I feel your pain. A friend turned me on to these heat back wraps. I've bought the cheaper drug store brand. I used to be able to go 6-7 hours in the garden. Now I time myself to a couple hours then a long break, then go back. It feels so good to get stuff done and looking good.

Thanks. I've seen those heat wraps and patches. There are tubes of ointment you can buy also, I have one in the cabinet that is about spent. It helps but not for very long.

Yes, it always starts innocently enough, doesn't it? Hope the meds and ointments help. Afterall, tomorrow there will be that one little stray...

My sympathies. The body doesn't work as well as it used to!

I have found that varying my posture really helps. So I keep a plastic lawn chair when it's readily available to sit on, and sometimes sit on the ground, and sometimes work standing, trying to rotate often, as well as alternating hands so I don't get too sore. My MIL has a rolling stool that she uses. I also use a straight bladed spade to cut straight down to sever grass roots before pulling since it reduces the tug and slows how fast the grass grows back as otherwise I miss some roots. Frozen peas make an inexpensive reusable ice pack since they move in the bag allowing it to follow body contours.

Photos when it's done?

Ouch! I always sit by the garden, even in the garden. (I work my way back and dig up the soil again) but it's so much easier than leaning over.

Hope you feel better soon...but I bet the garden is looking great! :)

My neck is really stiff and sore. This is the second time I've had this ailment, the first from reaching high up to clip off branches earlier this Spring, then after last week helping Mom install new florescent tube bulbs in her overhead kitchen light. I guess the edging irritated it again. Can not rest comfortably in bed. ugh. I'll try to remember the cold vs. heat tip. I used to have a tube of Icy Hot that worked, but like you say probably not a good idea.

I didn't even go out today to try to finish the edging, but I did get on the riding mower and mow real quick. The grass was high and storms are coming in tonight beginning appx. 9pm. Heavy rain and wind the weatherman said. But I didn't get the Lawnboy self propelled out to walk around and finish off certain areas and to trim.

I'll try to post some pics this weekend IF I get it done. Suppose to rain both Sat. and Sunday.

Schoolhouse- I want you to sit down, drink a lovely cup of tea......and REST!!! :)

I try Lass, I really do try. Thanks, but I'm worrying about one of my red bud trees down front. The tree needs some lower branches removed to to take the weight off of one side, plus I noticed yesterday some wind damage on a limb. It's split but I don't know when it happened. Tomorrow the weather report calls for 40mph winds and I sure wish I could have gone out with the pruning saw today. I hope that was more for the Cleveland area and not down here.

Well I ended up driving to Dollar General real quick for some gingerale (tummy is a little wonky too, maybe these aches and pains are part of something else), and asked the clerk which heat patches she liked. She said Salonpas - so I got a box of those, plus a tube of icy hot. I have never used these patches before, but it said "for stiff neck" right there on the box! ha. Of course with the first one, I got my hair at the nape of my neck in it so had to remove it and try another one. Boy, they DO put off some heat. Neck feels better but not 100%, I can turn it clear to the left now without as much pain. I'll leave it on until bed time.
Next time I'll use a cold pack right from the start.

Be careful using those ointments if you have cats.

Pain relief cream can be fatal to felines

I keep them in a cubby with a door in the top of the chiffarobe. I've never had them lick my neck, but just as a person would announce that, it would happen. I'll be careful. For the record, the Icy Hot doesn't work nearly as good as the holistic creme with witch hazel as it's main ingredient - that plus time has improved my neck some. Still sleeping sitting up but it was more comfortable and I slept well last night.

However, the best thing was that I went online yesterday morning to find treatment for a stiff neck. Found some exercises to do, and by golly they seemed to help right away. Even the pressure point treatment, pressing down on the fleshy part of the hand between the thumb and knuckle of the first finger, actually worked! I was amazed. Today there is more soreness than pain so hopefully if I behave and not try to do much to aggravate the condition (I really want to go out and finish that edging), I will see relief soon. Thanks all for your thoughtfulness and advice.