1. Social Security Disability
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  3. What Medical Conditions Qualify For Social Security Disability?
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  5. Musculoskeletal Disorders That Qualify For Social Security Benefits

Musculoskeletal Disorders That Qualify For Social Security Benefits

The Social Security Administration will evaluate a applicants condition and determines whether or not a claimant qualifies for Social Security disability benefits using the Blue Book rules. Disabling conditions are classified in the Blue Book into fourteen major groups. Each of these categories delves into the fundamental requirements for disability benefits eligibility. The first category encompasses musculoskeletal problems.

While the Blue Book recognizes a variety of separate causes of musculoskeletal diseases (including inheritance, injury, and disease), the SSA is more concerned with the amount to which the impairment impairs your ability to conduct meaningful employment. The Blue Book’s rules for assessing disability claims involving musculoskeletal problems are largely concerned with how the impairment impairs your ability to move, complete tasks, and focus on a job.

The SSA classifies musculoskeletal illnesses as follows:

Amputations – To qualify for Social Security disability, two limbs must be amputated (though you may qualify with one amputated limb in many cases). In some situations, you will need to demonstrate that prosthetic equipment cannot be utilized to assist you in returning to work.
Fractures – In rare situations, fractures may qualify you for disability payments, but you must be able to demonstrate that the fracture is projected to render you unable to work for a year or more.
Joints. Knee, hip, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and wrist disorders – Are evaluated based on their impact on your ability to walk, push, pull, stand, sit, lift, and perform fine motor skills. The SSA will review your ability to work with reasonable accommodation.
Spine – The SSA is examining if a spinal disease impairs your ability to move, do routine work duties, stand, sit, or concentrate.

You will need to demonstrate that you have been treated by a physician for the majority of musculoskeletal disorders. Medical imaging (X-ray, CAT scan, or MRI, for example) is widely regarded as one method of establishing impairment. You may also be required to undertake a battery of physical tests, depending on the type of musculoskeletal disease.

Numerous musculoskeletal disorders improve with time. To be eligible for Social Security disability payments, you must establish that your disability has lasted or is expected to persist at least twelve months. It is critical for persons receiving disability payments for musculoskeletal disorders to maintain contact with their doctors. The SSA will assess whether you have been adhering to prescribed therapies and their effect on your condition.

The following is a list of specific conditions that fall within the category of musculoskeletal system evaluation:

  • Amputation
  • Anterior Poliomyelitis
  • Syndrome Apert
  • Necrosis of the Avascular Veins
  • Bone Spurs in the Back
  • Bursitis
  • Syndrome of the Carpal Tunnel
  • Club Deformity of the Foot
  • Syndrome of the Cubital Tunnel
  • Disk Degeneration
  • Joint Degeneration
  • Dwarfism
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Femur, Tibia, or Pelvis Fracture
  • Upper Extremity Fracture
  • Gout
  • Hernia
  • Disc Herniation
  • Hip Pain and Complicated Conditions
  • Replacement of the Hip
  • Arthritis Inflammatory
  • Joint Ache
  • Pain in the Knee and Related Disorders
  • Replacement of the Knee
  • Birth Weight Is Insufficient
  • Stenosis of Lumbar Spine
  • Lyme Illness
  • Compression of a Joint’s Nerve Roots Causes Significant Dysfunction
  • Dystrophy of the Musculature
  • Neck Pain and Neck Complications
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Osteomalacia
  • Osteoporosis \sParalysis
  • Syndrome of the Piriformis
  • Disorder of the Reflex Sympathetic Nervous System
  • Arthritis Rheumatoid
  • Disc Rupture
  • Scoliosis
  • Shoulder Discomfort and Shoulder Disorders
  • Replacement of the Shoulder
  • Injuries to Soft Tissue (Burns)
  • Spina Bifida Spina Bifida
  • Arachnoiditis of the Spine
  • Injury to the spinal cord
  • Fusion of the Spine
  • Disorders of the Spine
  • Torn ACL Disease of Undifferentiated and Mixed Connective Tissue
  • Whiplash