Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and Long-Term Disability Claims

Living with joint hypermobility syndrome can be a daily struggle, as the condition often results in chronic pain, frequent joint dislocations, and debilitating fatigue. While some people can manage their symptoms with lifestyle changes, others experience severe impairments that prevent them from maintaining steady employment. If joint hypermobility syndrome affects your ability to work, you may be eligible for long-term disability benefits. However, obtaining these benefits can be challenging due to the complexity of proving the condition’s impact on daily function.

What is Joint Hypermobility Syndrome?

Joint hypermobility syndrome refers to a connective tissue disorder in which joints move beyond their normal range of motion. This condition can be benign in some people, but in others, it leads to chronic pain, joint instability, frequent dislocations, and long-term musculoskeletal problems. Joint hypermobility syndrome is often associated with conditions such as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), Marfan syndrome, and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD).

Symptoms and Complications That Can Affect Work

Many people with joint hypermobility syndrome experience severe symptoms that affect their ability to work. These include:

• Chronic Joint Pain and Stiffness: Persistent pain in multiple joints that worsens with activity.
• Frequent Joint Dislocations and Subluxations: Instability in major joints such as the shoulders, knees, and hips.
• Severe Fatigue: Often associated with chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and autonomic dysfunction.
• Muscle Weakness and Coordination Problems: Making it difficult to perform repetitive tasks or prolonged physical activity.
• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): POTS is a common comorbidity that causes dizziness, rapid heart rate, and fainting when standing.
• Digestive Problems: Many people develop gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroparesis.

These symptoms can make it impossible for some people to maintain gainful employment, especially in jobs that require standing, lifting, repetitive movements, or fine motor control.

Medical Evidence to Support a Long-Term Disability Claim

Insurance companies require extensive medical documentation to approve a long-term disability claim for joint hypermobility syndrome. Some important forms of evidence include:

1. Medical Records: Diagnoses from rheumatologists, geneticists, or orthopedic specialists.
2. Beighton Score: Used to measure joint hypermobility.
3. Imaging Studies: X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans to document joint damage or instability.
4. Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Reports: Demonstrate the functional limitations caused by joint hypermobility syndrome.
5. Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs): An FCE assesses your ability to perform work-related tasks.
6. Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) Forms: RFC forms help collect physician statements to provide a detailed explanation of how symptoms affect daily activities and work capacity.

Challenges in Obtaining Long-Term Disability Benefits

Insurance companies often deny long-term disability claims for joint hypermobility syndrome, often for the following reasons:

• Claiming Symptoms are Subjective: Many symptoms of hypermobility syndrome, such as pain, fatigue, and dizziness, are difficult to quantify through standard medical tests. Insurers often argue that without objective evidence, such as imaging scans or lab results, there is no proof of the severity of a claimant’s condition. In addition, they may disregard subjective reports from patients and physicians and require extensive functional capacity evaluations or surveillance to challenge a claimant’s credibility.
• Saying the Condition Is Not Severe Enough: Insurance companies may argue that claimants can still perform sedentary or light work despite the presence of symptoms. They often rely on outdated job classifications or claim that assistive devices and pain management strategies should allow a person to work. Without strong medical evidence of the condition’s impact on daily functioning, insurers may deny claims based on an incomplete assessment of the claimant’s limitations.
• Ignoring the Progressive Nature of the Disease: Many claimants are able to work in the early stages of the disease, but deteriorate over time. Insurance companies often deny claims by looking at a claimant’s condition at a single point in time, failing to recognize the progressive nature of hypermobility syndrome. Without consistent medical documentation of deterioration, insurers may argue that an individual’s condition has remained stable and does not qualify for benefits.
• Requiring Proof of Ongoing Treatment: Insurers may deny claims if they believe a claimant is not receiving “sufficient” or “appropriate” treatment. They may argue that if a person is not seeing specialists frequently, undergoing physical therapy, or taking prescribed medications, their condition is not severe enough to warrant benefits. However, many people with hypermobility syndrome have difficulty accessing appropriate care due to financial barriers, misdiagnosis, or lack of effective treatments. Despite these challenges, insurance companies may use treatment gaps as a basis for denial.

How a Long-Term Disability Lawyer Can Help

Navigating the disability claims process can be overwhelming, especially when you are facing pushback from an insurance company. Nick Ortiz and the Ortiz Law Firm focus on helping individuals nationwide secure the disability benefits they need.

If your long-term disability claim has been denied or terminated, you have the right to appeal. We can help you gather additional medical evidence, obtain supporting statements from doctors, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.

As a small firm, we provide personalized attention to each case, ensuring that medical evidence is properly presented and that claimants have the strongest possible case. If you need assistance with your long-term disability claim for joint hypermobility syndrome, contact us online or call (888) 321-8131 today for a free case evaluation.