What's it like to work with osteoarthritis? The research using real-life stories to drive change

There have been plenty of studies looking at osteoarthritis and employment, but many of these focus on surveys and data.  

Because of this, they sometimes fail to understand the real-life thoughts and feelings of people with osteoarthritis and their struggles in the workplace.  

A recent study by Dr Angela Ching and Professor Yeliz Prior hopes to change that by bringing the voices of working people living with osteoarthritis into the spotlight.  

Funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work, this research highlights the challenges people with osteoarthritis face at work and the support that could help them.

Speaking to 15 different people with arthritis, three key topics were formed: 

How osteoarthritis impacts how people work and how they self-manage at work

The interviewees explained how osteoarthritis affects their work and how they manage their symptoms in the workplace.  

While they used pain medication and stayed active, many felt that they couldn’t really manage their joint pain if their work needed them to use their painful joints.  

They also worried about their work performance and said that work stress often spilt over into their home lives.  

For example, Jay Jay, 54, who is a healthcare administrator, said: “I was finding it too much just working full-time. I spend the weekend just feeling [like] I've absolutely had it, and really dreading going back the whole week’.” 

The interviewees also said that their condition sometimes interrupted or got in the way of their work. For example, they might be unable to take on extra responsibilities or would lose time at work because they need to take more frequent breaks.  

Support or lack of support at work  

The difference between a ‘good’ job and a ‘great’ job often boils down to your manager and the support they offer you.  

Many people in the study said that having a good relationship with their manager affected whether they felt comfortable talking about their condition at work. It also impacted whether they asked for flexible working and adaptations. 

Jay, 64, who is a warehouse officer said: “I had one manager…she was brilliant, I could talk to her, I could tell her when I needed to go to the clinic, she'd give me time off, and she was very, very supportive.”  

During the interviews, many of the interviewees spoke about how workplace accommodations or adaptations helped them stay in employment. For example, they might pace themselves, adapt tasks or use ergonomic equipment. 

John, 57, Production Manager and Mechanical Engineer, said they adapted how they worked to make things easier. “When I'm using measuring equipment to measure parts, you have to use your thumb and forefinger quite a lot,” they explained. 

“If I have to do that probably for about an hour, I find that…at the end of the day it's quite achy, so rather than doing that all in one go, I'll probably spread that…so I don't get that pain’.”  

When asked about sick leave, some said that were hesitant to take more sick days in case they were penalised, or their role was questioned. 

Some interviewees also said they didn’t want to change jobs because they worried that they might be discriminated against if they disclosed their health condition.  

Importance of getting support from their healthcare team  

In this study, many people with osteoarthritis had mixed feelings when asked if they felt supported by their clinicians. Some felt there was a lack of support and follow-up advice.  

Boris, 45, who is Fire Station Watch Manager, said: “I would have liked to see a bit more, ‘why don't you try this going forward?’, or ‘have you thought about trying this’?"

Meanwhile, Anna said they were “disappointed with the GP” when they first went but they found a joint pain programme helpful.  

“I did find one wonderful thing, a 12-week joint pain programme…£2 a session, you go and use the gym and you do exercises and that was quite good because I met other people with similar things in the hips or bad knees, so that was really quite good.”  

What does this mean?

Overall, the study highlights how people living with arthritis should be at the heart of research. It also shows that we need better understanding, education, and support for working people living with osteoarthritis, as well as their colleagues and employers.  

“Working-age people with osteoarthritis struggle at work due to joint pain,” said Professor Yeliz.  

“Access to treatment, patient education and work support received largely varied and was not sufficient. It’s clear that we have a lot of work to do to improve employers’ understanding of how osteoarthritis impact work participation.  

“We also need to upskill health professionals towards a positive change in attitudes to the treatment and management of osteoarthritis to promote access to lifestyle interventions. 

“Additionally, we need to increase people with osteoarthritis’ awareness of their rights at work and widen access to the workplace support available to increase health and well-being at work to maintain employment.” 

Dr Angela Ching said: "We’re grateful to the participants who gave their time to share their experiences with us, which has provided invaluable insight into this area.” 

What we’re doing to help  

With the right support, many people with arthritis can continue to work and thrive in their careers. 

To help, Versus Arthritis and the Nuffield Foundation are committing £1.94mn of funding to six new research projects that aim to improve the well-being and working lives of people with musculoskeletal conditions. 

We have also commissioned the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) to help us identify gaps in training and resources for employers and workplace professionals to better support people with arthritis in work. 

While working with osteoarthritis (OA) can be challenging, having information on your rights to reasonable adjustments within work, being aware of the Access to Work scheme and the support of your employer can make a huge difference.  

If you need advice or information, you can also contact our Helpline and online community.