Garden Tools For Back pain Sufferers
Tested and Reviewed by Fred-in-the-shed
Updated 4th March 2025
On This Page
Tips for Gardening with Backpain
Long Handled Grabbers and Lifting Tools
Lightweight Grass and Shrub Trimmers
Do You Suffer From Back Pain? 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.
My job involved researching tools and techniques to help people use gardening as a form of rehabilitative 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 a back problem.
** The advice on this page is written for people with minor back problems such as low grade pain (backache) and difficulty bending. 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.
My back is done is so painful I can't do the gardening anymore
How many times have I heard this from desperate and depressed patients in the hospital. Well for what it is worth my own back really is "done in"** so much so that I am paralysed from the waist down and use a wheelchair.
However! I can usually do the gardening, and if I had the time, I could come and do yours too!
The secret to gardening with any kind of back problem is to use your brain, think more, find special tools and equipment to reduce strain and most importantly
PACE YOURSELF - TAKE RESTS – DON’T DO TOO MUCH
STOP BEFORE IT HURTS
Unless you are prepared to take on these ideas in full then, I would recommend that you give up now, hire a gardener or concrete your garden.
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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 the 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 get hurt.
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, maybe have a cup of tea.
The following tools are some of those I often recommended for people with
back problems**
Digging with less bending - getting the right length tool
The is a bit of an extreme example but you would be amazed at how many people use the wrong tools
If you have back problems then digging with a fork and spade will always present risks but having the right length and weight tool will reduce this.
The first thing I would say is not to use full size forks and spades that lift a lot of soil but try to use border size or versions with smaller heads .
This means that you will slow down your digging by moving less material but reduce the risk of strain.
There are forks and spades available in all sizes now so if the one you have is too short or heavy then measure it and check out the links below.
Fiskars Lightweight Digging tools with longer handles
Fiskars make these lightweight ergonomic tools in Finland and are one of my favorite tool companies for quality.
It is arguable that most forks and spades sold today are too short as they are the same length as tools made hundreds of years ago when people where shorter. I am not sure if this is true but it is obvious that longer tools suit longer people.
Also having a curve in the shaft at the correct angle helps reduce bending.
Garden or digging forks are designed for soil and are most commonly damaged when use to lever roots and rocks which is a task more suited to a crowbar or pickaxe.
If you have hard or stony soil then a pick or mattock may be more suitable than a fork.
To make the Fiskars tools lightweight they use oval shaped shafts which are also stronger.
Fiskars Gardener's Pointed Spade for Hard, Stony Soils, Length: 117 cm
Fiskars Xact Digging Spade Large, Length: 120 cm
Fiskars Light Digging Fork, With 4 Tines, Length: 113 cm
Fiskars Ergonomic Garden Fork, 4 Prongs, Length: 122 cm
Modern Lightweight Shovel
Fiskars Exact Shovel
This excellent wide headed shovel for moving heaps of soil, sand or gravel.
It has a huge comfortable handle and oval section, longer shaft for strength and is lightweight.
Made in Finland, this shovel is a quality tool, a joy to use and built to last.
USE LINK BELOW TO BUY THE SHOVEL & HELP THIS SITE WITH A SMALL COMMISSION
Fiskars Exakt Extra Long Handled Shovel
Soil Cultivating Tiller
The tool shown above is the Wolf soil Miller. It is a well made German tool that has been in production for at least 25 years. It is ideal for re-cultivating large areas of soil without the need to dig or bend. It will not clear away large weeds as they will get caught in the spiked wheels that are designed for breaking down the soil.
The rear of the tool has a swinging blade that cuts down to 4 inches in the soil. It is used in a backwards and forwards motion to enable the spiked wheels to break down the soil dug up by the swinging blade.
I have used this fantastic tool for over 15 years and recommend it to people who have good soil and regularly prepare open soil for vegetable planting.
The Wolf Soil Miller is part of the excellent Wolf Multi-change system where around 50 tools and handles are interchangeable.
Many manufacturers have introduced this type of tool system but none have lasted as long as Wolf or made them to the same quality or had the consistency of distribution in the UK.
Wolf Garten
ZM140 wooden handle
If you found my page useful please come back and use my Amazon, and other
links when purchasing as this helps pay for my site and work, thanks, Fred Long Handled Cut and Hold Pruner
Darlac Cut n Hold Snapper Pruner Long Handle Reach
Spear
& Jackson Razorsharp Easy Reach Pruner This long handled cut and hold pruner is one of my
favorite tools and one that I have used since starting Fredshed in 1999. That's why I gave it my
the first ever Golden Shed Award. It comes in different sizes from the 650mm version up to the telescopic one that extends to 3m! This tool is ideal for light pruning up to 16mm thick, and
for deadheading roses etc. Whilst working as an NHS horticultural therapist
I recommended this tool to hundreds of patients with back pain. I received
many letters of thanks and never had a tool returned faulty. The best version is
DP110 at 1m and is superb for reaching climbing roses or into the back of
deep prickly borders. The Darlac Snapper" can be used one or two handed and has a lot
of handle adjustment. It is also very well made and I am still using one
that I have had for over 20 years. Fiskars Long reach lawn Puller
review This excellent lightweight gadget requires no bending
to use, (as long as your eyesight and co-ordination is good). 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 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. Also they require accuracy to use so if your eyesight
is bad and you can see the weed you want to remove these precision
weeders 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.
Best tool to pick up leaves without bending
Darlac Grab-n-lift - does what it says on the tin. Its simple - It works.
Helping Hand Pick Up tools Grabbers and Pick Sticks tested by Fred-in-the-shed
The Helping Hand Company Handi-Grip Pro Reacher (32") I have a large collection of grabbers that I use at home, in my garden and workshop. I keep one in every room so I am not tempted to bend down and strain my back. Grab sticks are useful in the garden, my personal favourite for the garden is from Gardena as it can even pull out weeds and has a extendable spike to collect litter too. For home use I like the yellow helping hand which is shaped to hold round objects as well as square and small things. Click here to buy the Gardena Gripper and support Fredshed with a small resulting commision
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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. 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
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2 Tools in 1 Grass and shrub trimming!
The Bosch ISIO can be converted from a grass shear to a small shrub trimmer in seconds and is surprisingly efficient. It is small and light and the On/Off switch is easy to use. The long telescopic handle is an optional extra. 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. The Bosch ISIO is available as a grass trimmer and/or a shrub trimmer. There is also a kit that includes both blades which is very good value and known as the "Bosch ISIO shape and edge kit" Bosch Isio Cordless Shrub/ Grass Shear Bosch
Telescopic handle for Isio
Best Garden Kneeler Seat
Draper 64970 Folding Seat and Kneeler
This sturdy little seat can be used for kneeling or sitting and has the
added advantage that it can be folded flat for easy carrying and storage.
These seats have been around for many years and I often recommended them
to people during my work as an NHS Horticultural Therapist at the Mary
Marlborough Centre in oxford. (now known as Oxford Centre for Enablement)
Some of the plastic garden kneelers and seats are very slippery to grip or
unstable to sit on.
This seat is manufactured by Draper Tools and is the best I have found.
If you want a similar seat that is a little higher for taller people there
is one made by Town and Country.
Also if you don't need a seat but kneel a lot then save your knees from
bruising with a foam pad.
Draper 30310 Gardener's Kneeler
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Another great tool for Back pain Relief
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 recommended by Fredshed
If your muscles ache from gardening- try my favourite massager, recommended to me by a sports physio and used for over 10 years
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© Fred Walden 2025
