Use The Current Musculoskeletal Listings
Adult listings address specific spinal disorders, joint abnormalities, reconstructive surgery, amputations, fractures, and soft-tissue injuries. Their requirements differ. A spinal listing may require particular examination findings, imaging, and documented functional limitations; a fracture or amputation listing uses its own criteria.
The current rules should not be reduced to the old general phrase “inability to ambulate effectively.” Review the applicable listing’s actual requirements. Listing-level limitations may involve specified assistive-device needs or limitations in using the upper extremities, depending on the route.
Explain Mobility And Assistive Devices
If you use a cane, walker, crutches, or wheelchair, ask your clinician to document why it is medically needed, when it is needed, and the relevant functional limitations. SSA does not require a particular prescription simply to establish documented medical need under these rules.
Describe what happens in ordinary activities: how far you can walk before resting, whether you need both hands for a device, or whether balance problems interfere with carrying objects. A device’s presence alone does not establish that a listing is met.
Gather More Than Imaging
Useful records include physical examinations, measured strength or range of motion, appropriate neurological findings, operative reports, rehabilitation notes, and imaging reports. A timeline can show the condition before surgery, the recovery course, and any continuing limitations.
If pain appears more severe than imaging suggests, explain the broader record rather than dismissing the symptoms or treating the scan as conclusive. SSA considers the intensity and limiting effects of symptoms after an underlying impairment is established. Treatment response, medication effects, daily activities, and reasons for care gaps all provide context.
Describe The Demands You Cannot Sustain
When a listing is not met or equaled, residual functional capacity becomes central. Relevant questions include how long sitting is tolerable, whether positions must change, what weight can be lifted, and whether reaching, handling, or fingering can continue through a workday. Describe frequency and duration, not just whether an activity is sometimes possible.
SSA compares capacity with qualifying past work as actually and generally performed, then other work if necessary. The applicable past-work period is generally five years, with additional rules. Keep accurate job-duty descriptions, existing treatment records, and a record of work changes. A diagnosis or inability to return to one particularly demanding job does not automatically establish disability.
Sources & Further Reading
General educational information, not legal advice. Social Security determines eligibility.