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Sudden, unpredictable movements is one cause of pain. Other include heavy lifting, awkward bending, machine vibration and repetitive strain
In 1971, Stompin’ Tom Connors sang about the backaches of tobacco pickers in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Today, his ballad still rings true for farmers across the country. Whether it’s from stacking haybales or hunching over the tractor’s steering wheel to get the harvest in, aches and pains are as common on farms as ‘Git ‘er done’ caps and pickup trucks.
Catherine Trask knows all about that. In a study of more than 2,500 Saskatchewan farmers, the University of Saskatchewan ergonomics professor found 85 per cent had experienced musculoskeletal pain in at least one body part in the previous year. Ouch!
But it’s not just quality of life that suffers when you’ve got a back spasm or bum knee. According
University of Saskatchewan ergonomics professor, Catherine Trask
to the survey, pain prevented 28 per cent of respondents from performing regular work activities. “If you’re not able to get out and help the cows during calving, or if you’re not able get out and effectively add all the seed and the fertilizer to the seeder,” Trask says, “that is going to impact the productivity and ultimately the revenue of the farm.”
Common culprits — and what to do about them
Whether it’s zipping around on a bone-rattling ATV, sitting in the tractor cab for hours on end or hauling pails of feed across mucky and uneven fields, the reasons behind farm-related pain are wide-ranging. What’s more, farmers tend to work well beyond the typical retirement age, and as the years rack up so does the wear and tear on their bodies.
So what can you do besides knock back a couple Ibuprofens and grimace your way through the morning chores? Although there are no quick fixes, there are plenty of ways to minimize risk factors on the farm and save yourself a trip to the doctor. For advice, we consulted with Trask and other ergonomic experts to get their top tips for treating common farm-related injuries, and for preventing them in the first place.
Lifting, bending, twisting
According to research from Rutgers Cooperative Extension, manually lifting heavy objects is the most common cause of low back pain. Meanwhile, sustained awkward bending and unexpected twisting — think mending fences or wrangling a stubborn pig into her pen — can also put stress on ligaments, discs and other body structures.
As a physiotherapist, Lee-Anne Kemp sees a lot of hurting farmers at her practice in Cartwright, Manitoba. As a cattle farmer on the side, she gets why those injuries occur. She rhymes off the key things she tells her clients: Lift with your legs. Keep your back straight. Keep the load as close to your body as possible. “And know your limits,” she adds. “That’s often a tricky one. Try not to take shortcuts; sometimes you need to wait and ask for help.”
Give your body a break by using mechanical aids like dollies, wheelbarrows and roller conveyors to move heavy loads. Adding handles to buckets and other containers will make them easier to carry, while attaching longer ones to brooms or garden forks means you won’t have to stoop. Finally, when you’re putting those tools away, store them below shoulder height and within comfortable reach, not crammed behind a pile of used tractor parts.
Repetitive tasks like shovelling, packing, pruning or weeding can also strain your back, neck, shoulders and wrists. Taking regular breaks and alternating between tasks will help reduce the cumulative impact of those activities.
Bad vibrations
Somewhat ironically, one of the most common reasons behind injuries is not moving at all. Whether you’re sitting in the cab of a tractor for hours on end, stuck in front of the computer doing your taxes or hunched over your smartphone diving into the new crop analytics app you downloaded, sitting for long periods of time can take a serious toll on your body.
“Get out of that position once in a while and move,” says Kemp. “Otherwise, by the end of the day, it’s just going to be screaming at you.” Just correcting your posture every 20 minutes can make a big difference. Meanwhile, moving your joints regularly gives them the nutrients they need and clears away waste.
According to Trask, prolonged sitting isn’t the only danger from operating heavy machinery like tractors. Farm equipment can also create whole-body vibration — a common cause of low back pain and nerve-related injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.
As head of the University of Saskatchewan’s Ergonomics Lab, Trask led a farmers’ back injury study in 2015. The results showed that small machines like skid steers and ATVs produce the highest levels of vibration. As such, she recommends limiting time on those types of machinery to about one hour each day. And while larger equipment like tractors vibrate less, they still generate significant vibrations that get worse the longer you’re in the cab.
Your best bet to reduce the impacts is to take frequent breaks. Trask suggests getting up every hour and walking around the tractor to avoid stiffening up and to stretch out your hips and lower back. No time for breaks? “Share out the load as much as possible so that even if the machine needs to stay running, it doesn’t need to be the same person all the time,” she suggests.
Other, albeit more expensive options, include changing your suspension system, investing in newer equipment or retrofitting seats in old equipment with ones that feature air-ride suspension. At a minimum, consider adding cushions or lumbar supports that hug the curve of your spine.
Seasonal strain, cumulative pain
Whether it’s the spring calving season or the rush to harvest beans before the frost, farm activities often happen in peaks and bursts. And if you’re not adequately conditioned, that kind of intense activity can leave you injured.
Although you can’t control the weather, you can prepare your body for the busy periods. Walking is a particularly good exercise to address back pain, so consider joining a winter walking group at the local rec centre or setting up regular outings with your neighbour. Swimming is another great activity to stay in shape. Or simply head to your barn or Quonset hut and lift some weights. “Being consistent with it through the off-season is definitely a key to success,” says Trask.
You’ll be glad you did. When the farm work ramps up, you’ll be less prone to injury. Exercise helps keep your weight down, so there’s less strain on your joints and back. Finally, you’ll reap the benefits of improved mental health, which can help get you through those days when it drops to 30 below and gets dark by 4:30 p.m.uz
Access, affordability and attitudes
When injuries do happen, several factors often keep farmers from seeking treatment. Chief among them? Access to health-care practitioners. Unfortunately, in many remote and rural communities across Canada, a trip to a specialist can burn through a tank of gas and most of the day. “They can’t just go see the chiropractor or the physio three times a week before work or on lunch break,” Trask explains. “That might be three hours of driving for them.”
Trask’s University of Saskatchewan colleague Brenna Bath agrees. A physiotherapist for 20 years, Bath adds that farmers are often self-employed owner/operators, which means covering many treatment expenses out-of-pocket. “That’s where additional health insurance can help,” she says.
But the associate professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science also points to another common reason farmers don’t seek care: the “Get ‘er done” attitude. Instead of getting help, they push through the pain.
Ditch the stoic attitude, she says. Farming demands fitness, and investing in your physical health is an investment in your operation.
If you do need to make the trip to see health-care professionals, Bath suggests letting them know ahead of time that it’s a long haul for you and asking about ways to maximize your time there. Depending on where you live, telehealth appointments may be an option. Or you could ask for a follow-up over the phone. And to stretch your dollar further, be sure to request practical advice and exercises you can work on at home.
Don’t underestimate the importance of follow-through. “[Farmers are] really good at their exercises until they start to feel better. And then, all of a sudden, that nag isn’t there to remind them that they need to do those things,” says Kemp. “They do need to stick with it.”
Finally, don’t wait until a niggling pain morphs into a full-blown problem. Getting help sooner can help avoid the need for lengthy treatments and recoveries. “There’s a lot more that we can do if we can reach people earlier,” says Bath.
An ounce of prevention
Your best investment, our experts agree, is preventing problems in the first place. “Twenty minutes of warming up your body for the day ultimately might save you in the long run from having to take time off or asking help from neighbours because you’re injured,” Kemp points out.
Taking frequent breaks, walking to decompress the lower back, lifting heavy objects with care, staying fit, limiting time on machinery — it all adds up to healthier bodies, happier lives and better bottom lines. And with any luck, you’ll have one less thing in common with that tobacco picker from Tillsonburg.
— Josh Martin