“Pain Is Not Enough”: Building a Legally Proven Chronic Pain Disability Claim
Pain is real. Pain is disabling. Pain changes lives.
But in Social Security Disability cases, pain alone does not win benefits.
This is one of the hardest truths for claimants to hear – and why so many chronic pain cases are denied the first time around.
SSA rules require objective medical evidence plus functional proof of how pain prevents full-time work. If the pain cannot be measured, it must be documented, described, and corroborated in ways the law accepts.
✅ Why Pain-Based Disability Claims Are Denied
Common pitfalls include:
- Vague descriptions (“I hurt everywhere”)
- Lack of documented functional limits
- Conservative treatment without explanation
- Doctor notes that say “pain stable” instead of “work-limited”
- Daily activities that appear inconsistent with severe pain
Judges need more than symptoms — they need functional restrictions.
✅ What Evidence Strengthens Chronic Pain Claims
Successful pain cases use:
- Long-term treatment records
- Pain journals
- Physical therapy notes
- Functional capacity evaluations
- Consistent reports across providers
- Statements showing impact on daily tasks
The question isn’t “Do you have pain?”
It’s “How does pain stop you from working eight hours a day, five days a week?”
✅ The Power of Specific Testimony
Instead of saying:
“I can’t stand long.”
Say:
“I can stand for 10–15 minutes before needing to sit due to burning and pressure. I spend 4–5 hours lying down on flare days.”
Specifics win cases. General statements get dismissed.
✅ How an Attorney Helps
We:
- Develop detailed medical support
- Explain treatment gaps due to physical limits or financial barriers
- Prepare testimony that avoids credibility traps
- Obtain written functional limits from doctors
- Counter arguments that pain is “subjective”
You don’t have to prove you’re suffering: you must prove legal disability criteria.
Your pain deserves recognition – and the law provides a path.
📞 Call our expert disability attorneys at The Law Office of Irene Ruzin for a free chronic pain disability case review.
