Can You Get Disability for Sciatica?

Sciatica (sy-AT-ik-uh) is the medical term for pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve in your lower back. The sciatic nerve branches from your lower back through your hips, buttocks, and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of your body, although it can affect both.

For many people, sciatica can be treated effectively and their symptoms resolve. But for others, compression of the sciatic nerve causes lumbar radiculopathy—weakness and loss of feeling in the legs. If your symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy limit your ability to walk and stand for long enough to work full-time, you might qualify for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Is Sciatica a Disability?

The SSA awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that keeps them from earning at or above the level of substantial gainful activity for at least twelve months. So if you meet the financial eligibility requirements for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and you have objective medical evidence of significant functional limitations from sciatica, you may qualify for disability.

Sciatica Symptoms and Treatment

Lower back pain is the hallmark of sciatica. The pain can vary in intensity. You might feel a dull, constant ache, or a sharp, stabbing jolt. Additionally, you might have sciatica if you're experiencing numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and occasionally bowel or bladder incontinence. Treatments for sciatica may include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections and, in advanced cases, surgery.

Causes and Diagnosis of Sciatica

Sciatica isn't actually a disease on its own—it's a result of other spinal conditions that can prevent you from working. Sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disc, bone spur, or narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis) compresses the sciatic nerve, causing inflammation. When your medical record contains evidence of disorder such as spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, or piriformis syndrome, the SSA can find you disabled if your symptoms are severe enough.

Sciatica is typically diagnosed through a combination of medical imaging (such as X-rays or MRIs) and physical examinations. Keep in mind that if your sciatica is idiopathic—meaning that your doctors haven't been able to find what's causing it—you'll have a harder time getting Social Security to find you disabled.

Does Sciatica Qualify for Disability as a Listed Impairment?

The SSA maintains a list of impairments that can qualify applicants for disability benefits without having to determine that they can't work ("medically disabled"). So if your medical records contain objective findings showing that you have spinal stenosis or nerve root compression, you might meet one of the agency's listings for musculoskeletal disorders.

Getting disability by meeting or equaling one of the listed impairments is difficult, however. You'll need to have the imaging showing evidence of nerve root compression, but you'll also need to show that you're exceptionally limited in the use of your extremities (legs, arms, or hands). People who meet the musculoskeletal listings typically need an assistive device, such as crutches or a walker.

If you have evidence of nerve root compression and think you might meet the requirements of one of the musculoskeletal listings, ask your doctor to write a letter explaining why you fit the listing criteria. The SSA values the opinions of doctors who can shed light on your restrictions. Consider bringing a blank form with you to your next doctor's visit and asking your provider to complete it. (Some doctors may charge a fee to fill out the form.)

When Can You Get Disability for Sciatica If You Can't Work?

Most applicants with sciatica don't meet the strict criteria for a finding of "medical disability." But Social Security can still find you disabled if you can show that your limitations prevent you from doing any full-time work. The process by which the agency determines what you can and can't do in a work setting is called assessing your residual functional capacity, or RFC.

What's In Your RFC?

Your RFC is a set of restrictions on what you can and can't do at work, despite symptoms from your medical condition. Social Security will look at your medical records and your daily activities to determine what restrictions should be included in your RFC—the more severe your symptoms are, the more restrictions you'll have. A typical RFC for somebody with sciatica will likely include physical limitations on:

• how long you can sit, stand, and walk
• how much weight you can lift and carry, and
• how long you can engage in postural activities like bending, stooping, climbing, or crawling.

Your RFC nearly always mentions how long you can sit. Prolonged sitting (more than 1-2 hours) frequently intensifies sciatica symptoms. Because of this, your RFC might restrict how long you can sit for by stating that you need to shift between sitting and standing whenever you want, or that you need to walk around to relieve pain. Some sit-down jobs do allow this type of flexibility with movement, but many don't. (See our article on sedentary work limitations.)

How Does Social Security Use Your RFC?

Social Security compares your RFC with the duties of your past work to determine if your current restrictions eliminate your ability to do all the jobs you've done before. Depending on your age, education, and skills, you'll also likely have to show that you can't do the easiest, least physically demanding jobs.

If you can't stand or walk for more than two hours per day total, and you also can't sit for six hours per day total, few (if any) jobs exist that you can do, and you'd likely be approved for disability benefits. Getting disability this way is sometimes called having a "less-than-sedentary RFC."

VA Disability Ratings for Sciatica

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides disability benefits to veterans who suffer service-connected injuries. Unlike the SSA—which can either find you disabled or not disabled— the VA assigns disability ratings according to how much the condition limits your functioning.

