Rheumatoid arthritis differs from osteoarthritis in that rheumatoid arthritis can cause complete loss of function in the joints. Osteoarthritis is common in old age but rheumatoid arthritis strikes people of all ages and can last throughout a person's life. There are many types of inflammatory arthritic disorders and diseases including inflammatory spondyloarthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's Syndrome, psoriatic arthropathy, Behçet's Disease, Whipple's Disease, and undifferentiated spondylitis. There are also numerous inflammatory arthritis disorders affecting peripheral joints including rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's Syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, crystal deposition disorders and Lyme Disease. Inflammatory and rheumatoid arthritic conditions primarily affect joints and movement which may interfere with an individual's ability to work or to function on a day-to-day basis.
RA affects more than just joints and can cause problems with the eyes, mouth and lungs causing inflammation. Symptoms of RA include: Painful and swollen joints, hard bumps (rheumatoid nodules) just under the skin near the joints especially in the hands, feet and knees; difficulty moving joints; stiffness and pain in affected joints; fever; red, puffy hands; and fatigue. Treatments cover a wide range from over-the-counter anti-inflammatories to steroids to immunosuppressants. In some cases surgery is recommended for patients who do not respond to drug therapy to regain movement and correct deformities caused by RA.
In order to prove your disability to Social Security, you need to either document that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria found in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or, if you are an adult, that your condition and symptoms are so severe that you are unable to work. If you are a child under 18, you must similarly show that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or that your condition or conditions functionally equals the Commissioner's regulations. The law firm of Sheryl Gandel Mazur has experienced disability attorneys and has been representing individuals in their Social Security disability appeals for over twenty five years. Let us help you receive your Social Security disability benefits.
Our disability law firm represents individuals:
- In filing their initial disability applications
- In handling cases at the initial level including appealing initial denials
- In handling cases at the reconsideration level including appealing reconsideration denials
- In handling cases at the hearings level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Appeals Council level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Federal Court level
This firm also handles SSI child's disability cases at all levels.
Organizations: Arthritis Foundation (http://www.arthritis.org/), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (http://www.niams.nih.gov/)
