How long can you work with fibromyalgia?

Regardless of where you work or the job duties you perform, it is perfectly normal to feel tired at the end of a long workweek. For most, though, resting for a day or two is sufficient to resolve fatigue. If you have fibromyalgia, though, no amount of rest might be enough.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fibromyalgia often comes with both excruciating muscle or joint pain and chronic fatigue. If your diagnosis is new, you may wonder how long you can work with the condition. Unfortunately, the answer may be not very long.

Your Access To Effective Treatments

Unlike many other disorders, fibromyalgia is not a progressive disease. This means your symptoms might not worsen, and you certainly are not likely to die from fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, your ability to work may depend on your access to effective treatments. While certain medications help some fibromyalgia patients, others are ineffective or have detrimental side effects.

Your Ability To Power Through

Early in your fibromyalgia journey, you may be able to power through your job duties, despite experiencing pain and fatigue. For most workers, though, this ability wanes over time. Indeed, it can be virtually impossible to try to be a productive employee while dealing with the condition.

Your Risk Of Suffering Additional Injuries

If you try to work with fibromyalgia, you might stand, walk, reach or lift in abnormal ways. While these movements may lessen your immediate fibromyalgia-related pain, they also can put you at risk of suffering additional injuries. That is, your coping movements might cause you to strain, stretch, pull or tear muscles and ligaments.

Ultimately, if working with fibromyalgia is too much for you, you should explore all your available options, such as filing for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.