What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Definition and Overview
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a condition caused by pressure on the median nerve in the wrist, leading to pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm. This nerve compression occurs in the carpal tunnel, a narrow passageway on the palm side of your wrist. Understanding CTS is crucial for recognizing its impact on daily life and work.
Common Symptoms and Characteristics
The symptoms of CTS often start gradually and can include numbness, tingling, and pain in the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. Some people experience weakness in their hands and may find it difficult to grasp objects. Symptoms often worsen at night and can disrupt sleep.
What Triggers Carpal Tunnel?
In most cases, it’s difficult to attribute the cause for carpal tunnel in an individual to a single issue because the condition can be caused by a number of factors. Some of the risk factors are genetic (or pre-disposed) while others may be the result of a lifestyle choices, career choice or influenced by other medical conditions.
Common Causes and Risk Factors
People both with smaller carpal tunnels or those whose bones or tissues shift with age (narrowing the channel) are at higher risk for developing CTS. Other common causes and risk factors for CTS include individuals with generalized swelling and inflammation in their hands from hormonal or metabolic changes, and those who use their hands or have used their hand to perform frequent, repetitive movements and wrist extensions. Lastly, individuals who are obese or who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis have higher risks of CTS.
Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome a Disability?
Legal Definition of Disability
Under Social Security regulations, a disability is defined as a condition that significantly limits your ability to perform basic work activities for at least 12 months. This definition includes physical and mental impairments that make it difficult to work.
Classification and Criteria
CTS can be considered a disability if it significantly impacts your ability to perform essential job functions. For Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, you must demonstrate that your CTS prevents you from performing not only your previous work but also any other substantial gainful activity (SGA).
Inability to Work Due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
If you’re struggling to maintain full-time employment due to CTS, you are not alone. CTS can greatly impact work performance, particularly in jobs that require repetitive hand movements, typing, or fine motor skills.
Impact on Employment
Whether you can work with CTS depends on your individual pain tolerance levels as well as the severity and progression of your disease. For example, severe cases of CTS may limit an individual’s ability to perform even basic tasks, necessitating a reassessment of their work duties or environment totally. In these cases, individuals may find they cannot easily adapt to new work or develop the skills required to transition into a less physically demanding job and maintain full time employment. These individuals may be good candidates for disability benefits.
In contrast, individuals with minor CTS symptoms may find they can perform their existing work at full-time levels with regular breaks and modifications or more easily transition into a new career at full time levels.
Carpal Tunnel in the Workplace
Individuals diagnosed with CTS in the workplace should first identity the impact of their disability on their ability to perform work. Then, they should further evaluate their job requirements and workplace conditions to determine if either will present an impediment to their ability to perform full-time work in future.
Job-Related Factors
Repetitive hand motions and jobs that require regular and ongoing wrist flexions are difficult to perform adequately with CTS. If you work in a factory, on an assembly line, in a restaurant, construction or in other areas where you routinely need to use your hands and wrists to complete your work, it’s likely CTS will significantly impact your ability to work at previous levels. These work conditions may have also contributed to the occurrence and progression of the disease.
In many cases, individuals working in less hands-on jobs can make ergonomic adjustments to their workplace such that they can successfully keep pace and complete their job satisfactorily. Or, they can take preventive measures, such as wearing wrist braces or taking regular breaks, to reduce the likelihood of injury and job-related risk factors.
How is Carpal Tunnel Diagnosed?
If you believe you have CTS, you will need a physician to perform diagnostic tests and conduct an exam before receiving a diagnosis. These tests, medical records and examinations can be helpful when referenced in future when filing disability benefits.
Diagnostic Methods
Some common diagnostic tests for CTS include x-rays, mri scans, ultrasounds, electromyograms and nerve conduction studies. In severe cases, and because CTS is very common, some physicians may not require further diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis, but when filing for disability, the more medical evidence available on a claim, the stronger the claim.
Can You Get Disability for Carpal Tunnel?
If your CTS is severe and you meet the legal and technical requirements of the SSDI and SSI disability programs, you should consider filing a disability claim.
Qualifying for Disability Benefits
These are the steps you’ll need to take to qualify for disability if you are living with CTS.
- Medical Documentation: Obtain a comprehensive diagnosis from a healthcare professional. Detailed medical records are essential to support your claim.
- Complete the SSD Application: Fill out the Social Security Disability application forms, detailing your condition and how it affects your ability to work.
- Submit Your Claim: File your claim with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Ensure all required documentation is included to avoid delays.
Important Considerations
When filing a claim, it’s crucial to provide thorough documentation of your condition and how it affects your work. This may include medical reports, job descriptions, and records of any treatments you have received.
What Medical Evidence Can Prove My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as a Disability?
Documented Symptoms
Medical evidence should include a detailed diagnosis, treatment history, and prognosis from your healthcare provider. This documentation should clearly describe the severity of your CTS and its impact on your daily activities and work performance.
