Many seniors suffer from some form of arthritis, and many of them experience difficulties that force them to limit their time in the garden.
However, Fiskars Corporation from Salk City, Wis., a Finnish corporation founded in 1649, has a solution to get those people back into the garden. Fiskars' patented PowerGear technology incorporates gears that increase power to make cutting easier. So much easier, in fact, that the Arthritis Foundation has awarded the company with the prestigious Ease-of-Use Commendation, according to Paul Thompson, director of marketing for Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living.
"With the hand pruner, the PowerGear technology is a mechanism that makes you a lot stronger and makes cutting a lot easier, which helps to alleviate both hand and arm fatigue," Thompson said.
Many chores in the garden are repetitive by nature. Pruning roses, trimming hedges and pruning bushes often requires the same muscles to be used over and over again. Pruning often requires forceful exertions.
What older gardeners need to consider is the angle of the wrist while using a hand pruner. Sounds simple but it makes a big difference. Grip strength is at its maximum when the wrist is in a relaxed or neutral position. Testing has shown that people lose up to 25 percent of their grip strength when their wrist is bent. The bent position is the most potentially dangerous. The tendons responsible for flexing the fingers are easily irritated by exertions made while in this posture. That is why after pruning for a long time the wrist becomes tired.
Hand position is very important when pruning. Straight wrist when using the hand pruner is better than a bent wrist.
Using a straight wrist, Auburn resident Rena Webb, president of the Gold Country Rose Society, tried pruning with the PowerGear hand pruner, which features a rolling handle that moves with your hand as you cut, reducing friction and relieving hand stress.
"I think from what I used this morning, I would use it more than the one I am using now," said Webb, who has arthritis of the hands. "And I have good ones because I have to have them. But the Fiskars PowerGear pruner seems more adaptable for what it does for my hands, and I'm sure after pruning for a while they are not going to hurt as it would with the others."
Asked about holding her hand straight and pulling with her fingers while using the PowerGear pruner, she responded, "I'd have to get used to it. I automatically do it the way I have done it in the past with a bent wrist," she said. "I'd have to get used to it, but I think it would be easy to do it. I like that idea."
Pruning activities require the application of force by the hands and/or arms on the tool that does the cutting. Depending on the material being cut, the design of the blades and many other factors, the force required may be high or low. In general, the higher the percentage of an individual's strength that is required to perform a given task, the greater the risk of experiencing fatigue and soreness in the muscle and joints, especially for seniors.
Two factors contribute to the difficulty of pruning activities for seniors: gender and age. In general, adult females are about two-thirds as strong as adult males. However, studies have shown that women have only about half of the grip strength of men. Strength peaks somewhere between the ages of 25-35. People lose approximately 10 percent of their strength by the age of 40. By the age of 50 they lose 15 percent, 20 percent by age 60, 25 percent by the age of 65, and by age 75, strength loss will be around 40 percent.
No wonder that as we get older, pruning the roses becomes more of a chore.
Strength testing has shown that the spreading of the fingers significantly reduces grip strength, requiring more pressure to maintain control of the tool.
Using a pruner with gears increases the cutting power and makes pruning easier. Fiskars' patented bypass pruner with PowerGear design provides steady leverage throughout the entire cut, which minimizes strain and fatigue. With a cutting capacity of ¾ inch, the hand pruner features a rolling handle that moves with your hand as you cut, reducing friction and relieving hand stress. It does make pruning easier.
Most gardeners are accustomed to bending their wrist when using the hand pruner. Next time you prune, think about keeping your wrist straight, fingers together, and pull the fingers towards the palm. See if it does make a difference.
For the location of a Fiskars dealer, visit Web site www.fiskars.com or phone 1-800-500-4849.