventive effect of any kind from warming up, or stretching pre- or post-workout.
In order to prevent sore, stiff muscles after pruning—and to protect muscles and nerves in the hands, wrist and forearms from potential chronic injuries—here are seven tips to keep in mind while pruning:
1. Keep the wrist(s) straight
A straight wrist yields more grip strength than a rounded one. Actually, you achieve the greatest mechanical advantage when the wrist is cocked back slightly. But working too long with a bent wrist can irritate and inflame tendons and nerves which cross it.
Check to see that the wrist is in neutral by holding the hand out as if to shake hands with someone. When you are grasping tools, try to establish a similar, neutral wrist position, and try to maintain it while working.
2. Prune with alternate hands
When using a one-handed clipping tool, use it for awhile in one hand, then switch the tool to the other hand. Then switch back. Change hands as often as conveniently possible to reduce muscle pain from pruning.
3. Relax the jaw, neck, and shoulders
The musculoskeletal system is comprised of muscles, bones, and connective tissue called fascia. Because they are connected, using one group of muscles may leads to the activation of others, regardless of their need to perform a task. Therefore unnecessary tightness above the arms may unduly irritate muscles in the forearm, wrist, and hand, and compromise their ability to generate strength. Similarly, tension in jaw, neck and shoulder muscles may pinch a particular nerve (the median nerve) against bones or between muscles from the neck down to the fingers. In a word, relaxation might help prevent injury, make work more efficient—and more pleasant, too!
The simplest way to relax a muscle is to contract it, let it go, and then use it very gently. To relax the shoulders, for example, shrug them up to the ears, let them drop back into place, and then gently roll them around a bit.
4. Keep pruning tools sharp
If you’re tools aren’t working well, then you’re not either! The extra effort you expend today in pruning with dull tools will add to the soreness you feel tomorrow.
5. Prune with the right tool
For small branches, up to 3/4″ in diameter, hand tools are the most efficient and easiest to use. Use hand pruners for small branches and detailed pruning jobs. Or use a hand sickle to prune multiple branches at once. Simply grab a handful of small branches in one hand while using the other hand to pull the sickle and make the cut.
For branches up to 2 inches in diameter, choose loppers. This gives you added leverage and lets you use two hands instead of one. For even thicker branches, use a folding handsaw.
6. Don’t do too much
Remember, it’s not necessary to do all of your pruning at once. Especially in the spring after a long winter, smaller, more frequent trips into the garden may prevent you from becoming sore. This also enables you to observe the many wonderful changes that are occurring on your property throughout the year!
7. Get help
Remember, skilled professionals can help! You can hire a gardener or a landscape crew to do much of the pruning for you. GreenWeaver is always happy to give you a quote.
Post pruning care
If you end up with pain after pruning, what about a cure? What’s best: hot-pack; ice bath; Tiger Balm; Dit Da Jao? Well, there is no clear clinical data.
So, do whatever works! If stretching, or warming up has helped mitigate muscle soreness in the past, then continue doing those things. There’s no reason to write off a practice simply because there isn’t good clinical data to support it. Massage, for example, might help you recover, but it’s difficult to obtain evidence to strongly support its effectiveness over other forms of treatment, such as a heating pad.
Massage the muscles in the palms, fingers, and forearms.
To massage the palm, use the thumb of one hand to press into the fleshy parts of the palm of the other hand. Continue to glide the thumb with pressure along the palm side of the fingers.
You may also use your thumb to massage your forearm, but your fist is better. To give yourself a nice deep massage from the crease of the elbow to the wrist, put your arm onto a flat, firm surface with an upward facing hand. Make a fist with the hand of the opposite extremity. Use this as a kind of tool and lean it into the arm; using the weight of the body to press into the flesh. After you make this deep contact, move the fist down the arm. Maintain constant pressure through the fist as you move it very slowly from elbow to wrist. Use massage oil, lotion, or even corn starch to make it feel even better, or more importantly, it may make pruning less painful.
Disclaimer: The advice in this article is meant to help prevent and remedy minor aches and pains associated with pruning plants in the garden. Please consult your physician prior to physical activity outdoors and if you experience more severe or chronic pain post-pruning.