Is degenerative disc disease an disability?
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yes it is a disability... i was diagnosed with it this January..before i just had herniated disks and when i applied for social security disability they turned me down because unless I HAD A DISEASE, the herniated disks were just a temporary condition...however with degenerate disk disease even through surgery if they remove the infected disks it doesn't stop the disease from moving up your spine...so if they remove the disks that are diseased and your better for like another month the next month you could end up with 2-3 more diseased disks.that's why doctors don't want to do a lot of surgery on people like you and me because there is nothing to stop it..as long as they can make you comfortable with pain meds and the meds are working then they will want to wait...Technology just keeps getting better and better and even though it's highly unlikely one day they might come up with something to cure this awful awful disease.
I believe if its serious enough, it can be a disability. Ask a Dr. or contact your local S.S.I. office.
degenerative disc disease is athritis of the spine,
to answer your question, legally they would treat it the same
way you would treat arthritis of the hands, legs, etc...
the diagnosis is not considered a disability, ive had it for years, and have had back surgery, but im not disabled,
i do have to take anti inflammatory drugs for discomfort
but im sure as i get older it will progress, that is however depressing, the meaning of the word "degenerative",
so it really depends how bad a shape your disc are in and
whether or not surgery can help.
i do spine surgery for a living. it can be if it's serious enough but that is usually if you have gone through surgery (most of the time, several times) and it doesn't work. to be honest spine surgery for DDD doesn't help all that much and i would steer clear. it is an arthritic condition. usually anti inflammatory medications, a little physical therapy, and knowing your limitations are what's best.
This is kind of a hard question to give a straight answer to.
DDD alone is not normally enough to receive disability. However, normally along with DDD usually comes alot of disc trouble, such as herniated and ruptured discs, and the disc trouble, leads to other trouble such a nerve damage, and so on and so on. Therefore there are alot of successful SSI claims that include DDD in them. It all depends on your doctors report and how advanced your DDD is.
I was just granted SSI, but I have DDD, herniated disc that needed surgery, and the nerve damage. I didn't try to file before the disc ruptured but it was kinda suggested that just the DDD wouldn't have done it.
Do you have any other health conditions that accompany it, like heart problems or asthma, chronic arthritis? If so, you need to let them know, because everything is taken into consideration.
Good Luck, I hope you get the help you need.
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