In my previous two posts, I have defined musculoskeletal disorders and described “loss of function,” but still haven’t delved into what you have to show to the SSA in order to get the benefits for your disability that you need to live as normally as possible.
As you might imagine, there are a number of steps involved to get a monthly disability check. The first one is to actually receive a clinical diagnosis for a covered musculoskeletal impairment. How do you go about doing this?
Tests and Procedures for Diagnosis
Since you need a medical diagnosis for musculoskeletal issues, you’re going to have to set up an appointment with a doctor so that he or she can examine you and make a determination. While treatment from your primary physician can be helpful, you may also wish to visit someone with medical expertise in musculoskeletal conditions. Specialists in this field of medicine include orthopedics, neurologists, neuropsychologist and rheumatologists . Treating physicians in these kinds of cases will likely:
- Write descriptions of your joints
- Determine your range of motion
- Check musculature for atrophy or weakness
- Look for changes to your reflexes or senses
- Note circulatory deficits
- Run sophisticated diagnostic testing
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Physical examinations should include all neurological, orthopedic, and rheumatological findings related to the issue being evaluated, and will be based on objective observation. Since physical symptoms in these kinds of cases can come and go, you will need to have your doctor test you on multiple occasions over a period of time. In this way, you can show that the symptoms you’re suffering from are reoccurring.
In addition to this examination where doctors use their medical knowledge and training to make a determination, they will also include findings from laboratory tests. These types of tests include things like x-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, radio nuclear bone scans, and myelography.
All of these types of tests can be useful in helping the SSA to make a determination, but you should know what you are getting into. MRIs and CAT scans are quite expensive, for example, and myelograms can be risky and invasive. And while the clinical diagnosis can be established in part by electrodiagnostic procedures, be aware that these don’t meet the requirements for alternative criteria.
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This doesn’t even cover spinal examinations, which we’re going to go over in detail in our next blog post because they are so specific. Have more Social Security questions that you want answered now? Contact one of our Social Security disability lawyers Download our free eBook on SSD benefits.
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