How To Get Social Security Disability & SSI Benefits: Ankle Pain

Winning Your Case

Do you suffer significant ankle symptomology? If so, you can obtain Social Security and SSI disability benefits. You must prove you satisfy Social Security’s –

1. Non-Medical Criteria, and
2. Disability Criteria.

After we address Social Security’s assessment of your ankle medical evidence (this page), we will move to the next page to address how your ankle causes Functional Limitations and how Social Security asseses your limitations to determine if you are disabled. Then we will move on to what Evidence you need to submit to prove your medical condition, your limitations, and other parts of your disability case.

Social Security’s Thoughts – Ankle Medical Evidence

Ankle symptoms, functional limitations, and a disabling impairment can occur for several reasons – an accident, chronic overuse, or one of several disease processes. It is important you notify Social Security of all the relevant medical care you have received as well as additional other evidence to support your disability application. Your medical evidence needs to demonstrate three things: 1) a proper diagnosis, 2) ongoing medical care, and 3) significant medical findings and limitations. Your additional supporting evidence needs to demonstrate how your ankle limits you and causes a disability.

If you have difficulty using your ankle, your medical impairment may be located at the ankle itself, or your medical impairment may be elsewhere and causes ankle symptoms. The most common ankle impairments include –

1. Breaks and fractures,
2. Diabetes and diabetic neuropathy, and
3. Osteoarthritis/Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD),

Other types of impairments affecting the ankle include –

1. Amputations
2. Burns,
3. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/RSD,
4. Gout,
5. Neuropathy,
6. Peripheral Artery Disease,
7. Psoriatic Arthritis,
8. Rheumatoid Arthritis,
9. Skin Conditions,
10. Vasculitis, and
11. Venous Insufficiency.

Surgeries

Social Security will find your ankle condition more severe if you are prescribed or undergo a surgery. Hence, you will have a better chance of winning your disability case. There are three common ankle surgeries.

Fracture Repair. A fractured or broken bone is reset. Hardware (plates, screws, and wires) may be necessary to secure the bone and hold it in place. The hardware may be removed after surgery, but it is usually left in place.

Arthroscopy. A minimally invasive surgery to remove pieces of loose cartilage or bone or to repair a ligament.

Fusion. This is the most serious type of ankle surgery where bones are bonded together with plates, screws, and wires so that the bones grow together (fusion).

Failed Surgery

When a surgery is prescribed, it is a strong indication to Social Security that your ankle condition is severe and disabling. If you have an ankle surgery, and it does not alleviate your symptoms, it is even a stronger indication to Social Security that you are disabled. The most severe ankle cases involve more than one surgery.