How to continue working with tremor?

How tremor affects the work sphere of your life is a highly ambiguous and individual question: some people can continue working for many years without significant changes, while others find that the progression of the disease complicates their work activities. In this article, we will discuss how to organize your workspace if you have a tremor.

In the office:

1. Install protection on the keyboard to prevent damage.
2. Install several handrails in areas where the risk of falling is highest (e.g., bathroom).
3. Request a work phone with a speakerphone function.
4. Use a voice recognition and voice-to-text conversion app on your smartphone and computer.
5. Make your workspace as comfortable as possible: remove unnecessary items from the desk, old documents, or stationery that you might accidentally knock over. We recommend getting a comfortable chair with soft armrests.

In the surrounding workspace:

1. Try to find the nearest parking to your workplace if you drive a car.
2. Try to limit the amount of movement at work.
3. If automatic doors are available, prefer using them.
4. If possible, organize work to minimize tasks requiring physical strength, fine motor skills, and precise coordination. Use voice assistants (such as Alexa and similar).

If you feel tired at work:

1. Set aside time to rest during the workday. With a regulated schedule, discuss with your employer the possibilities of reducing or redistributing work hours throughout the day, for example, by using the time allocated for lunch.
2. Fatigue can occur due to an increase in the amount of information received during the workday. Avoid working in distracting environments: background TV or radio; colleagues talking on the phone can significantly reduce your productivity. If it’s not possible to eliminate these factors, calm, quiet music in headphones can help you concentrate on work.

Emotional State Among Colleagues:

1. Be emotionally open with your colleagues. Share what you are facing, and you may find solutions to individual problems through joint efforts.
2. You can inform your colleagues about the medication schedule or put up sticky notes in visible places – this way you minimize the chances of missing the next dose of medication.
3. Try to avoid multitasking. Stress can exacerbate tremor symptoms, reducing the quality of work tasks and increasing the risk of injury.

Please note that proper conservative treatment under a doctor’s supervision reduces symptoms and increases the duration of a quality, productive life.

If the prescribed conservative treatment does not help, you should seek a consultation and clarify the diagnosis . Movement disorders sometimes mimic each other, and ineffective treatment may indicate the need to clarify the diagnosis and deepen the diagnostics.

If treatment is not effective enough, there are surgeries to eliminate stiffness and tremor. Reducing these symptoms can help continue working, support the family, advance in a career, do what you love, and achieve self-realization.

Some procedures for the treatment of tremor or Parkinson’s disease do not require anesthesia, incisions, and are performed without the need for hospitalization.