New tools help gardeners with their discomfort

October 10, 2007 10:59 pm

— The love of gardening can come and go over a lifetime.
The joy and satisfaction of having hands your in soil, planting seeds and watching them grow, can be interrupted by the discomfort of joints and muscles that do not move like they used to.
Fiskars and other companies have developed tools that are easier to use and with ergonomically designed handles that allow gardeners to have a comfortable grip without twisting their wrists.
“I recommended them for physical therapy patients first and then started collecting them for myself,” said Carla Wilhite, occupational therapist with Oklahoma State University. “One day I had an epiphany that I have arthritis and should use them too.”
One of the Fiskars products, the Big Grip Garden Knife has a large, soft molded handle, one serrated and one smooth knife-edge plus a notched weeding tip. Several jobs can be accomplished with one tool.
There are lightweight, nylon collapsible leaf containers on the market that make it easier to pick up garden refuse as you go.
Fiskars offers a Kangaroo Bag with a hard shell bottom that will stay where you put it. The barrel shaped container has an internal spring that makes it easy to open and collapse. There are handles for moving the container and for hanging it when not in use.
The Arthritis Foundation awarded Ease of Use Commendations for eight Fiskars products: Pruners, loppers and hedge shears. The foundation Web site, www.arthritis.org, has many helpful links.
The Arthritis Foundation is particularly impressed with the Power Gears of the Fiskar tools. This technology uses gears to replace physical strength to allow pruning and cutting without tiring gardeners' muscles.
“Before when I did pruning I would be done for the day,” Wilhite said. “The Fiskars make such a difference — I don’t have to come into the house feeling pain any more.”
Another feature of Fiskars design is providing tools with extra long handles to minimize the strain on gardener’s backs when pruning.
One of their unique tools for flower growers is a Fiskars all-in-one Floral Bypass Pruner. Between the blades and the handle it has a stem stripper to remove thorns and a stem crusher to prepare stems for a longer vase life.
The tools use gears to increase cutting power, making big cuts easier. The Power Gear design also changes the leverage during the cut, which minimizes strain and fatigue. The hand pruners feature a rolling handle that moves with your hand as you cut, reducing friction and relieving hand stress. Their PowerGear loppers and hedge shears feature lightweight ergonomic handles for greater comfort and control.
“I am convinced that these tools are worth every penny,” Wilhite said. “The pruners allow you to prune without so much hand force and then I bought the Ratcheting Pruners and had the same positive experience. Usually things do not live up to their billing. These live up to their billing.”
Oklahoma AgrAbility was developed in 2002 to provide services to farmers who have been injured or have developed arthritis and other chronic pain. The AgrAbility Support Network connects farmers and ranchers with others who have overcome barriers to continued success.
The national program was created in the 1990 Farm Bill and provides help with assisting technology, connections to rehabilitation and financial agencies and helps with adaptation information.
One of the common sense suggestions they have for easier gardening is to add common D-shaped door handles to the top edge of planters to give gardeners something to hold onto when reaching, sitting down and getting up.
Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service suggests other useful tools including many with extra handles such as a Bud-eze Shrub Rake, D and T-grip handles that can be added onto long-handle tools you already have in the shed.
Oklahoma AgrAbility does not provide direct funding but when they receive a call, the occupational therapist gathers information and makes recommendations. In some cases they make an on site visit and referrals.
“We are one of about 30 state AgrAbility projects in the nation funded by USDA grants,” said Traci Naille of AgrAbility. AgrAbility provides services to farmers, ranchers and their families who are impacted by disabilities to ensure they are able to continue their participation in agriculture-related activities. Those services include on-site assessments to determine whether equipment and other work site modifications are needed, as well as educational outreach services to clients and other audiences.
Interested Oklahomans can contact Oklahoma AgrAbility at (888) 885-5588, ability@okstate.edu and www.agribility.okstate.edu.
Hand Helpers (www.handhelpers.com) lists many other tools to make gardening easier, such as the Bionic glove that was designed by a hand surgeon.
Oxo International, best known for their hand-friendly kitchen utensils, makes a Kneeling Mat, a lightweight garden tool carrier, bulb planters and other garden tools with non-slip gel handles.
A company called Upper Hand, www.rakehandle.com and (800) 685-0315, sells a universal ergonomic handle that can be added to any garden tool. It fits in the middle of a rake or shovel handle so the gardener can grip with both hands, reducing back stress.
With support networks available and so many new inventions to help them, gardeners can keep going as long as they still have the love of watching plants grow.

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New tools have been invented so gardeners can do their usual tasks with less stress on muscles and joints.