Arthritis burden grows with aging work force
Wellness programs can help delay disability
Almost one-third of workers with arthritis and 7% of all workers face significant work-related limitations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arthritis affects about 46 million Americans, or about one in five adults. It is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
The burden is expected to grow with the aging of the work force. Since women are more frequently affected than men, the impact in the health care industry will be significant. Injuries can predispose people to developing arthritis as they age, and nurses and other health care workers who experience strain in their shoulders and lower backs may be at risk, says Kristina Theis, MPH, an epidemiologist with CDC's Arthritis Program.
Employers can help employees cope with their arthritis and even prevent its progression through wellness programs, she says. Employers also may need to provide minor accommodations, Theis says. It may be as simple as rearranging a work station, she notes.
"We need to make sure workplaces are another place where people are supported in maintaining good health," Theis says.
Exercise and physical activity can help decrease pain and increase function, she says. At first, people with arthritis may feel sore after moving their joints.
"If you stick with it, the pain gets better because those muscles are strengthened and they take some of the pressure off the joints," Theis says. "It helps you stay more flexible."
Classes in self-management of arthritis can provide information on exercising safely, she says.
"It's very important for employees to have access to that kind of intervention," Theis says. "We'd like to think once employers know the impact this is having on the work force that they will be interested in [providing] this service."
Unfortunately, people with arthritis often feel there's nothing they can do about it.
"We continue to have evidence that people with arthritis minimize their symptoms or expect that it's a normal part of aging," Theis says. "They might not seek out medical care. It's usually when valued life activities are being impacted that people really start to think, 'Maybe there's something I can do about this.' At that point, there have been a lot of missed opportunities for intervening early on."
(Editor's note: More information on arthritis prevention and treatment is available from the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org, and CDC at www.cdc.gov/arthritis/intervention/index.htm. Information on work accommodations for people with arthritis is available from the Job Accommodation Network at www.jan.wvu.edu/media/Arthritis.html.)
Almost one-third of workers with arthritis and 7% of all workers face significant work-related limitations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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