My Job Was a Pain in My Arthritic Hips

I don’t like sitting on my butt. I quit my last job in August in part because it required me to do just that, sometimes for 70 hours a week. While sitting down is a pleasure for most people, it has become increasingly painful for me due to my degenerating hip joint.

I did try to fix the situation before I put on my walking shoes. About a year into the job, I asked our human resources contact for help making my workstation more bearable. I thought maybe a simple drafting table and a stool to perch on (to redistribute the weight of my hip and keep my groin stretched) would suffice, since doctors say that sitting with my hip bent for prolonged period is bad for my conditions.

She gave a quick “no” and floored me with her argument: “I don’t know that you’ll be working here that long.” I bit my tongue. Hard.

A couple of years later—at the same job, thank you—a sympathetic and handy coworker and two interns swooped into the room to rig my desk by raising the surface higher and wheeling in a stool.

Still the hip pain persisted. It wasn’t quite right—the angle was off and the stool had wheels, so I had to strain my pelvis to keep my seat from rolling out from under me. The company, while accommodating with my medical leave, would not pull in an ergonomist to help make my workdays bearable, even post-op.

So after two hip surgeries and four years of dedication to the company, I quit my job.

I’ve always felt like a whiner when I mentioned my pain to others, particularly coworkers, but I’m hardly suffering alone. One study reported that one in three arthritis sufferers encounter problems at work, ranging from absenteeism and lower productivity to job loss and lower income.

What do all these people do? I’m 34, living in an expensive city, trying to buy a home, hoping to someday afford to raise kids, and nowhere near retirement. Being absent, unproductive, jobless, and broke aren’t options for me.

I regret that I didn’t push harder at my last job. But I now realize that not all employers are the same—some are more sympathetic than others. If I had to do it over again, I would arm myself with scientific and medical info to get HR on my side, conduct more research to see what furnishings might alleviate my pain, and insist on getting help.

Has pain ever kept you from being productive at work? What did you do about it?