three asthmatic oxen yoked together

We have twenty-two baby trees in our yard with supporting poles. The poles are three inches in diameter and sunk 3-4 feet into the ground. After two full years of growing, it was time to remove the poles. The trick was to loosen them before gripping low and heaving upward. In my exuberance to be a good 'pioneer wife' I forgot the adage: "lift with your legs, not your back." I don't think I helped with more than seven or eight poles (out of forty-four) but the damage was done. I had strained m...