As Disability Lawyers in Charlotte, NC, we work with inspiring clients who live with significant disabilities and overcome challenges every day. Today, we want to highlight the grit and determination of a rising Queens University senior and US Paralympic Swimming athlete, Hannah Aspden.
Hannah is competing in Tokyo now, swimming in daily meets through August 31st. This is the Charlotte, N.C.-based veteran’s second Paralympic games, having first competed at age 16 in Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, Aspden became the youngest Team USA athlete on either the Olympic or the Paralympic Teams to medal. She earned two bronze medals and is hoping to medal again in one of her four events: the 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, 100-meter breaststroke, and the 200-meter individual medley.
Hannah is an impressive athlete, but her determination when facing adversity makes her story even more inspiring. Like other Paralympic athletes, Hannah is disabled. She lives with a musculoskeletal disorder and was born with a congenital hip disarticulation and no left leg.
Musculoskeletal Disorders and Disability
Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) is an umbrella term referring to injuries and disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system. This system includes the body’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, and blood vessels.
Common musculoskeletal disorders include:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Muscle / Tendon strain
- Ligament Sprain
- Tension Neck Syndrome
- Thoracic Outlet Compression
- Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
- Epicondylitis
- Radial Tunnel Syndrome
- Digital Neuritis
- Trigger Finger / Thumb
- DeQuervain’s Syndrome
- Mechanical Back Syndrome
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Ruptured / Herniated Disc,
- and many more.
Since the term is so broad, many individuals living with impairments may be diagnosed with a MSD. They may experience a range of different symptoms and their symptoms may vary in severity from mild to severe.
Some MSD’s are congenital in nature which means they occur at birth. Others are the result of repetitive wear and tear on the body’s systems. Regardless of when they occur, MSD’s can dramatically impact an individual’s ability to perform full-time work, rendering them disabled.
One of the most common musculoskeletal system case study we encounter in our practice as Disability Lawyers in Charlotte, NC is degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common causes of low back and neck pain leading to disability.
With degenerative disc disease, odds are that you cannot stand, walk, lift or bend nearly as frequently as you did before the diagnosis. Many claimants seeking Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits live with this condition for years. They often work impaired for many years until they no longer can before they contact a Social Security Disability Lawyer in Charlotte, NC.
If you are living with severe Degenerative Disc Disease, read this blog post to learn more about the condition and how a diagnosis impacts Social Security Disability benefits.
Social Security Disability Lawyers in Charlotte, NC
Individuals living with serious musculoskeletal disorders may have trouble working. If you have been or expect to be out of work for 12 months or longer, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits.
Collins Price is a firm of Social Security Disability Lawyers serving Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. Contact us today for a free consultation on your claim – there is no obligation to hire our firm, and we’d be happy to help. Claimants applying for the work-based Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and needs-based Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs are encouraged to apply. We can help you file your initial application as well as respond to any denied claims. We also represent claimants in Social Security Disability hearings.
