Social Security Disability
Spinal Cord Injury
Probably the single most common complaint heard by Drummond Disability, from individuals seeking assistance with their disability claims is related to some type of problem with their spinal cord or back.
Usually spinal cord or back injuries occur in three categories:
- Developmental Damage
- Traumatic Damage
- Disease Processes
In Developmental situations, there is a natural deterioration of the vertebrae around the spine such as arthritis or degenerative disc disease.
In the case of Traumatic injuries, an injury has actually damaged the vertebrae or spinal cord.
On rare occasion there may actually be a Disease Process such as cancer, tumors or lesions which affect the spine.
A disability claim based upon a spinal cord or back injury may involve either the neck (cervical spine), the upper back (thoracic spine) or the low back (lumbar spine).
When developing a disability claim based upon a spinal cord or back injury, it is important to document the nature of the problem through diagnostic testing. This diagnostic testing may include MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging), CAT Scans (computed tomography) or other diagnostic testing.
Once a diagnosis of the precise nature of the spinal cord or back injury has been made, it then becomes necessary to show how the condition contributes to disability.
Some people are totally disabled from spinal cord or back injuries alone or a back injury in combination with other problems which prevent the individual from engaging in substantial gainful employment.
For a valid Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim it is important to provide both a medical diagnosis and an illustration showing how the condition prevents the claimant from returning to work.
As an example, it may be shown an individual has an injury to their neck to such an extent that they are either in disabling pain, that it seriously interferes with the use of their arms or hands or it produces disabling headaches. This would obviously greatly impact the ability on one to be employed.
Similarly, injuries to the low back often severely affect a person’s ability to walk, sit or stand with any regularity. People with severe difficulty often must lay down periodically throughout the day and take the stress off their back.
At Drummond Disability, we do our best to incorporate both the medical evidence and develop the functional limitations to document the best possible claim for our clients with back problems.