Facts about Spinal Stenosis 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. Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spine narrows, creating a lot of pressure on the spinal cord and nerves in the spine. 2. Spinal stenosis only causes symptoms once it causes pressure on the spine and nerves. At that point, symptoms begin gradually and progress with time. 3. Symptoms include leg pain and cramps due to compressed nerves in the lower back, pain in the hip and back that radiates downwards, numbness or weakness in the legs or feet, loss of balance, and loss of control over the bladder and bowels. If bladder or bowel function is lost it is considered severe nerve compression that constitutes a medical emergency. 4. There are two types of spinal stenosis, primary and acquired. Primary spinal stenosis is a condition present from infancy, and is not nearly as common as acquired. Acquired spinal stenosis develops in adulthood, usually due to degeneration in the spine caused by age. Stenosis is most common among people over 50. 5. Other than regular degeneration, stenosis can come from herniated disks, stiffening and thickening of the ligaments, or tumors in the spinal cord area. Injury or trauma may result in stenosis as well. 6. Disorders that may lead to spinal stenosis include Paget disease, achondroplasia and skeletal fluorosis. 7. Paget disease causes new bone growth to occur more rapidly than normal, making bones soft, weak, deformed or too large. When Paget disease affects the spinal bones, stenosis may occur. 8. Achondroplasia causes limited bone growth, causing small, short bones and a narrow spinal canal that leads to stenosis. 9. Skeletal fluorosis is a bone disease that may cause bone to deteriorate due to fluoride levels in the body. A side effect is stenosis. While rare in North America, this condition affects millions of people overall, worldwide. 10. Treatment usually includes over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers, therapy exercises, modified activity, back braces, and steroid injections. In severe cases surgery becomes necessary. 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: Arachnoiditis and Filing for Disability Transverse Myelitis and Filing for Disability Spinal Stenosis and Filing for Disability Curved Spinal Conditions and Filing for Disability Scoliosis and Filing for Disability Spina Bifida and Filing for Disability Syringomelia and Filing for Disability Chiari Malformation and Filing for Disability Meningitis and Filing for Disability Laminectomy and Filing for Disability Narrowing of the Spine from Spinal Stenosis and Filing for Disability Eligibility and Qualifications for Disability in Illinois Disability denial in Illinois, when to get a lawyer |
