I would be grateful to hear of any tips for managing pain whilst at work.

[disney-girl]

[Hidden]

Hi disney-girl,

I don't know if you've found these already, but there's a couple of things on our website that are about pain and work - an episode of the radio show, and an article called '10 tips for returning to work'.

Find them at painconcern.org.uk/tag/working. Hope this helps.

[Londoner]

hi - in my experiences, it's important to let colleagues know about your condition, where relevant. i tried to keep my pain 'hidden' at work and found it hard to say no to people who asked me to do tasks that flared up my pain. now i am more assertive and colleagues are more aware and understanding. i just wish that i'd taken this approach earlier as pushing myself at work has made my pain much worse + now i'm much less able to do my job = vicious cycle!

[disney-girl in reply to Londoner]

Hi, I totally get what you mean! I have recently returned after an 8 week absence. I now know that things need to change and I need to be allowed to pace. I used to go home totally exhausted from pretending that a) I was able to perform at the same level as everyone else and b) that I wasn't in pain. I just couldn't keep 'the show' up. I am now in the position where I am thinking I will have to reduce my hours, else find a job that i can do. Mentally, I'm just not ready to give it all up!

[Londoner in reply to disney-girl]

sorry to hear that. are your managers/colleagues supportive? i also spoke to a Disability Employment Adviser from the Job Centre who clarified my rights + the employers responsibilities regarding 'reasonable adjustments' in the workplace, which can include flexible hours etc. If your employer needs persuading, your GP can sign a note recommending changes to working patterns etc.

i didn't work for a year after my injury. After significant improvement, I was desperate to work again, but i bit off more than i could chew by working full time with a long commute, instead of doing something part time locally.

keen to stay in work, i buried my head in the sand whist my pain and mobility worsened - and now face the prospect of having to stop working again. Oh, the wonders of hindsight

[johnsmith]

There are no tips. Each condition of pain is different. You can only start by learning to observe yourself. There are tools for doing this.

Alexander Technique lessons from an Alexander Teacher of at least ten years experience.

Join a local Buddhist group which practice Meditation and mindfulness. Contact the London Buddhist Centre who can give contact details.

In managing pain it is the subtleties which are often important. These subtleties take time to learn. In my case after a road traffic accident it took me three years to realise that massive pain in my upper arm was due to something I did with my neck. I found that having an injury left me with far fewer mental resources and I had to be very careful not to overdo stress. Everyone has a stress breakdown point. I found that it was important to determine my new stress breakdown limits and study it in a variety of situations. Having done this I was able to make sensible decisions as to how to handle my pain.

[disney-girl in reply to johnsmith]

Thanks, that is really helpful. Been doing the whole mindfulness thing. But what yo say about having far fewer mental resources is something which I had not considered before - what you say makes perfect sense.