Musculoskeletal
Back and Spine Conditions
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people stop working, and it is one of the most common disability claims. It is also one of the hardest to prove, because pain does not always show up on an ordinary X-ray. Social Security does not award benefits for a diagnosis alone. It looks for medical records that connect your condition to specific limits on what you can do during a workday.
How Social Security evaluates these claims
Social Security evaluates most spine-related claims under its musculoskeletal listings. Disorders of the spine are commonly reviewed under Listing 1.15, and conditions involving nerve root compression, arachnoiditis, or lumbar spinal stenosis have historically been considered here. A spinal cord disorder may instead be evaluated under Listing 11.08. If your condition does not match a listing exactly, you may still qualify if the effect on your ability to work is functionally equal to a listed impairment.
Limitations that matter
- Trouble standing, sitting, or walking for more than short periods
- Difficulty bending, stooping, squatting, or lifting even light loads
- A need to change position often, or to lie down during the day
- Pain that interrupts sleep and reduces concentration
- Reduced ability to reach overhead or carry items
Evidence that helps
- Objective imaging such as MRI, CT, X-ray, and EMG or nerve conduction studies
- Treatment notes describing your pain and how it limits daily activity
- A medical source statement from a treating doctor describing functional limits
- A record of consistent treatment without long, unexplained gaps
Every case turns on its own facts and its own medical record. If you are living with a back and spine conditions and it has kept you from working, we can review your situation at no cost. Request a free consultation or learn more about how Social Security decides claims.
Talk with Dan about your claim
Every consultation is free, and there is no obligation. You pay no attorney fee unless your claim is won. Most of what we need can be handled over the phone.