The VA provides disability ratings for sciatica ranging from 10% for mild symptoms to 80% for sciatic nerve paralysis. (Most VA disability claimants fall somewhere in the middle.) The chart below shows you the percentage disability rating you can receive for sciatica under the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

Your percentage disability rating is a main factor in how much you're able to receive in VA disability compensation, so it's in your best interest to provide the VA with medical records showing significant functional limitations in your lower extremities.

Medical Records You'll Need to Get Disability for Sciatica

Both the VA and the SSA will need to review your medical records before deciding that you're disabled (or what your disability percentage rating should be). You can increase your chances of getting benefits if you can establish that you've been getting regular medical attention for your sciatica symptoms, so you should visit your doctor as frequently as you can.

Submit Evidence of Treatment

With your permission, the SSA will obtain progress notes from your medical providers and review them to determine what limitations you have due to sciatica. The disability claims examiner reviewing your file will be looking to see:

• results of physical examinations, including muscle strength and reflexes
• medications such as anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants
• physical therapy records
• steroid injections, and
• surgical records.

Most importantly, the examiner will look for medical imaging that can pinpoint the source of your sciatica. Ideally, your medical record will contain one or more of the following objective findings:

• X-ray. An X-ray of your spine could reveal the source of your sciatica—for example, a bone spur pressing on the sciatic nerve.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI uses a powerful magnet to produce detailed images of soft tissue, such as herniated discs.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan. CT scans are like more detailed X-rays. A dye is injected into your spinal cord that makes your nerves appear white on an X-ray.
• Electromyography (EMG). A test that measures how electricity moves through your nerves. The test can confirm nerve compression caused by spinal stenosis.

If you don't have any of the above documentation, set up an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. If you are uninsured, underinsured, or otherwise can't access medical treatment, let Social Security know. The agency will sometimes pay for you to have an X-ray, but not more advanced imaging techniques.

Document Your Pain

Social Security is required to consider the effects of chronic pain on your ability to work (20 CFR § 404.1529), so tell your doctor about any limitations you're having because of your sciatica pain. Describe in precise terms the location and quality of your pain (for example, a dull throbbing in your legs, or a burning sensation in your hips).

It's in your interest to be as specific as possible when describing your pain—whether to your doctor or at a disability hearing—so the agency can get a vivid picture of the ways your sciatica limits you. Avoid making vague statements like "I can't do anything" or "Everything hurts." Stick to numbers and quantities, like "I can walk for 15 minutes before I need to sit down." If you have difficulty concentrating because your mind is distracted by pain, you might say "I can't pay attention long enough to finish a TV show."

If your record contains evidence of mental limitations—like difficulty focusing because of pain—your RFC will also contain "non-exertional" restrictions, such as whether you can perform simple or complex tasks and how much contact you can have with other people. Having these restrictions in your RFC can make the difference between a favorable and an unfavorable decision, so don't ignore them or downplay their significance.

How Much Can I Get in Benefits for Sciatica?

It doesn't matter whether you're found disabled due to sciatica, another physical condition, or a mental health disorder—Social Security doesn't calculate your benefits based on the type of disabling condition you have. Rather, the exact amount of money you'll be paid every month depends on whether you're eligible for SSDI or SSI benefits.

If you qualify for SSDI, your monthly benefit rate is based on your average lifetime earnings before you became disabled. For 2025, the maximum amount you can receive in SSDI is $4,018 per month, but the average amount is much less, at $1,580. SSI monthly benefits are equal to the federal benefit rate—$967 per month in 2025—minus any countable income you have in that month. Many states provide a modest supplemental benefit amount to the federal benefit rate, depending on your living situation.

The VA calculates the amount of disability compensation differently than the SSA does, using a combination of your disability percentage rating and your living situation. For example, a veteran with a 20% rating can receive $346.95 every month (in 2025), even with a spouse or dependent children, while a veteran with a 60% disability rating who has a spouse and child can get $1,617.93 per month from the VA.

How Hard is it to Get Disability Benefits for Sciatica?

Getting awarded disability benefits due to sciatica can be challenging and time-consuming if you're doing it on your own. You'll need to handle communications with the SSA or VA, keep on top of any appeals deadlines, and remember to attend agency-required medical appointments, such as consultative exams.

While not required, it's usually a good idea to consider contacting an experienced disability attorney (or non-attorney advocate) to help you with your application. Your lawyer can help you with obtaining medical documents, getting favorable statements from your doctors, and advocating for you at a hearing. And because disability lawyers work on contingency—meaning they don't get paid unless you win—there's little risk in hiring one.