SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY, SSI FOR JOINT PAIN PROBLEMS

Joint pain is frequently listed on applications for social security disability, in connection with impairments such asdegenerative disc disease, lyme disease, fibromyalgia, and arthritis. 

Disability claimants who cite joint pain as one of the conditions responsible for their disabled status will generally be evaluated in the context of their strength and range of motion limitations. 

Joint pain can seriously affect and interfere with an individual's ability to grasp objects, reach forward and overhead, and lift objects to shoulder level and higher. Additionally, joint pain involving the lumbar back area can significantly affect a person's ability to crouch and to stoop (bend at the waist). 

The measurement of the level of restriction regarding these activities (based on a reading of a person's medical records) can determine whether or not a person meets the disability evaluation criteria used by the social security administration.