A comprehensive medical report can strengthen your disability claim by providing a clear and detailed account of your condition. It should outline the limitations imposed by CTS and any treatments or interventions you have undergone. Your medical record should also document in detail the symptoms you’re suffering from and how they impact your daily life. In many cases, you’ll need to provide your doctor with detailed information on how your life is impacted by your CTS symptoms. These self-reported symptoms are critical to the success of your claim.
Clinical Examination Findings
Individuals with CTS will receive positive clinical examination findings on various diagnostic tests. A positive finding on these tests will reinforce the strength of a disability claim, because they are objective results, but they are not a guarantee of an approved claim. In our years of practice, our experience is that individuals with multiple medical conditions, including CTS, are most likely to be successful on their claim.
Electromyogram (EMG)
A common diagnostic used for CTS is the electromyogram test. Neurologists use electromyography (EMG) to help diagnose injuries and conditions that affect your muscles and the nerves that control them. They often use this test alongside a nerve conduction study. In some cases, the EMG and NCV are negative for carpal tunnel syndrome, but that does not mean the patient does not have the disorder. In the earlier stages of CTS, these tests can often be negative. Individuals with CTS will receive a positive CTS score.
Nerve Conduction Study (NCV)
Another common diagnostic tool neurologists use to diagnose CTS, often in conjunction with an EMG, is a nerve conduction study. A NCV is a minimally invasive, quick, and relatively painless test that shows how electrical signals travel to a nerve. During the test, electrodes are placed on the area of concern to stimulate a mild electric charge. The study helps neurologists find and evaluate any damage done to the nerve by CTS. The findings can help determine the severity of CTS.
Appropriate Treatment is Necessary
In addition to receiving a CTS diagnosis, you’ll need to prove that your condition is not responding to and cannot be adequately managed by CTS treatments available to you.
Treatment Documentation
One way to demonstrate that is to keep consistent records of your tests, your outcomes and to visit your treating providers on a regular basis to receive care and document the result of any prescribed treatments as your condition progresses. The Social Security Administration will look favorably on a claimant with documented attempts to treat versus a claimant who does not seek out professional medical treatment for their condition.
Proving Inability to Work
The SSA uses a five-step process to determine if you qualify for disability benefits:
- Are you currently working?
- Is your condition severe?
- Is your condition listed in the SSA’s list of disabling conditions?
- Can you perform the work you did previously?
- Can you do any other type of work?
Functional Capacity and Limitations
To qualify for SSD benefits, you must meet the SSA’s criteria for disability, including medical and vocational evidence that supports your inability to work. This is specific to each individual because each claimant’s CTS impacts them differently, and because many claimants have multiple health conditions impacting their ability to work. To assess an individual’s functional capacity, SSA will consider how CTS limits daily activities and job performance. To make this decision, they will review available documentation on your medical history, your ability to perform past work and on your ability to perform work of any kind going forward.
Proof of Ongoing Disability
If approved for SSDI or SSI disability benefits, you will begin receiving monthly disability benefits. While receiving benefits, it’s still important to continue with medical treatment and ensure your disabling condition is well documented.
Consistent Medical Records
The SSA reviews disability files on an ongoing basis to ensure the claimant still meets the criteria for the program. Occasionally, and based on the conditions of the approval, SSA may review a claim for ongoing medical appropriateness. In some cases, if they cannot find adequate medical evidence to support your ongoing disability benefits, they may find you no longer disabled. This is why it’s important to maintain ongoing documentation and your medical visits as planned.
How Can a Disability Attorney Help?
Studies show that individuals working with a disability lawyer have higher rates of approvals than those filing for disability without one. Consulting with a Social Security Disability lawyer can help you navigate the process and ensure all necessary documentation is submitted completely and on time. Legal expertise can also be beneficial if you receive a denial at any stage in the process and need to file an appeal.
Legal Assistance
There are many benefits to working with a disability lawyer. Lawyers assist claimants in preparing and submitting a strong appeal by ensuring all necessary documentation is included. They also review and help claimants address any weaknesses in their claims. This prevents the claimants from wasting valuable time and resources if their claim in unlikely to succeed. And finally, disability lawyers often work on a contingency fee and offer free consultations. This means claimants do not have to pay for the services unless they win their claim.
Contact Our Lawyers Today
The Collins Price law firm is headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC with offices located in Charlotte, NC and throughout the state. We serve North Carolina disability claimants at every stage of the process from initial application through hearings and appeals.
CollinsPrice Legal Support
At CollinsPrice, we understand the challenges of living with CTS and the complexities of filing a Social Security Disability claim. Our experienced Social Security Disability attorneys are here to help you navigate the process and advocate for the benefits you deserve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can assist you with your disability claim. There is no fee for our services unless your claim is approved.
