How Your Knee Pain Affects the Rest of Your Health
Knee pain can seriously affect your quality of life, cause additional health problems, and even result in a permanent disability. Here’s what you need to know to safeguard your health.
Managing Your Arthritis at Your Desk Job
Arthritis pain can settle in your joints and back, making working a desk job difficult. Taking care of yourself properly while on the job can make all of the difference in how you feel when you finish work for the day.
Ajay Kumar, MD, and our team at New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center diagnose and treat arthritis for patients in and around Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Matamoras, Pennsylvania. We can help you find ways to keep your desk job from making your arthritis pain worse.
Working with arthritis
Nearly two-thirds of adults with arthritis are under age 65. This means quite a few arthritis patients are still working and having to manage their condition amid the challenges of their job — whether it’s manual labor or a desk job.
Sitting for long hours in one position can affect your health in a number of ways, especially if you have arthritis. Keeping your hips and knees bent in the same position reduces blood flow and puts constant tension on your joints, ligaments, and muscles and can cause stiffness and discomfort.
Tips to manage your arthritis at work
Understanding how your daily tasks affect your condition and learning how to manage arthritis in the workplace and beyond are critical to your well-being. Here are some tips that can help.
Take advantage of ergonomics
Ergonomics is all about fitting the job to the person, and it makes sense that if you’re in pain, the quality and quantity of your work will suffer. If you work for a big company your office may be able and willing to purchase desks, chairs, keyboards, and other equipment to make your days easier and more productive.
Adopt better posture
Make sure that your chair and desk are at the correct level. This means your feet should reach and sit flat against the floor without excessive bending of the knees; your back should be straight; your forearms and wrists should be even with the top of the desk; and your eyeline should be level with your computer screen.
Eat, drink, and take medications on time
Good health depends on regularly scheduled meals, adequate nutrition and hydration, and taking any needed medications on a regular schedule. Try not to work through your lunch break at your desk, and make sure to keep a water bottle within reach on your desk. If you take medications at midday, set an alarm so you don’t forget.
Trade smoke breaks for movement breaks
Toxins from smoking or vaping can build up in your connective tissues, increasing the joint pain caused by arthritis. If your workplace allows smokers to take breaks, take advantage of the time to move around and flex your joints. Your body will thank you when you’re done with work for the day.
Is your desk job causing your arthritis pain to increase? Contact New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center today for a consultation with Dr. Kumar to learn how to manage your condition more effectively and discuss possible treatments.
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