Garden Tools For Arthritis Sufferers
Tested and Reviewed by Fred-in-the-shed
Updated 1st January 2025
On This Page
Tips for Gardening with Arthritis
Lightweight Grass and Shrub Trimmers
Do You Suffer From Arthritis? Can't Do As Much Gardening?
Before starting Fredshed I worked for 6 years as a horticultural therapist, helping elderly and disabled people at The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, England. The Nuffield is one of the worlds leading Orthopaedic hospitals and is famous for pioneering surgery. As part of my work I helped teach on a course for people with serious back problems and helped develop tools that were light and safer for arthritis suffers to use.
My job involved researching tools and techniques to help people use gardening as a form of “rehabilatative therapy” often after surgery. During this time I produced 2 books and obtained and tested hundreds of tools from around the world.
Working as a Horticultural Therapist at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford
On this page I will outline some important principles for working with tools in the home and garden and feature a few special tools that are particularly good if you have arthritis or weak hands.
The advice on this page is written for people with arthritis or conditions that affect the dexterity and strength of grip.
If you have these problems or anything more serious then I recommend that you consult a qualified physician or therapist before undertaking any serious gardening or DIY work.
TOP TIPS FOR GARDENERS WITH ARTHRITIS
The secret to gardening with any kind of disability or mobility problem is to be smart and use every advantage you can.
A big part of this is to find special tools and equipment to reduce strain and most importantly
PACE YOURSELF - TAKE REGULAR RESTS – AND DON'T DO TOO MUCH!
STOP BEFORE IT HURTS - Do a little often - work gently and slowly.
You may want to wear special compressing gloves to help protect the joints in your hands.
As with all links on my website buying this product fusing this link will provide a small commission for this site.
Fingerless- Rheumatoid Arthritis Compression Gloves for Pain Relief - Grey (M) 1 Pair
Unless you are prepared to take on these ideas in full then, I would recommend that you give up now and hire a gardener or else you could make your condition much worse and more painful.
Still with me? good! To overcome this type of problem you need to be determined and not be put off.
There is a saying, "where there is a will- there is a way".
Firstly, know all you can about your condition, seek advice from different sources, and become your own expert, but part of the team. You could even keep a diary to try to identify what effects your condition.
Before doing any gardening or DIY make sure you do a few warm-up exercises. Gently stretch and move to prepare your body. Wear comfortable clothes, and try not to get cold.
Think of your garden or work area as a GYM, do the work carefully and properly and you will benefit. Overdo it or misuse the equipment and you may hurt yourself.
Pace yourself, even keep a timer in your pocket. Don’t be a Turkey and stop WHEN you hurt. Stop BEFORE and come back to fight another day.
Think like an athlete, when you stop, cool down, do a few gentle cool down exercises, go and rest, have a cup of tea.
The following tools are some of those I often recommended for people with Arthritis.
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Lightweight secateurs for arthritis sufferers
In my work for the NHS as a Horticultural therapist I recommended these
amazing little ratchet secateurs to hundreds of patients with arthritis or weak
hand grip. These lightweight pruners are very strong and will last years
in normal use. The original version were known as " CK mighty bite"
and have been in production and used by myself for over 20 years. Despite
the low price they are strong and will last a long time unless you abuse
them or twist them. There are 2 versions available that look the same to
me. These are cheap tools, mostly plastic to save weight so if you want something more sturdy and don't mind paying more then look at the aluminium versions further down this page. The ratchet action will enable you to cut woody stems up to 25mm with 30% less effort and reduce the chance of damage to arthritic knuckle and finger joints. It requires a squeeze and let go technique and is most suitable for hard woody stems and straight cuts. |
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Heavy Duty Ratchet Secateurs
The downside to ratchet pruners is that they all have Anvil blades, not bypass and the pumping action required takes slightly more time (but we are talking only nanoseconds). There are many versions available from different brands, made from Aluminium and some with finger guards to help keep thorns at bay. The latest ones have a switch on them so you can decide to use the ratchet for thicker stems or a faster cut for thin stems .
