Weeding the borders, planting out and getting up and down from the ground can all ask a lot of your knees. When one is sore, gardening can start to feel like more effort than pleasure. A few changes to your tools, your garden and how you pace the jobs can help you keep enjoying it.

Why gardening can be hard on your knees

Much of gardening happens at ground level. Kneeling at the borders puts pressure on the front of the knee, and squatting to weed or plant bends it deeply. Getting up and down from the ground again and again, and carrying bags of compost or full watering cans, all add up.

None of these is harmful in itself. But when your knee is sore, long spells of kneeling or squatting can make it grumble.

Kneelers and seats

Some ideas:

• Use a kneeler with handles, which spreads the pressure and helps you get up and down.
• Many kneelers flip over into a low seat, so you can sit for some jobs.
• Use thick knee pads if you move around a lot.
• Kneel on one knee at a time, and swap regularly.

Raised beds and containers

Bringing the garden up to you can make a big difference:

• Raised beds mean less bending and kneeling for planting and weeding.
• Containers and pots on stands or tables are easier to reach.
• Vertical planters and hanging baskets bring some planting to standing height.

These can be added gradually, starting with the areas you use most.

Long-handled tools

Long-handled tools let you do many jobs standing:

• Long-handled weeders, hoes and trowels.
• Grabbers for picking up leaves and weeds.
• A long-spouted watering can or hose, so you do not need to bend to water.

Lifting and carrying

Carrying heavy loads adds to the load through your knees. Some ideas:

• Use a wheelbarrow or garden trolley.
• Buy smaller bags of compost, or split large bags.
• Half fill watering cans and make more trips.

Pacing seasonal jobs

Gardening often comes in bursts, like spring planting or the autumn tidy. Some ideas:

• Spread big jobs across several days, rather than one long weekend.
• Work in blocks of 20 to 30 minutes, then stand up and walk around.
• Swap between ground-level jobs and standing jobs, like pruning or watering.
• Start the season with shorter sessions and build up.

Reading how your knee responds

A mild ache after gardening that settles by the next morning is usually fine. If your knee is sorer, stiffer or more swollen the next morning, make your next session shorter and add more breaks.

Building leg strength

Strong leg and hip muscles help your knees cope with gardening, especially getting up and down. Research on knee pain has found that combining hip and knee strengthening works better than knee exercises alone. Something to try two or three times a week:

• Sit to stand. Rise from a chair without using your hands, then lower slowly.
• Step-ups. Step up onto a low step, then step down slowly.
• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Heel raises. Rise onto your toes, pause, then lower slowly.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of sit to stands, bridges and heel raises you can use at your own pace.

Getting up from the ground

A steady way to get up can make a big difference. Something to try:

• From kneeling, bring one foot forward so you are on one knee.
• Place your hands on your front knee or the kneeler handles.
• Push up through your front leg to stand.

When to get it checked

You should get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist if your knee swells up quickly, locks so you cannot straighten it, or gives way.

Building back up

As your knee feels easier, you can gradually take on longer sessions and more ground-level work. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your knee responds.

What to take away

• Kneeling, squatting and getting up and down all load a sore knee.
• Use a kneeler with handles and long-handled tools.
• Raised beds and containers bring the garden up to you.
• Spread seasonal jobs across several days in short blocks.
• Build leg strength to make getting up and down easier.

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