At a Florida nursery, a rake or a work table could become part of a back-pain routine—not just a tool for the day’s landscaping. Researchers at the University of Florida are testing short exercise videos and changes to work tasks to help nursery and landscape workers manage pain without having to leave the job.
The stakes reach far beyond one workplace. Florida’s nursery and landscape industry employed more than 279,000 people and generated $41.9 billion in total economic impact in 2023, according to the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). At the same time, workers often continue despite back pain, while employers worry about losing skilled staff, missed work and lower productivity. For workers who depend on their bodies to earn a living, treatment can also be hard to afford if they lack health insurance or have limited coverage.
Kim Dunleavy, a clinical professor and director of community engagement in the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions, leads the four-year study. Three years in, the team has recruited 16 nursery and landscaping companies from Palm Beach to Jacksonville. The project includes 127 workers and 21 supervisors, and was developed with the FNGLA.
The researchers created short videos for the people taking part. Some explain possible long-term risks of relying on common pain medicines such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, and discuss ways to manage pain while avoiding opioid use. Other videos demonstrate simple stretches and exercises aimed at the strain of lifting heavy plants or repeatedly bending and twisting while planting, weeding, fertilizing and trimming. The movements can be done at home or at work, with no equipment or everyday items such as rakes and tables.
The approach brings together exercise and changes to how work is done. Dunleavy said the combination is fairly new: earlier studies examined these types of support separately, but not together in this group. The team’s review of research, recently published in WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, also found a shortage of studies on workers in horticulture and seafood. While research has long documented back pain in physically demanding jobs, there has been little evidence on ways to address it in these sectors.
Early reports from participants offer a reason for cautious optimism. Workers said they had less difficulty with job tasks, better ability to function and less anxiety about back pain. The article also notes that participants who received text reminders to exercise showed a result, but the available source text cuts off before describing what it was, so the finding cannot yet be stated more precisely.
The World Health Organization describes low back pain as the most common musculoskeletal disorder and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Left untreated, it can contribute to anxiety, depression, addiction and people leaving work early. The Florida study is still underway, but its practical focus—brief lessons, simple movements and worksite adjustments—could give employers and workers options they can try within the demands of a busy day. Its final results may help show which supports are useful and how they can fit into the routines of the people who keep Florida’s nurseries and landscapes growing.