Social Security Disability Case Study --Back Problems

Claimant was a 44 year old female with a high school education and roughly two years of training through a technical college.  She has previous working background cleaning offices and working with adult handicapped persons.  These past jobs required her to pick up/push adults, mop buckets, washing and drying clothes and cleaning commercial spaces.

Claimant's alleged onset date is 01.24.06 - Where she fell to the floor after a chair she was sitting in at work broke.  She had not worked since that time.

Claimant alleged the following severe impairments:  DDD, lower lumbar spine; chronic low back pain with lumboscral radiculopathy; history of lumbar spine surgery and spondylosis; facet arthritis; and spinal stenosis.  Claimant alleges the following non-severe impairments, which should be considered with the above:  obesity. Claimant has the following non-exertional limitations:  chronic pain in buttocks and legs, burning sensations in buttocks, leg and foot numbness, fatigue, sedation from pain medications, legs that “give way” when walking. 

After her fall at work, she endured back surgery, physical therapy and pain management therapy, including but limited to lumbar epidural steroid injections.  She was prescribed several pain medications, including the TENS Unit.  She had been unable to work due to the continued pain and numbness in her lower back, buttocks and leg; the medication and therapy.

Her doctor stated that claimant should be on light duty, with limited bending and stooping and lifting no more than 20 pounds.  With this assessment, claimant was unsure about the possibility of receiving her disability benefits.

I submitted a pretrial brief, showing not only that claimant had the pain and numbness in her left leg, but also in her right leg.  The ALJ asked the basic questions, complimented the brief, and stated that because we had submitted proof the symptoms in both legs, that he would make a finding for disability.  However he asked if she would amend her AOD to August of 2009.  This was the date her neurologist made note of the pain in her right leg, along with another disc protrusion.  As I had spoken with the client about the possibility of changing the AOD, and what this would mean, my client allowed me to make such a motion and the judge made a favorable finding for disability.