Va Rating For Arthritis In Lower Back

Radiculopathy is a medical condition in which the nerves are compressed or irritated in the lower back1.

Va rating for arthritis in lower back. It is thus surprising that Veterans receive disability ratings of 10 to 20 for back injury but receive much higher ratings and unemployability for conditions like depression or cardiac disease. Its possible for rheumatoid arthritis to be rated under diagnostic code 5003 like degenerative and traumatic arthritis. The hip and the lower back. That formula actually covers both the cervical and thoracolumbar parts of the spine.

Or combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 120 degrees but not greater than 235 degrees. To lower your risk of disability take steps to treat your arthritis early. To be rated at 10 percent for arthritis of the spine veterans must have X-ray evidence revealing two or more major joints or two or more groups of minor joints are afflicted by degenerative arthritis of the back. This severe condition causes many Veterans to be unable to work.

The VA probably is too. One or two painful flare-ups a year. Back Pain and Getting VA Disability for Arthritis is a Double Pain in the Neck. 10 VA Rating for Back Pain.

The VA policy in this area includes a prohibition on combining ratings. Or combined range of motion of the cervical spine greater than 170 degrees but not greater than 335 degrees. Degenerative arthritis and traumatic arthritis. Radiculopathy is classified as a pain syndrome and can be caused by several lower back conditions such as lumbar disc herniation degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis.

When it occurs in the spine it tends to affect the cervical spine the neck rather than the lower back. Degenerative And Traumatic Arthritis. Confused about How the VA Rates Knee Arthritis. In many cases regular exercise.

The VA Ratings Schedule for Rheumatoid Arthritis. That is assuming youve already been diagnosed as having RA. Important Information On Combined Ratings For The Degenerative Arthritis Condition. The VA official site states that 20 and 10 ratings mentioned above cannot be combined with ratings based on limitation of motion.

This results in pressure on the nerve roots themselves. For successful ratings of arthritis there must have x-ray evidence of arthritis. A January 2012 VA examination entered a diagnosis of low back pain and noted that arthritis had been documented in a magnetic resonance imaging study MRI which confirmed mild degenerative disc changes at L4 to L5. If your doctor orders bedrest the frequency of your incapacitating episodes can also be the basis for a rating.

Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis and is a very common rating for any joint in the body. However because the pain impedes the use of the knee at a 10 compensable level a rating of 10 would be appropriate. There are two types of arthritis that are rated under the same rating system. Or forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 40 degrees.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and is the one form of arthritis that has its own rating code from the VA. To receive a 20 percent rating for arthritis of the back X-ray evidence must show that two or more major joints or two or more groups of minor joints have degenerative arthritis of the back and produce occasional incapacitating episodes. Forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 60 degrees but not greater than 85 degrees. When your back hurts from arthritis pain the last thing you want to do is work through the VA Disability rating system to get a higher rating or any service-connection in the first place.

Since flare-ups come and go the minimum rating is 20 if you have 2 bad times a year. The reason for this low rating is based on the history of disability rating. Or muscle spasm guarding or localized. The Back and Spine Overview.

With severe instability Diagnostic Code 5257 should be used to assign an additional 30 rating. It usually leads to neck pain back pain and often causes pain in the legs and arms as well. Degenerative arthritis of the spine. VA Ratings for Arthritis.

5003 Arthritis degenerative hypertrophic or osteoarthritis. Arthritis eg osteoarthritis psoriatic arthritis rheumatoid arthritis. The VA awards disability compensation for each Back and Spine condition that is service-connectedThe DoD will also rate service-connected conditions as long as they also make the service member Unfit for DutyFor Reservists the condition must have occurred in or resulted from an injury in the Line of Duty to qualify. Spine conditions are usually rated based upon how limited your back or neck range of motion is.

Importantly when hip pain is caused by another condition such as a lower back issue it is called referred pain While the causes of hip pain tend to vary dramatically some common examples include. Degenerative arthritis established by X-ray findings will be rated on the basis of limitation of motion under the appropriate diagnostic codes for the specific joint or joints involved DC 5200 etc. If the condition is not severe enough to meet the above criteria then the VA rating for back pain arthritis will be based on specific symptoms. The VA uses diagnostic code 5003 to determine your degenerative disc disease disability rating.

The Musculoskeletal System is vast and. The formula that VA uses to rate back disabilities with a diagnosis code between 5235 and 5242is the same. The hard part about back pain is that it can be caused in so many ways. The rating systems used for arthritis of the spine is the second most common rating system for spine conditions.

Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes medications surgery or other treatments.