When most people think about the injuries sustained by truck drivers, they think of catastrophic injuries received in highway collisions. In reality, one of the greatest threats commercial drivers face on a daily basis is repetitive strain injury. If you have sustained a repetitive strain injury that keeps you from working, The Law Center for Social Security Disability can help you file a claim for Social Security Disability (SSD).
Common Repetitive Strain Injuries for Truck Drivers
Commercial truck driving is very sedentary, but can be physically taxing especially with repetitive movements. Years of this strain can compound, causing micro-traumas eventually leading to chronic, career-ending conditions like:
- Lower Back Issues:Prolonged sitting with poor lumbar support can ruin a driver’s spine. This damage is often exacerbated by the heavy lifting required for some jobs.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Gripping the steering wheel and shifter for long days causes intense muscle fatigue and cramping. After years of doing this, the repetitive strain can compress the median nerve, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome, which can be career-ending.
- Joint and Shoulder Injuries: Assisting with loading and unloading trailers wears on knees, hips, and shoulders due to repetitive heavy lifting. Frequently, this can result in torn cartilage, advanced osteoarthritis, or chronic joint instability.
You may be able to recover with physical therapy from these common repetitive strain injuries, but if the damage is too far gone, you may lose the ability to work.
Proving Repetitive Strain Injuries for SSD
Getting workers’ compensation for a repetitive injury is one thing, but proving to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you are completely disabled is a much higher hurdle. The SSA does not grant disability simply because you lost your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) or can no longer handle the physical demands of trucking.
To qualify for SSD, you must prove that your repetitive strain injury is severe enough to prevent you from doing any type of work and that the condition is expected to last for at least 12 consecutive months.
Because repetitive strain injuries develop gradually and often lack the obvious trauma of an acute injury, the SSA views them with a high degree of skepticism. To win your claim, you need to have objective medical evidence. You must provide diagnostic proof, such as MRIs showing spinal degeneration or a nerve conduction study, to confirm severe carpal tunnel syndrome.
How Age and Past Work History Can Help Your Claim
If you are over the age of 50 or 55, the SSA applies a set of guidelines known as the Medical-Vocational Grid Rules. These rules recognize that a worker who has spent decades performing heavy, specialized labor, such as commercial driving, cannot easily adapt to a sedentary desk job as they age.
If your repetitive strain injuries prevent you from driving, and your age and lack of transferable skills make retraining unrealistic, the grid rules make it significantly easier to be approved for benefits.
Protect Your Future with Experienced Legal Support
If repetitive strain has sidelined your career, do not wait until the financial pressure becomes overwhelming. Initial SSD applications face high denial rates, especially for repetitive strain injuries, so having an advocate on your side is critical. Contact us today to secure the financial benefits you rightfully earned over your career.