A woman in pain talking to her fibromyalgia social security disability lawyer.

If you have fibromyalgia and are unable to work for at least a year, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits. Our experienced disability lawyers can help you file a claim in Rhode Island or Massachusetts and charge no fee unless they win your case and get you past due benefits. For a free (no obligation) case evaluation, call our toll free number or fill out a contact form on our site.

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What Is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is diagnosed after a series of tests are performed, which look for other diseases, but turn up nothing. When no other cause can be found, but the symptoms of fibromyalgia are present, the doctor diagnoses the patient with it. This becomes increasingly difficult when dealing with the Social Security Administration, which has strict requirements for documentation of disabilities. Some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

  • Pain in the entire body, including, joints, muscles, tendons and soft tissue
  • High sensitivity to pain
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Headaches
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Excessive Tiredness
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Memory And Concentration Problems
  • Numbness in Limbs
  • Heart Palpitations

Is Fibromyalgia a Disability?

A woman in pain before contacting her fibromyalgia lawyer.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia can lead to a determination of disability by the Social Security Administration. Headaches and extreme pain throughout the body, especially in the joints, make it difficult to perform normal day-to-day tasks, including working. Fibromyalgia adversely effects people with jobs that require physical/manual labor or intense concentration. If this disruption lasts for at least a year, it could qualify as a disability for the purposes of SSD Benefits.

In the past, for fibromyalgia to be considered a disability the disease needed to be suffered in conjunction with at least one other related disease, such as Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), or a joint condition, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis. Oftentimes, fibromyalgia was used as a “catch all” diagnosis for when a doctor did not know what was wrong with the patient. Now, however, if a specialist has diagnosed you with fibromyalgia, it is given more significance than in the past.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

There are thought to be many possible causes of fibromyalgia, but each case is specific to the person that has it. Some examples may include:

  • Physical or emotional shock
  • Abnormal responses to pain within the brain
  • Consistent sleep disturbance
  • Infection

How Do You Qualify For Social Security Disability?

When deciding to approve or deny a claim for social security disability benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at the medical records given to them and the medical opinion of your doctor. If you have missed, or will miss, at least a year of work due to fibromyalgia, and you have met the “work credit” requirements set for by the SSA, then you may qualify for disability benefits.

A knowledgeable Social Security Disability lawyer can make sure you put in the best claim for disability benefits and can also lessen the stress of applying on your own. Read more.

Why Hire Us?

A  pesonal injury lawyer speaks with his two clients.

If you hire a disability lawyer to represent you in your SSDI claim, you have twice the chance of receiving benefits. The lawyers at our firm have experience handling Social Security Disability claims and charge no fee unless you win your claim and receive past due benefits. For a free (no obligation) case evaluation, call our toll free number or fill out an online contact form.