To ask to sit down at work?

[Lemononachair]

Have recently started a new job, very happy about this as I've been furloughed since March.

I've done 5 shifts so far and for 4 of those I've had intense pain in my left leg - sometimes the hip and/or ankle, sometimes the actual leg muscles too but it's primarily and most extreme in my knee. It seems to be a very deep, 'nerve' type pain within the knee itself which seems to radiate up and down the leg. Had no issues with my knees before this and my right leg is fine!

Job involves being on my feet all day and lots of walking around. 10hr shifts at the moment.

I've tried taking painkillers but nothing so far is helping and it's beginning to affect my ability to walk. I'm going to get a knee support and see if that helps but Wibu to ask if I can sit down at work when it's not busy? I don't want to be seen as lazy especially in such a new job but the pain is really intense and although it's not very busy right now, we are about to enter a potentially busy time at work. I don't think I'll be able to cope if I'm walking around on it all the time.

What should I do?

Look at your feet, if one of them is smaller when you put them together it may mean that your leg is slightly shorter too. Many people are not symmetrical and are smaller on one side.
If this is the case you may not be walking correctly so can look into this.

I have to wear more insoles in one shoe than the other in order to get them to fit, usually one and a half in one shoe. On that foot I also have toes that curl under. On the other foot my big toe wears a hole in the insole of my shoe as I kind of grip it with that toe. Take a good look at your feet and the way you walk, imprints in shoes from toes etc. It can affect the way you walk and stand.

Could you get one of those walking sticks that unfold a seat that you can perch on while working?

Sounds link sciatica. I get it in my leg all the way to my foot and in my arm to my hand. It’s nasty when it flares up.

I’ve suffered with severe sciatic pain for the last 15 years since I was 27. I have never heard of sciatica affecting the arm or hand!

Op- normally with sciatica it starts around the lower back/buttock area but not always and the pain tends to shoot down the back of the leg, often to the ankle and foot and it can affect the hip area too.

I had a bad knee out of the blue a couple of months ago to the point where I was in severe pain ( I’m already used to pain and it was quite bad ) and I ended up going to A and E who diagnosed an infected Patella Bursitis. I had never heard of it.

The doctor thinks that I possibly caused the damage by being on my hands and knees a
lot because at the time I was having work done in the house and was cleaning the floors etc. They said it’s quite common and gave me antibiotics for 2 weeks.

Like a pp said though, it could be that you’re working hard after a long break and it’s putting some strain on your joints and muscles. A compress bandage will help and even though I’m on very strong painkillers, Ibuprofen tends to be the most effective painkiller for this type of pain and you can buy the 400mg strength ones over the counter at a pharmacy.

Well done on your new job.

If it were me I’d phone the gp if the pains still there in a fortnight, who may suggest physio or something on the nhs. It’s affecting your ability to work. It’s important.

In the meantime knee support and support tights.

I’d be making a point of massaging my knee or obviously limping and sitting down holding it, so if anyone sees you they won’t say you’re lazy as you’ve already moaned about your knee and told them you’re waiting on a gp appointment so they’ll be more sympathetic than grumpy about you sitting down. ‘Poor OP, her knee is killing her’ rather than ‘bloody OP is a lazy cow, she’s been sat there every ten minutes while we’re all running around working’

Sounds like sciatica, the pain can radiate through your butt and down to your toes and cause your toes to go numb. The pain is very deep and unbearable but walking is supposed to help cure it and keep it at bay. But it sounds like you're already doing a lot of walking on your shifts so maybe it's something else.

Have you even tried your GP? Because just saying “they probably won’t see me” yet expecting to sit down at work as your only solution isn’t acceptable.

There is always stuff to do, particularly in hospitality, so no it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to sit down when finished in your section.

You need to actually see your GP, see what’s going on and then speak to management to see what solutions you can come up with.

Barefoot shoes would not be appropriate in your workplace.

they’ll be more sympathetic than grumpy about you sitting down. ‘Poor OP, her knee is killing her’

Elieza Doubtful. It’ll mostly be “oh god she’s moaning about her knee and putting on a display again”. They’ll think she’s being dramatic.

See an osteopath, mine has just started seeing people again, and Osteopaths cost around £45 for a session unless they are working out of a fancy centre that includes lots of other therapies as part of a session, that price is pretty much universal across the country.

I think asymmetrical pain is always a concern - get it checked out as soon as you get your pay packet (chiropractor or osteopath or physiotherapist - you'll have to pay - GP will just fob off with painkillers). And look at Hotter for shoes. They're expensive but they have good sales offers and their shoes last for ages.

I just wanted to give you some sympathy OP as you seem to be getting a lot of 'tough luck' answers. I would definitely try and do something about it, doctors/exercise/physio whatever. I struggle to stand for long periods, but am so much better if I have strong core muscles. This stuff does make a difference!

But also try and think creatively about can you adapt things to let you have a quick sit to give you relief. I don't know what you do, but say it was stacking shelves, I'd use a kick stool to sit on when doing the lower ones. It would also let me stretch out my back while stacking, just by varying movement. That sort of thing.

Doing the same thing all day, whether it's sitting, standing or walking is tough on the body and I actually think we should be trying to help people vary their movements. We damage ourselves over time otherwise.

I do 10 hour shifts and use to get lower back pain and my feet hurt but I now have cushioned soles and this works better

I have sciatica on my left side. I have always had it but made worse carrying babies on the inside and outside.

Most the time it has been fine but I usually see a masseuse who helps to ease my muscles. Since he has been closed it's got alot worse and I get more flare ups.

Someone mentioned one leg being shorter than the other. I had this and a chiropractor twisted me round and popped all my spine and bones this really helped and realigned my hips and legs.

I use Emu oil which is better than deep heat (can also get udder mint which is used on cows) rub that in for a few nights and it seems to ease any pain.

I also keep moving and stretching. Look up the cat back stretch. Touching toes. This is good to do after a hot bath or shower when the muscles are warm.

In the meantime speak to a doctor. They can refer you for physio, some of which are doing video calls

When you are at work get some of those stick on heat patches you can put on under your clothes to keep the area warm. And if you have a microwave take a heat pack to put on during breaks. Try and stretch when you can

Being in pain and it affecting your work is important, please speak to your GP! They will be able to give you decent painkillers and refer you to NHS physio. You probably will need to do exercises to strengthen the right parts of your body and that takes a while to work, so painkillers keep you going in the mean time. Sometimes it is just time that's needed!

I saw a private physio for my sciatica and hip pain, but they were too gung ho and made things worse. Manipulation/massage might help in the short term, but correcting what is causing the problem in the first place is the only real fix and that takes consistent work, probably by you doing prescribed exercises. It's definitely what worked for me with the help of free NHS physiotherapy.

Please read up about chiropractors before you go down that route, there are a lot of people who think it's at best ineffective and at worst dangerous.