Gardening: A natural solution for chronic lower back pain

Therapeutic horticulture may offer noticeable benefits to patients with chronic lower back pain, according to a recent study from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the UF College of Medicine.

The interdisciplinary study encouraged chronic lower back pain sufferers to participate in a one-hour therapeutic horticulture session at the Wilmot Botanical Gardens at UF/IFAS, during which trained therapists helped the participants reach, stretch and bend to gather plant clippings. Researchers noted a pronounced improvement in the participants’ well-being after the session. Most substantially, the experience reduced the amount of anxiety that participants felt about movement and exercise as it related to their lower back pain.