Facts about Frozen Shoulder and Filing for DisabilityThese selected pages answer some of the most basic, but also some of the most important, questions for individuals who are considering filing a claim for disability benefits. Facts about the condition 1) Frozen shoulder is what happens when the shoulder becomes so inflamed and painful that it cannot move freely and is therefore frozen. 2) Frozen shoulder can happen without cause (or cause unknown), or it can be caused by inflammation due to shoulder surgery or trauma, a broken arm, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, open heart surgery or cervical disk disease of the neck. Anything that causes inflammation of the shoulder can cause frozen shoulder. It is also caused by having your arm in a cast, sling, or being unable to move your shoulder for a long period of time due to immobilization. 3) Pain and stiffness in the shoulder, and the inability to move one's shoulder or decreased motion in the shoulder, are symptoms of frozen shoulder. 4) The three stages of frozen shoulder are: the painful stage (pain), the frozen stage (inability to move freely), and the thawing stage (movement begins to return). Frozen shoulder usually runs it entire course and resolves within a two-year period. 5) Although there are no certain tests to diagnose frozen shoulder, it is usually fairly easy to diagnose due to symptoms. At times an MRI or X-ray will be used to rule out other causes. 6) Frozen shoulder is most often treated with NSAID medications, steroid injections, and physical therapy. Severe cases may call for surgery to discharge scar tissue and loosen tight ligaments. 7) For reasons unknown, frozen shoulder is most often found in people over 40, and nearly 70 percent of all cases of frozen shoulder are in women. 8) It is thought that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and acupuncture can both be helpful for those suffering from frozen shoulder. TENS may help release endorphins and acupuncture may stimulate energy in the body that releases pain. These complementary and alternative treatments may be used in conjunction with painkillers and physical therapy. Qualifying for disability benefits with this condition Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements and treatment notes that may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It also includes discharge summaries from hospital stays, reports of imaging studies (such as xrays, MRIs, and CT scans) and lab panels (i.e. bloodwork) as well as reports from physical therapy. In many disability claims, it may also include the results of a report issued by an independent physician who examines you at the request of the Social Security Administration.
Qualifying for SSD or SSI benefits will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. In the case of adults, your work history information will allow a disability examiner (examiners make decisions at the initial claim and reconsideration appeal levels, but not at the hearing level where a judges decides the outcome of the case) to A) classify your past work, B) determine the physical and mental demands of your past work, C) decide if you can go back to a past job, and D) whether or not you have the ability to switch to some type of other work. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities).
Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? There are several reasons but here are just two: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant's disability attorney or disability representative will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge. Note: it is not enough for a doctor to simply state that their patient is disabled. To satisy Social Security's requirements, the physician must list in what ways and to what extent the individual is functionally limited. For this reason, many representatives and attorneys request that the physician fill out and sign a specialized medical source statement that captures the correct information. Solid Supporting statements from physicians easily make the difference between winning or losing a disability case at the hearing level. 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. This is because at the initial levels of the disability system, a disability examiner decides the case without meeting the claimant. The examiner may contact the claimant to gather information on activities of daily living and with regard to medical treatment or past jobs, but usually nothing more. At the hearing level, however, presenting an argument for approval based on medical evidence that has been obtained and submitted is exactly what happens. About the Author: Tim Moore is a former Social Security Disability Examiner in North Carolina, has been interviewed by the NY Times and the LA Times on the disability system, and is an Accredited Disability Representative (ADR) in North Carolina. For assistance on a disability application or Appeal in NC, click here. Most popular topics on SSDRC.com Social Security Disability in North Carolina Common Mistakes to avoid after being denied for Disability Tips to Prepare for Filing for Social Security Disability or SSI Advice to Win SSD and SSI Benefit Claims Social Security Disability SSI Questions What is the difference between Social Security Disability and SSI? How to get disability for depression Getting disability for fibromyalgia SSI disability for children with ADHD What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI? Social Security Disability SSI Exam tips More Social Security Disability SSI Questions What makes you eligible for Social Security Disability or SSI? Related Body System Impairments: Frozen Shoulder and Filing for Disability Rotator Cuff Injury and Filing for Disability Plantar Fasciitis and Filing for Disability Hip replacement surgery and Filing for Disability Total Hip Replacement and Filing for Disability Hypermobility and Filing for Disability Foot Drop and Filing for Disability ACL injury and Filing for Disability Post Polio Syndrome and Filing for Disability Osteoporosis and Filing for Disability Osteomyelitis and Filing for Disability Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Filing for Disability Marfan Syndrome and Filing for Disability Muscular Dystrophy and Filing for Disability Avascular Necrosis and Filing for Disability If you apply for disability in Kentucky Disability Lawyer Kentucky |
