The muscles in your back support your spine, and they help you move your body, rotate, twist, and bend your body, and stand up straight. If you cannot stand up straight, walking also becomes nearly impossible. Should anything go wrong with your spine, and if your back hurts, you could be looking at limitations of function.
While back pain is not always debilitating, it is indeed limiting and can make daily activities hard to complete and doing your job very difficult. A disability is defined as a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, and activities. It is not surprising that disability claims often have back pain as the reason for filing the claim.
Let’s talk about the chances of back pain becoming a permanent disability.
Causes of Back Pain
The underlying cause of back pain helps determine whether it could lead to a disability. There are different types of back pain, and below are the ones that can have major impacts on your health and ability to perform your job. Usually, the symptoms can last for a year or more:
- Overuse injuries, such as muscle and ligament strains
- Degenerative disc disease or herniated or bulging discs, which are usually chronic issues that are a result of accidents or overuse
- Arthritis, a progressive inflammatory condition that tends to worsen with time and may lead to other spine conditions such as stenosis (a narrowing of the spaces within the spine) and disc degeneration
- Skeletal issues, such as scoliosis which can worsen with age
Any of the conditions listed above can result in disability. It is recommended that if you have the above-mentioned conditions and you are still able to do your job, you should take steps to protect your rights to secure long-term disability benefits. Do the following:
- Visit a doctor or spine specialist regularly
- Get an accurate diagnosis and treatment
- Keep detailed records on instances when back pain has caused you to be tardy or take time off work, as well as a list of medications and therapies you have received
If you have reached the point of impairment, make sure to have medical records that detail your functional limitations, such as difficulty walking, twisting, turning, and rotating, bending, and so on, as well as proof of your claims such as medical imaging results from X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs.
Spine Specialist in Hartford and Tolland Counties, CT & Springfield, MA
The board-certified orthopedic specialists at Advanced Orthopedics New England offer treatments to relieve your back pain symptoms and restore your function. Our orthopedic practice is a recognized authority in the treatment of conditions that cause disabling back pain, such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, sciatica, and scoliosis. We will explain your condition, what your treatment options are, and your prognosis, particularly how it could affect your job in the future.
To schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic surgeons, call our office today at (860) 728-6740.