If you use the link below you will get them at a brilliant price and support my work too as anything purchased from my links generates a small commission for Fredshed. Remember the technique for using ratchet pruners When cutting thick stems - Squeeze -release- squeeze-release - squeeze - cut done! In between squeezes of the handles you will hear a little click as the mechanism re-sets itself for optimum leverage and cutting power Check the links below for the latest version with the switch and colour options. Prices vary so if you find a bargain please purchase via my link to help keep this page going.
Compact Ratchet Pruners for Smaller Hand Size Kent & Stowe 2-in1 Ratchet pruners Advanced 2-in-1 Ratchet Secateurs - 5 X Power
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Rotating Handle Secateurs to reduce RSI
These secateurs have bypass blades so are suitable for soft stems and angled cuts too. The rotating handle causes less strain and stretching on your joints, IF you buy the correct size tool Felco a pioneered the use of rotating handles to reduce RSI and skin chaffing. See models no 7 and no 12. (also no 10 for left handed use) The original Felco secateurs where large size and too big for many people.
Felco now make many smaller models which are better at reducing strain The image above shows their stand at the Chelsea flower show where the new smaller tools were launched The only small criticism I can make of Felco secateurs is that the small metal safety catches can be hard to access by people with arthritis or just cold fingers. Made in Switzerland
Felco Model 7 Classic Secateurs
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Geared Loppers- Extra power without the strain Use These Small Loppers Instead of Secateurs- They are the same weight!
Available in 2 sizes with bypass blades The L31 , small size with anvil blade makes an ideal 2 handed replacement for secateurs! Medium -cuts up to the size of a £1 coin Large - cuts up to the size of a £2 coin -( from my own testing) Use my links below to make sure you get the latest version and also support this page. Fiskars L31 (S) PowerGear Lopper Anvil These superb geared loppers are very lightweight, thanks to a new super strong, space age material. They are also the easiest to use as they have a simple gearing mechanism that gives you extra cutting power with less strain. Ideal for gardeners with arthritis, and used by me and many readers for over 15 years. This small pair of geared loppers can be used as an alternative to secateurs if your arthritis effects your hands badly. This way you can spread the effort and strain over 2 hands instead of one!
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Battery Powered Secateurs
If you do a lot of pruning on stems up to about 14mm or you suffer with arthritis the Bosch Easy Prune could great for you. It has a small but powerful rechargeable battery built into the handles. The tool itself is very heavier and larger than normal secateurs so may require 2 hands to operate if you have small hands. Many years back I tested powered secateurs that were designed for use in vineyards, they cost about £900! Bosch have made a similar tool before called the Ciso but the EasyPrune is smaller and easier to use. The Ciso was larger and heavier and has now been copied by far east manufacturers. 7.2V Cordless Pruner Cut Through Hardwood Up to 25Mm Thick
The Bosch Ciso has been discontinued and replaced by the EasyPrune.
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Easi -Grip Garden Tools
(previously known as Peta Easi Grip Tools)
Pistol grip tools for reduced wrist strain
I worked with the inventor of these tools (Lionell Crockett) and recommended them to
many gardeners with arthritis. The pistol grip and arm support really
reduces the risk of strain and can give you extra leverage and control. The original tools and arm support are no longer
available but you may find similar tools on the link below. NRS Healthcare Easi-Grip Handle Garden Weeder NRS Healthcare Easi-Grip Handle Garden Cultivator Now available - complete set from Jardineer Jardineer
Garden Tools Set Arthritis Grip, 4Pcs |
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The Lightest, but still strong Forks and Trowels
Fiskars Premium Planters Stainless Steel Trowel Fiskars Premium Planters Weed Fork These tools are made in Finland by Fiskars and really break new ground for gardening tools - see what I did there? Special composite plastics and top quality stainless steel make these tools super lightweight but strong and effective. The fork at the front is more of a cultivator and great for breaking soil and quickly removing surface growth. This style of hand fork is more popular in the USA and I think it is more efficient than our usual type. The range includes the traditional hand fork too if you prefer. Fiskars have been making tools since 1649 and are one of my favourite manufacturers. I absolutely love my Fiskars hand tools and due to the nature of the materials I leave them out all year round - ready for action!
