The dog days of summer are finally turning into cooler fall weather, and you know what that means: yard work.  There are plenty of jobs to do in the yard this fall, and the physicians at Resurgens Orthopaedics want to make sure you stay safe and injury-free while you perform them.  Here are some tips for common fall maintenance tasks that may help you avoid an injury:

Raking Leaves/Picking up Debris

All that fall foliage is quite beautiful; unfortunately, those brightly colored leaves always end up on the ground at some point.  When you’re raking up those leaves, be aware that hand injuries can happen while performing this activity.  In addition, watch out for sharp objects and sticks that could be concealed in your leaf pile.  You may want to opt for wearing protective gloves to save your hands.

Trimming Trees

Fall is the time to trim your trees, and this can be a dangerous job.  If you’re taking on that job yourself, be sure your ladder is on steady footing and you have someone to hold it for you.  If not, you could be in for a nasty fall that could cause broken bones, or injuries to the knees, wrists, shoulders, and other joints.  And if you’re not an experienced tree trimmer, it may be better to leave this job to the professionals.

Winterizing Your Yard

If you’ve got lawn furniture, you probably want to bring it inside before winter hits.  Once again, lifting properly is crucial if you want to avoid injuring your back.  For larger items, get a partner to help lighten your load, and always lift with your legs if you want to get through your winterizing process without incident.

We hope these tips have been helpful, and that you’ll get through your fall yard work without any problems.  Of course, if something does happen, Resurgens Orthopaedics will be here to help.  If you do get injured this fall, call or schedule an appointment online with one of our physicians; we’ll get you on the path to recovery in no time!