If you have back pain, you know that it’s a major problem that can be incredibly painful. The harm back pain causes can stop you from doing the things that you love as well as the things that allow you to live nicely. You might be wondering if you can qualify for disability benefits because of your injury. Well, the disorders you’re experiencing (or the injuries you’ve sustained) have a specific set of criteria which is different for each of the qualified disorders.
The qualifications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) as per the Social Security Administration (SSA) Blue Book are fairly straightforward. You must have symptoms showing a compromised nerve root or spinal cord. Officially, the Blue Book lists three specific disorders: nerve root compression itself (usually caused by a herniated disc), spinal arachnoiditis, or lumbar spinal stenosis. While other disorders and pain can occur (which may still qualify you if it equates to these symptoms), these are what the SSA recognizes and have codified.
Nerve root compression (also known as radiculopathy) is, basically, a pinched nerve in your back that leads to pain, tingling or burning, inability to effectively control your muscles, and sciatica. While the first three symptoms are common to most spinal disorders, the sciatica is unique to nerve root compression. It involves pain of various forms related to the sciatic nerve, which is in the area around the buttocks and legs, and usually affects the legs and feet.
To qualify you for SSDI, your symptoms must include pain, limited motion in your spine, muscle weakness and related sensory or reflex loss. If the nerve root compression involves your lower back, you must also test positive on a straight-leg raising test (both seated and laying flat).
The straight-leg raising test is used to check for herniated discs or other issues with the lower back. It’s performed while you are either sitting or laying down. The doctor raises your legs and looks for certain reflexive reactions and pain while he or she raises your legs. If the reaction occurs within a certain range of angles, you test positive.
The arachnoid is a membrane in your spine that protects your central nervous system’s nerves. Arachnoiditis is the inflammation of that membrane caused by viruses, bacteria, chemicals, spinal injuries, chronic compression of the nerves in your spine, or complications from previous back surgery.
This inflammation can cause the nerves to stick together and create an incredible amount of pain. The problem with this condition is that the MRI doesn’t always show the severity of the pain that you’re suffering. What might look mild on a scan could turn out to be something more, especially if the nerves are sticking together.
To qualify for SSDI with this condition, certain criteria must be met. You must have an official confirmed diagnosis, whether by biopsy or by MRI, and you must have either burning pains or painful dysesthesia (abnormal sensations) which make you change position more than once per two hours.
Lumber spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal. This narrowing creates a restriction that can create neurological problems as well as paraesthesia (the pins and needles feeling you get when your limbs “fall asleep”), loss of motor control, numbness, and pain.
Lumbar stenosis can compress nerve roots, creating one of the other qualifying conditions for SSDI and exhibiting the same symptoms (sciatica, pain, limited motor control, and muscle weakness). To qualify for SSDI, your stenosis must be accompanied by a condition called pseudoclaudication, which has similar symptoms to sciatica but has a different cause.
If you’re having problems, go see your doctor immediately. The complexities of these conditions means that without a qualified medical specialist, you won’t have many clues as to what condition you actually have. The overlap between the disorders and the conditions that injury can cause is so great that without radiography and medical attention, you might never figure out what, in particular, the problem is.
Additionally, while there are only three conditions that are automatically qualified, other conditions that cause the same symptoms can qualify you for SSDI. Getting medical help is a good start towards finding out what your solutions are. If after seeing a doctor you feel as though you should be receiving SSDI benefits, call a professional that can sort through these kinds of claims. The process here can be incredibly complex, so let someone familiar with the claims process assist you.