If you provide the right evidence proving you are suffering from facet arthropathy then you should qualify you for disability benefits. This should help you financially cope with your diagnosis. Facet arthropathy is a medical condition that affects the spine’s facet joint. It often causes severe pain and disability. People who suffer from this painful medical condition are not sure if they are eligible for disability benefits. This article offers important facts about facet arthropathy, how it affects daily life, and the chances of qualifying for disability benefits due to a facet arthropathy diagnosis.
Is Facet Arthropathy a Disability?
The SSA may recognize facet arthropathy as a disability if it has a severe impact on your ability to work and you have facet arthritis in the spine that causes the compromising of a nerve root in the spinal cord.. You have to meet the requirements found in the SSA’s Blue Book. Facet arthropathy is on the list of musculoskeletal disorders mentioned under Section 1.04 of the Blue Book. It may be considered a disability if the symptoms meet the guidelines in the Blue Book.
The SSA may also recognize that facet arthropathy is a disability through the use of the RFC (residual functional capacity) assessment carried out by your physician or one appointed by the SSA. This assesses both your mental and physical ability and whether you are able to work.
Symptoms of Facet Arthropathy
There are several symptoms of facet arthropathy, which include:
- pain that seems worse after sleeping or resting;
- lower back pain that becomes worse when twisting, bending backward, and standing;
- pain centered around a single area of the spine;
- a dull ache persisting on one or both sides of the lower back
- other medical conditions, like bone spurs, and spinal stenosis may also take place.
What Will You Need In Order to Get Disability Benefits For Facet Arthropathy?
To strengthen your case, you will need to gather evidence. Use the results of standard radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans which check the facet joint and adjacent structures as evidence when attempting to strengthen your case. The results of the RFC will help to prove your physical restrictions and your medical history will indicate how much you have needed to see a doctor because of the pain you are suffering due to facet arthropathy.
Speak With an Attorney
Applying to the SSA alone may not be enough to qualify for disability benefits. As such, you should consider reaching out to a disability attorney who can advocate on your behalf. The more thoroughly you look into and document the extent that your condition affects your ability to work, the more likely you may be to get approved for disability benefits. It helps if you can provide medical evidence including RFC results to your attorney who can use this to help win disability benefits on your behalf from the SSA.
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