If you prefer traditional wooden handled tools then this Kent & Stowe Garden Life trowel is smaller than usual and 40% lighter than their standard trowel. Kent & Stowe small size traditional wooden handled fork Kent & Stowe Garden Life trowel - small size
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Raised Beds and Raised Planters If you have difficulty bending and/or digging then growing your plants in raised timber beds may be a good solution. By bringing the plants nearer to your reach and not walking on the soil means that there is less compaction and therefore less cultivation of the soil required.
Raised bedding is an established and proven method of growing plants - as well as having benefits for the gardener who cannot bend. The main downside of Raised bedding is that your plants will require more watering to survive so unless you are home a lot it may be worth considering some sort of watering system. If you have difficulty bending and/or digging then growing your plants in raised timber beds may be a good solution. By bringing the plants nearer to your reach and not walking on the soil means that there is less compaction and therefore less cultivation of the soil required. When I first started researching tools and techniques for gardening with back pain there were no "off the shelf" raised beds available and most were custom built out of railway sleepers and concrete panels. Thankfully today kits are available in eco friendly treated timber so that you can build a raised planter to your size and height easily and cost effectively. For aesthetic reasons and also to accommodate plants of different heights I like to see raised beds of a mixed height as shown in the photograph above. Click the link below to see the largest range from one of my retailing partners who manufacture in the UK. Manger style wooden raised planters Click here to see other raised bed systems
ELHO GROW TABLE - BEST RAISED BED PLANTER This well made plastic planter is ideal for slug free growing as it is available with a ventilated propagator cover. This will protect your seedlings from the cold as well and can be taken off when your plants are larger. The planter is around £35 and is available in black or green.
Elho XX-Large Green Basics Grow Table - Black
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Grass and Shrub Trimming 2 Tools in 1 The Bosch ISIO can be converted from a grass shear to a small shrub trimmer in seconds and is surprisingly efficient. I also like the drop in charger base and metal tin that the tool comes in. Running time is very good thanks to the Li-ion batteries and I get 20 minutes use which included some woody shrub material. The softer the material you cut the longer the battery will last between re-charges.
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Long Handled Weed Pullers
Fiskars Xact Weed Puller, Length: 1 m, This excellent lightweight gadget requires no bending to use. It has 3 jaws that clamp around the weed and when you pull it backwards the weed is pulled out. You can then remove the weed from the jaws by sliding the orange apart of the handle to push them off into your bucket or barrow. I have tested literally hundreds of weed pulling tools in my long career as a garden tool reviewer and I think it is important to be realistic about their performance. No weed puller will get every weed out as they tend to work better on larger deep rooted weeds. They also require accuracy to use so if your eyesight is bad and you can see the weed you want to remove these precision tools are no use as you will end up bending down to trap the weed first. As weed pullers go this is a good one and I like using it in the right conditions. Spear and Jackson make a similar tool that is about £10 cheaper and just a bit heavier than the Fiskars model. Spear and Jackson Mechanical Weed Puller
iTip Rotating Wheelbarrow Handles
Tipping a full wheelbarrow or even pushing it across uneven land can cause back strain and be really hard on your arms and shoulders. There clever rotating handles mean you rarely need to change your grip and help you keep a straight back. They are easy to fix by drilling a small hole and fixing one screw in each handle. Buy ITip rotating wheelbarrow handles as recommended by Fredshed
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If you found my advice helpful you can support my work by returning to this page and using my links when purchasing your secateurs. Also any products bought from Amazon using the links below will produce a small commission that helps cover my hosting costs. thanks, Fred
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