What Is Cervicalgia? And Can I Qualify For Disability Benefits?

Cervicalgia is significant discomfort or pain in the neck, specifically in the sides and/or back of the neck. It is pain that occurs in the cervical spine, extending from the first spinal vertebra through the seventh spinal vertebra.

The first bone of the spine is located near ear level and the seventh is found at the base of the neck. If you have the proper medical documentation, it is possible to qualify for disability benefits with cervicalgia.

What is Cervicalgia?

Cervicalgia is significant amount of pain or discomfort in the neck. The pain and discomfort from cervicalgia occurs in the cervical spine in the back or sides of the neck.

There are many causes of cervicalgia, sometimes cervicalgia occurs as a result of a herniated disc in your neck. You may be able to get a diagnosis for cervicalgia, as it’s a broad term to describe neck pain.

If you have cervicalgia and you think it impacts your ability to work full time and earn substantial gainful activity, then you may be able to quality for Social Security disability benefits with cervicalgia.

What Are the Symptoms of Cervicalgia?

There are many symptoms of cervicalgia. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms in your neck, you may have cervicalgia.

The symptoms of cervicalgia include:

• Severe neck pain
• Stiffness soreness or spasms in your neck
• Numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in your arms
• Lack or difficulties in neck movement
• Dizziness/nausea

Initial symptoms of cervicalgia may last up to seven days. If your symptoms of cervicalgia linger longer than that, than it may be considered severe.

If your symptoms of cervicalgia are severe enough that it includes with numbness, tingling that stretches down to your arms or legs, then you may want to seek medical treatment.

You can qualify for Social Security disability benefits with cervicalgia if you think you will be out of work for at least of work for at least twelve months and you meet all the work requirements needed.

If you suffer from cervicalgia, your ability to work may be hindered. Cervicalgia’s symptoms can be intense and could cause a constant aching of the neck. Sharp pains in the neck can be brought on by movement, such as twisting, turning or tension.

Your neck muscles could be tender to the touch, you may experience severe stiffness in your back and neck, and you may have unbearable headaches due to cervicalgia.

These cervicalgia symptoms can affect your ability to keep a proper lookout, drive a vehicle or operate machinery. You may not be able to read or focus for long periods, you may not be able to bend down or look down or look up or reach because of the severity of the pain.

You may not be able to perform clerical work, bookkeeping or office duties, assembly or construction work, and various other jobs because of the severity of the pain and the movement limitations due to cervicalgia.

Many claims for disability benefits because of neck pain and problems are caused by degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, inflammatory disorders, and other conditions that lead to various other problems, such as cervicalgia and other related conditions.

To medically qualify for disability benefits with cervicalgia, you will need to provide medical documentation that shows you meet the criteria of listing in the Blue Book, which is the SSA medical guide.

For your cervicalgia to meet the criteria of the Blue Book listing for neck problems, you must be able to provide documentation that show the spinal cord or nerve root are affected and that you have one of the following:

•  Spinal arachnoiditis, which is a painful disorder caused by inflammation in the spine and requires you to change your position more than one time every two hours
• Spinal nerve root compression pain, limited spinal movement, and muscle weakness with loss of feeling or reflexes in those muscles

If your cervicalgia cannot meet the specific criteria of a listing, you can qualify using a residual functional capacity (RFC) form completed by a physician. The RFC form is very detailed and paints a clear picture of what you can and cannot do. It will detail if you must reposition every hour, if you are unable to bend and lift, if your pain makes it impossible for you to look down and perform clerical duties.

Cervicalgia, also called cervicalgia or neck pain, can occur anywhere in the neck, from the bottom of your head to the top of your shoulders. Although it's often considered a symptom of another medical condition, cervicalgia can be debilitating. Treatment for cervicalgia begins with identifying and treating the underlying cause of your pain.

Treatments for cervicalgia include:

Exercise. Physical therapy and aerobic exercise can ease symptoms and strengthen the muscles in your back and neck. Exercise also increases blood flow to your muscles and releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers.

Rest. Stop doing things that aggravate your pain — such as carrying heavy purses or sitting at a desk all day — until you're feeling better.

Medication. Your doctor might prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or muscle relaxants to reduce pain and swelling in your neck and back. Cervical traction. This treatment involves gently stretching the ligaments around your neck while you're lying down on a padded table or in a reclining chair.

What You Can Do If You Can't Work With Cervicalgia

An attorney can help you through the claims process. A disability advocate or attorney can work with your doctors and review your documentation against the Blue Book listing to determine if you qualify for disability benefits with cervicalgia.

An attorney can help prepare your claim, so you can get a favorable response and be awarded benefits.

Additional Resources

• Disability Benefits For Spinal Arachnoiditis
• Herniated Disc Disability
• What If Your Conditions Isn't In The Blue Book?