Tips to Manage Fibromyalgia at Work – SAPNA Pain Management Blog

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately two percent of Americans suffer from fibromyalgia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately two percent of Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. That equates to more than four million people dealing with generalized pain and fatigue on a daily basis as they live their lives. Many people with fibromyalgia go to work each day in physical and mental distress and must find ways of managing fibromyalgia that enables them to remain productive. Following are tips that could make working with fibromyalgia easier.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic, widespread pain and tenderness in several areas of the body…

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

One of the
difficulties associated with fibromyalgia is that there are so many different
symptoms people can experience, but all the symptoms can interfere with work in
some way. Following are some examples.

• Generalized pain and stiffness
  throughout the body makes it difficult to move, pick up boxes or sit for
  extended periods at a desk
• Tiredness or deep fatigue negatively
  impacts productivity and mental clarity
• Anxiety makes meeting deadlines and
  working on teams too challenging
• Brain fog and headaches impact
  mental acuity
• Digestive problems keep you
  uncomfortable and uneasy

Some people
work from home with fibromyalgia, and that makes it easier to minimize the effects
of the condition on the ability to work and reduces the need to interact with
other people while in pain. However, anyone with fibromyalgia must find ways to
manage the symptoms to live a quality life.

Tips for People Working with Fibromyalgia

According to the CDC, women are affected by fibromyalgia at a rate twice that of men. A study of women who were recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia found that symptoms quickly impacted workability. The percentage of employment dropped from 60 percent to 41 percent
within the first year of the diagnosis. The early impact of fibromyalgia on a person’s workability points to the importance of managing fibromyalgia pain as much as possible.

Following
are some tips for working with fibromyalgia.

1. Manage stress

Stress and fibromyalgia pain are related
in many patients. While at work, take breaks to move the body and clear the
mind. Take deep breaths while stretching at your work location or walking
around the building. Stretching eases muscle tension
caused by fibromyalgia.

2. Monitor the triggers of symptoms

Pay
attention to your tasks to determine which ones seem to trigger pain. You may
need to change a task sequence or location or ask your supervisor to help you
find ways to more easily manage physical tasks.

3. Take short breaks throughout the day

It is best
to take regular short breaks throughout the workday, even if not experiencing
severe fibromyalgia symptoms. This keeps muscles
stretched.

4. Ask to work from home

As of September 2021, 45 percent of full-time employees in the U.S. worked remotely part-time or full-time. Some jobs cannot be done remotely, but the statistics indicate that many can. You can talk to your manager about working from home one or two days a week. This gives you more flexibility as to when you work during the day and how often you can move around.

5. Wear comfortable clothing that suits the temperature

Being too
cold or too hot due to the weather or the temperature in the workplace can
trigger fibromyalgia symptoms. Wear clothing layers. That gives you the option
of wearing more or less clothing to avoid excessive sweating or shivering.

6. Create a comfortable work environment

People who
work in an office have opportunities to make their space more accommodating.
You can use a chair wedge to support the back and a headset on the phone to
prevent neck strain. Sit in an ergonomic chair, and always maintain good
posture. If your job requires a lot of standing, use an anti-fatigue mat and
sit down periodically to rest your body.

There are
more ways to manage fibromyalgia symptoms while at work. One is to avoid trying
to do too much in your personal life and causing a fibromyalgia flare that
impacts your ability to remain productive at work. It is also always important
to eat a healthy diet that provides a good balance of nutrients and to
establish a routine sleep pattern.

Fibromyalgia Worker Rights

One of the medical challenges that people with fibromyalgia face is that the cause of the syndrome has not been identified. This makes it difficult to prove that fibromyalgia is a disability that an employer must accommodate under the American Disabilities Act.

Your
employer may need a better understanding of the fibromyalgia condition and how
it can impact job performance when symptoms occur. It is always important to
get an official medical diagnosis from your doctor. You can share the diagnosis
and a brochure with your employer that explains fibromyalgia in more detail and
explain to Human Resources your specific mix of symptoms that create
limitations. In most cases, accommodations needed are not difficult to supply.
Most employers willingly help their employees succeed.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) groups accommodation ideas by a limitation or by a work-related function. You can make some of the accommodations yourself, as mentioned earlier. Your employer is very likely to be willing to help you as much as possible by providing things like ergonomic office furniture, anti-fatigue matting, periodic rest breaks, telework, natural lighting products, flexible scheduling and an adjustable workstation.

Careers for People with Fibromyalgia

Self-employment
as a freelancer is ideal for many workers with fibromyalgia because it means
being able to choose when and where you work. Some good
careers for fibromyalgia sufferers include:

• Office jobs
• Social work
• Tech worker
• Internet content writer
• Home school teacher
• Customer service representative
• Accountant
• Administrative assistant
• Real estate agent
• Independent contractor

The ideal
jobs have minimal stress, do not require repetitive movements or extensive
travel, offer scheduling flexibility and do not require long periods of
standing or sitting.

Complex but Manageable with the Help of Your Doctor

The complex
mix of fibromyalgia makes it challenging for sufferers to manage the condition
well enough that it minimally impacts work. The doctors at the Spine & Pain
Clinics of North America can offer treatment options to minimize spine
and musculoskeletal pain due to fibromyalgia and can design a pain care plan
that improves the quality of your life.

Sources

1. https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5759171/
3. https://news.gallup.com/poll/355907/remote-work-persisting-trending-permanent.aspx
4. https://askjan.org/disabilities/Fibromyalgia.cfm
5. https://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm