How-To

How To Use a Shovel Safely (and Protect Your Back)

The proper technique won't keep you from being tired, but it can save your back

By Bob Denman
Gary Junken

Even if you are using a shovel improperly, you’ll still wind up with a hole. You’ll probably also wind up with a sore back.

To help you avoid a sore back or possibly even a serious injury, Bob Denman, a gardener who makes, sells and repairs garden tools at Denman & Company, his store in Orange, California, demonstrates both the wrong way and the right way to work with a shovel.

Denman’s article, “Choosing and Using the Right Tools” in the November/December 2001 issue of Fine Gardening (#82), has tips for choosing and using shovels and other gardening tools as well. Check out his other video tip Select the Right Shovel.

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