knee pain and muscle aches

Nurses Disabilities

Published

Hi All, I am a newbie to this post. I am so glad I found this website as it will help me with the support I need. Anyway, I am 34 yrs old. Have always wanted to be a nurse since the age of 12. I have always worked to support my children being a single mom and never could go to Nursing School. I did start taking prereqs 5 yrs ago and finally finished and got accepted into the Nursing program. The problem is I have severe osteoarthritis of my knees due to me being severely knock kneed which leaves me in a lot of pain at times. I take Naproxen along with Tylenol codein which makes me dizzy at times. I will eventually need to have a TKR, but with my age I am trying to wait as long as I can and get some of my weight down. I also tend to have muscle aches due to being stiff. I cant stand nor sit for long periods of time. I am supposed to start the program Jan 2011, but having doubts. I was told that I can get accommodations like frequent breaks, use of a folding stool, but still unsure. I get depressed all the time, because I have made it this far, yet dont know what to do. Please help me and give me advice and opinions.

0 Votes
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I would take advantage of the accomodations available to you. That said, I think you're making the right decision in trying to lose weight - that will definitely help with the arthritis.

Has your physician recommended physical therapy? I've had some pts say that water therapy has been very helpful for arthritis pain.

I would be leery of taking narcotics while in school/work - in many states this is not allowed so I would look to solutions that would be non-narcotic.

0 Votes
Specializes in PCCN.

I am having problems with my knees , although opposite( genu varus) and was offered high tibial osteotomy to buy time before replacements- as mine are unilateral OA. Thing is, I have been a nurse for 6 years now. I will tell you where I work they make NO accomidations for my situation. I couldnt work as a floor nurse any more as I was constantly torquing my knees, and hauling up 400 lb pts in bed didnt help either. There were some times we would not get any lunch break at all, and forget about sit breaks or anything. Its pretty pathetic when you have the elderly patients say they feel sorry for you when they see you limping in to help them.

So I moved to a different area of work- which could equate to a bit of OR type nursing. Well, no sitting down there either- actually there are times I am standing for 4 hours straight. And there I am limping again after the case . Have tried pain management- gotten many many cortisone shots- even got one of those weight transfer braces- but the brace holds me back. I dont dare take any pain meds while im at work. heaven forbid I make a mistake.

So I am in a current position of deciding do I do the surgery, do I find a doc who will do the replacements, is there another area of nursing that might be more suitable/flexible. I am the one carrying the mtg and health insurance- working part time not an option.

I dont mean to say these things to scare you away- I am just saying a reality one nurse is having right now. No one knows the future. I'd say keep going to school, keep lowering the load- and maybe you could get your replacements and do just fine by the time you are done with school. Or maybe you will get an awesome doable job out of school. Best wishes to you.

0 Votes

Thanks for your input. I have had physical therapy so many times that I cant even count anymore. I have had several cortizone shots that just dont help anymore. My last resort is to lose about 20 pounds and have a knee replacement. My doctor said it is okay for the first TKR, however for the second, it's not promising. I feel that while I'm still young my quality of life is better than waiting until i'm too old. Who knows how long we will live anyway. I am thinking of starting the program in Jan 2011 and get the TKR done in the summer. JRWest, may I ask why you didnt receive any accommodations? Your job is suppose to give accommodations by law, I thought??? You take care also and good luck.

0 Votes
Specializes in PCCN.

Hi- I guess some of the problem is that my pcp has not deemed me disabled. Also, where I work the only sit/ stand job that I've seen is that of a case manager, and that requires a BSN, which I do not have. So this means I bet they wouldnt be able to provide me with a job. All other jobs there require patient contact/ care. I'm still in the "I dont know what to do " stage.Actually, this latest exacerbation that I've had has gotten me thinking- maybe I better go back and finish that BSN> I know there are nursing jobs out there that might be suitable, but not with an associates degree. I even thought maybe an IT concentration- I hear nurse informatics is up and coming, and I'm sure that has a mix of standing and sitting. Theres also another factor I'm looking into- the tibial osteotomy. That supposedly will buy a few years before needing a knee replacement. I was just reading you can't kneel with knee replacements, but there are times I do have to kneel on the floor( to get under drapes, or to feed a patient in a chair, empty foleys, etc). I guess the tibial osteotomy would allow for kneeling.

I guess my question would be - are there any nurses here who have had any accomodations by their employer? maybe post that in a general section for more answers hopefully.

Anyhow- best wishes to you momof3s

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment