Tampa Orthopedic Injury Lawyers

The conditions listed below are simply so severe, they can warrant approval if the condition has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months:

For problems with a major, weight-bearing joint, you must establish a gross anatomical deformity (e.g., subluxation, contracture, bony or fibrous ankylosis, instability) and chronic joint pain and stiffness with signs of limitation of motion or other abnormal motion of the affected joint(s), and findings on appropriate medically acceptable imaging of joint space narrowing, bony destruction, or ankylosis of the affected joint(s). Involvement of one major peripheral weight-bearing joint (i.e., hip, knee, or ankle), which results in difficulty walking, can also qualify you for approval. Alternatively, you can show involvement of one major peripheral joint in each upper extremity (i.e., shoulder, elbow, or wrist-hand), resulting in inability to perform fine and gross movements effectively.

For problems following surgical reconstruction or replacement of a major weight-bearing joint,you must have lost the ability to walk effectively or return to effective walking within a period of 6 months.

For disorders of the spine, (e.g., herniated disc, spinal arachnoiditis, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, facet arthritis, vertebral fracture), resulting in a pinched nerve root (including the cauda equina) or the spinal cord, you need documented evidence of the compressed nerve with symptoms of pain, limited range of motion, muscle weakness or atrophy, accompanied by sensory or reflex loss and, if there is involvement of the lower back, positive straight-leg raising test both sitting and laying.

In the case of spinal arachnoiditis, you need confirmation of the condition by an operative note or pathology report of tissue biopsy, or by appropriate medically acceptable imaging, manifested by severe burning or painful dysesthesia, resulting in the need for changes in position or posture more than once every 2 hours.