Feel Your Best on the Job With Rheumatoid Arthritis


Jean Weiss



If you sit all day...




If you do repetitive movements...
Plan for daily break-ups of your tasks. “Pace yourself,” notes Dr. Gignac. “Change up the routine, take little breaks and rearrange the workflow so you don’t put repetitive strain on any one joint.” For example, break up long bouts of typing with other tasks, like returning phone calls. If your job requires assembling parts, ask if you can switch periodically with someone who does a different movement. If it’s feasible, using your non-dominant hand to do simple assembly can be helpful.

Brace yourself. Using hand, wrist or back braces can relieve pressure on muscles and nerves and act as a subtle reminder to maintain good posture.

Check your typing. When at the keyboard, your wrists should be in a neutral position, not flexed up or down. To check: Place your hand flat, palm down, on the desk. Adhere a adhesive bandage lengthwise (i.e., vertically) over the top of each wrist, and then move to your keyboard and type. If the bandage stretch or go slack, your wrists aren’t in a neutral position. 

Try a trackball mouse. If arthritis is affecting your hands and wrists, get a mouse with a tracking ball, says Dr. Gignac. This allows you to use your finger rather than your whole hand to move the cursor, reducing stress between your hand and forearm.

If you lift or carry heavy items...
Let wheels do the work! Use a trolley or pushcart and roll the items to where they need to go. Even a rollable desk chair can serve as an impromptu pushcart!

Batch it. Instead of waiting until you have a lot to carry at once, make more frequent trips and carry smaller batches. It’s also a great way to take a break from sitting or standing!

Outsource it. Don’t be shy about asking for help, Dr. Gignac says. Most of the people in her study enlisted co-workers to help with especially difficult lifting. 

If you stand all day...
First priority: a shoe check! “Make sure your shoes have good arch support,” says Dr. Gignac. “Look for a shoe made from leather that can stretch in all four directions, has cushioning and is comfortable for standing and walking around.” Have knee pain? A study in Arthritis Care & Research suggests the best option may be a light, flat sneaker or shoe with a flexible sole (the one tested by study participants was the Puma H Street sneaker). And skip the clogs and athletic shoes with thick soles or ones designed as “stability shoes”; those actually exert more weight on the knees.

Get a leg up. Raising one foot up on a stool, footrest or empty box, even for a few minutes, helps a lot of people who stand while they work, says Dr. Gignac. Alternate your feet every 15 minutes or so.

Extend your reach. If you have to do a lot of reaching, reorganize the workspace so the things you use most are at waist level, recommends Dr. Gignac. And use a grabber or reach extender (easily found with a web search) to retrieve the items that are on high or low shelves.

April 2013