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Social Security Disability — Back & Spine
Chronic back pain, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis are among the most common — and most frequently denied — disability claims. The right legal representation makes a measurable difference.
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Back and spine conditions are the single most common basis for Social Security disability claims — which means SSA scrutinizes them heavily. Reviewers often dismiss them as subjective or insufficiently documented, even when the pain is real and the imaging findings are clear.
Winning these cases requires presenting the medical evidence correctly: MRI and X-ray findings, functional limitations documented by treating physicians, and a clear argument for why the claimant cannot sustain work at any exertional level.
Key issue: SSA doesn't just ask whether you have a diagnosis — it asks whether your condition prevents you from doing any work that exists in the national economy. Documenting functional limitations, not just diagnoses, is what wins these cases.
Covered Conditions
Any of these conditions — alone or in combination — can form the basis of a successful disability claim when properly documented:
How SSA Evaluates These Claims
SSA's "Blue Book" includes specific criteria for spinal disorders. Meeting a listing results in automatic approval — but most claimants don't meet them exactly. We evaluate whether your condition qualifies or can be argued as medically equivalent.
For most back cases, the fight is at the RFC level — a determination of what you can still do despite your limitations. We work to document sit/stand limitations, lifting restrictions, and the effects of pain and medication on concentration and attendance.
At hearings, a vocational expert testifies about what jobs exist for someone with your limitations. Cross-examining that expert — challenging the jobs identified and the assumptions underlying the testimony — is often where cases are won or lost.
Your doctor's opinion about your functional limitations matters — but it has to be documented and presented properly. We work with treating physicians to ensure their assessments are complete and support your claim under SSA's standards.
Common Questions
Because SSA doesn't approve claims based on imaging findings alone. The question is what those findings mean for your ability to work. A claimant with severe disc herniation can still be denied if SSA believes they can perform sedentary work. Building the functional limitations record — how far you can walk, how long you can sit, how pain affects your concentration — is what changes the outcome.
Neither automatically. If surgery relieved your symptoms significantly, SSA will expect you to be able to work. If you have continued limitations after surgery — failed back surgery syndrome, persistent nerve damage, chronic pain — that needs to be well-documented. We handle many post-surgical claims and know how to present them effectively.
Not by itself. SSA applies its own legal and medical standards, and the label "disabled" from a doctor doesn't satisfy them. What matters is a detailed functional assessment — how long you can sit, stand, walk, how much you can lift, and how pain affects your ability to work consistently. We help ensure your physician's records support your claim in the specific way SSA requires.
Yes — always. SSA is required to consider the combined effect of all your impairments, not just the primary one. Multiple conditions interacting — back pain plus depression plus diabetes, for example — can produce a stronger claim than any single condition alone.
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Back and spine claims are winnable — with the right preparation. Tell us what's going on and we'll tell you where you stand.
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