A change of seasons always puts us in the cleaning and organizing mode. Leaves need raking, mowers need cleaning, pots need to be emptied and put away, bags of manure need spreading... well, you know what needs doing. Inevitably once a Fall I pull a muscle in my back. Usually it happens when I’m tossing the shredded leaves around the beds and getting tired.

It doesn’t take much movement to feel the pain. About’s Guide to Back and Neck Pain, Anne Asher, has put together some wonderful photo galleries for us gardeners on the dos and don’ts of lifting and dumping. So no excuses this fall - Let’s be careful out there.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2007) licensed to About.com, Inc.

• Dumping a Wheelbarrow
  
• Back Safe Lifting Techniques
  
• Lifting Techniques to Avoid Getting a Mower Moving