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If you have chronic pain from tendonitis and cannot maintain a job, you may be eligible for disability benefits. In most cases, it is considered a shoulder problem that qualifies for a disability. However, before deciding whether your condition qualifies you for benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will need to review your medical records and job history.
Before we can answer if calcific tendonitis is a disability, let's talk about what it is, how it affects your ability to work, and why it may be considered a disability.
What Is Calcific Tendonitis?
Inflammation of the tendons causes calcific tendonitis, while joint inflammation and damage result from arthritis. This is usually due to calcium deposits in the shoulder tendons and may be confused with Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Deposition Disease (CPPD, or pseudogout) — a type of arthritis in which calcium phosphate crystals form in the joints. Aging and wear and tear can eventually lead to calcific tendonitis, but healthcare experts really aren’t sure why some people develop the condition, and others don’t.
How Does It Affect Your Ability To Work?
Tendonitis can substantially influence your capacity to work if you undertake repetitive tasks as part of your employment. Because this disorder affects the wrists, you may find it difficult to execute fine motor activities like writing, typing, or other computer work for long periods. Even if you take time to rest and recuperate, if you restart these activities, your symptoms may return.
By requiring repetitive actions, certain vocations can contribute to tendonitis. Other tendonitis risk factors include, but are not limited to:
- Inflammation can be exacerbated by autoimmune illnesses
- Arthritis or an injury has caused poor joint function
- Overworking or engaging in physical activity without appropriate preparation
Qualifying For Disability Benefits With Tendonitis
To be eligible for disability benefits, you must show the SSA that your tendonitis is severe enough to keep you from working for at least a year. This implies your illness must be supported by medical data such as objective symptoms, blood tests, X-rays, and/or physical exam results. It is simply not enough to inform the SSA that you suffer from incapacitating chronic pain.
A doctor's recent diagnosis of tendonitis, a description of the events at work that led to tendonitis, and a letter from your doctor confirming that your job caused your tendonitis are all required.
Despite the fact that tendonitis is a chronic pain disease, it is not classified as an impairment in the SSA's Blue Book. If you can show that your ailment has impaired the joints in your wrists to the point where you cannot conduct gross and fine movements, you may be able to qualify under Listing 1.02: Major dysfunction of a joint. In most cases, this will include undergoing a residual functional capacity, or RFC, evaluation.
Conclusion
Calcific tendonitis is considered a disability in most cases. However, there are still a few measures you need to keep in mind in order to improve your chances of qualifying for the disability. Looking to learn more about various disabilities and how they affect those inflicted? Check out Disability Help’s comprehensive resources covering developmental disabilities.
