Joint pain is one of the more common afflictions of human beings, especially older people. It is also one which people do not like to discuss for fear of repercussions. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of joint pain conflicting with employment. Joint pain causes many people to hide their disability from their employer, but there is no need to do it and in fact, it's a bad idea to do it. Instead, you should try to manage your joint pain and your employment at the same time, mostly by being careful, honest, and knowledgeable about your rights and obligations.
Most people when faced with joint pain early on will deny it, for fear that if they cannot work as well as they used to, they will be fired. This doesn't have to be the case however. As long as your employer is honest, sees your value, and is willing to make some accommodations for you, you should tell your employer about your joint pain before it gets too bad. This way, things like changes in seating, extra breaks, and other small accommodations can be arranged.
This scenario hinges on a few things however. First of all, the size of the company; larger companies are better able to handle disabled workers than small ones. Secondly, your supervisor or employer; one which is considerate, a problem solver and sees your value is more likely to help than one which just wants continuous output. Finally, it hinges on your behaviour. If you show that you are willing to work just as hard as ever, you are more likely to keep your job. Make sure to pay attention to your workplace before you bring things up with your employer and make sure you lay the foundations to prove that you will work hard to make up for the joint pain in whatever way you can.
Some jobs though just can't be done if you have severe joint pain; heavy lifting for example or hours on the computer. But if you show that you are willing to meet your employer half way, you can usually work out something that allows you to stay employed and remain useful.
Remember too that as a disabled person, you do have basic rights to reasonable allowances made by your employer. For example, giving you support for your wrists if you type a lot or making certain that you can access pain pills are reasonable things to request and should not get you fired. If your employer is being unreasonable, you can redress the issue in a court of law. Never feel as though you have to put up with joint pain in order to keep making money.
Joint pain does not have to mean the end of your employment, but it does mean that you have to be creative about how you juggle your pain and your workload. Make sure to deal with your employer as honestly as possible and that you will be able to come to an agreement with your employer that will benefit everybody. In this way, you should be able to work without further pain to your joints.
