There are many aspects of a disability that are hard to prove with physical evidence such as x-ray or MRI images, says a Chicago Social Security Disability Attorney. In order for the administrative law judge to gain a good understanding of how your disability affects your ability to work or carry on daily tasks, you will need to be able to provide a vivid, detailed and credible description of your symptoms and pain.
A Chicago Social Security Disability Attorney has prepared the following examples of the kinds of descriptions and details that you can provide in your testimony.
How to Describe Your Pain
According to a Chicago Social Security Disability Lawyer, the more specific details that you can provide about your pain, the more convincing your case will be. You should be able to describe what your pain is like. For example, pain can be dull, throbbing, sharp or tender to the touch. The ALJ will also want to know where your pain is located, how long you have been living with it and what happened to cause your pain.
The ALJ will want to know if anything relieves the pain, or if it has ever been in remission. If you have experienced remission of your pain, the ALJ will want to know how long it lasted and what caused it. Some kinds of pain grow better or worse depending on various factors such as fatigue, time of day or other triggers. The ALJ will want to know about changes in your pain levels, how often it comes and goes, how long it lasts, what brings it on and what relieves it.
The ALJ might ask you to rate your pain level based on a ten-point scale. If ten is the most severe pain that you have ever experienced, the ALJ will want to know how you would rank your current pain.
In addition, the ALJ will want to know whether the pain causes restriction in your movement, such as a joint that is difficult to bend or move or if your pain causes muscle spasms. You should include details such as whether your pain causes any numbness or tingling sensations. If you have physical symptoms that accompany your pain such as weight loss, loss of appetite, muscle atrophy, weakness, crackling noise in the joint, stiffness, redness, heat or swelling, you will want to describe the symptoms.
Limitations Caused by Pain
The ALJ will want to understand how your pain affects your daily life. If you need devices to help you move around or to provide support such as a special chair, bars in your bathroom, special door handles, brace, cervical collar, walker or cane, you should include them in your testimony. If your pain has affected your daily life, be sure to describe those changes to the ALJ. For example, has pain affected your relationships, how well you sleep or your leisure activities?
Contact A Chicago Social Security Disability Attorney
A Chicago Social Security Disability Attorney can help you prepare your testimony for your disability hearing. To speak with a disability attorney about your case, call us today.
