Is Spinal Stenosis a Disability? Get Disability Benefits for Spinal Stenosis

Important: We updated this article in June 2025 after fact checking against current Social Security Administration policy and data. Spinal stenosis is one of the most common sources of lower back and leg pain in people over 50. In fact, about half a million Americans suffer from its symptoms every year. It’s also the number-one reason why people need spinal surgery after age 65. Spinal stenosis is especially common among people who undergo failed back surgeries for chronic pain. But is spinal stenosis a disability according to the Social Security Administration (SSA)? Yes, in some cases… but it’s not as easy as you might think.

Learn what the SSA rules are to get spinal stenosis disability benefits, how to apply, medical evidence you’ll need and more below.

Getting Disability Benefits for Spinal Stenosis: Key Takeaways

• The federal government has two programs that pay monthly disability benefits to eligible individuals who cannot work for 12 months. They are called Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• You cannot get spinal stenosis disability benefits just because you have a medical diagnosis and severe pain. Instead, you must prove you’re unable to work in any job for at least 12 months, specifically because of your spinal disorder.
• The SSA will first check to see if you meet the work history, income, and asset requirements for SSDI and SSI. If you pass these technical eligibility requirements, then they’ll review any medical evidence about your health condition.
• If you don’t qualify for Social Security disability benefits, other types of disability payments may also be available to you. These depend on things like where and how your issues started, military service background, and employer benefits package.

What is Spinal Stenosis? Symptoms and Side Effects

The word “stenosis” means “the narrowing of a passageway,” and spinal stenosis refers specifically to your spinal canal. This is the space inside your backbone that contains your spinal cord. Over time as you age, the weight you carry and the force of your daily activities can cause that canal to narrow. The smaller that canal gets, the more pressure it puts on your nerve roots and spinal cord.

Eventually, that tightening space squeezes things to the point where you feel pain, numbness, or weakness regularly. In time, it may affect your ability to do daily activities at home and hold down a full-time job.

Common symptoms include:

• Chronic pain, tingling, cramping, burning, or numbness in your lower back, buttocks and thighs
• Pain that doesn’t come from one specific nerve area that also comes and goes
• Muscle weakness that happens anywhere in your body between your hips and your toes
• Difficulty bending over, driving, sleeping, or sitting comfortably for long periods
• Losing the ability to walk, stand, or move around without assistance gradually over time

Most Common Types of Spinal Stenosis

Cervical Spinal Stenosis

Your cervical spine is the upper part of your backbone, which controls things like your neck and arms. Once that upper part of your spinal canal narrows, it can cause debilitating neck pain and limit your range of motion in upper or lower extremities. About 1 in 20 people today have CSS, and it’s slightly more common among men than women.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Your lumbar spine is the lower half of your back. Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) means your spinal canal is narrower near the bottom half of your spine. It’s more likely to make you lose control of your legs, bowels, and bladder. You may feel sciatica pain in one or both legs, or your feet may periodically go numb. You may also struggle to get out of a chair and stand up on your own or walk without help.

More than 1 in 5 people aged 60 and older (21%) have LSS, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies.

Non-Medical Eligibility Criteria for Disability Benefits from the SSA

Qualifying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal program that insures eligible workers in the event they become disabled. Because this program has a work history requirement, it only pays disability benefits to eligible adults. However, SSDI does pay benefits to eligible dependents, such as your spouse or any minor children living at home. These are the basic rules that tell you if you qualify for SSDI benefits:

• You already earned at least 40 Social Security work credits. This means you worked at least 5 in the last 10 years while paying Social Security taxes out of your job income. No person can earn more than four work credits per calendar year. You can earn one work credit for every $1,810 in covered job income you make each quarter.
• You’re younger than 67 and not yet drawing any other Social Security benefits. Since federal law limits you to one benefit payment per Social Security Number (SSN), you can’t get SSDI if you already retired. Once you turn 67 years old, SSDI benefits automatically convert into regular Social Security retirement payments.
• Your medical condition(s) specifically stops you from engaging in “substantial gainful activity” for at least one year. This means you cannot work enough to support yourself financially, and specifically for medical reasons. The SSA calculates substantial gainful activity as any amount that’s more than $1,620 if you’re sighted or $2,700 if you’re blind.

Qualifying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits

The SSA also administers federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, but they come from the general tax fund. So, these payments have zero impact on the Social Security trust fund or how much money can go to retired workers.

Unlike SSDI, there is no work history requirement for SSI. Instead, SSI benefits go to blind and disabled adults or children and those aged 65 and older based on financial need. You’ll have to discuss all of the following during your SSI interview for benefits:

• You must have very limited income and few or no assets you can easily sell for cash. The total household income limit for 2025 is $2,019. Individuals must own less than $2,000 in countable resources; the SSI asset limit for married couples is $3,000.
• If you’re younger than 65 when you apply, you must also prove you’re either blind or disabled. You do not need to be disabled or blind if you’re already 65 or older and can meet the financial eligibility requirements.
• The SSA uses the same medical criteria to determine if you’re blind or disabled for both SSI and SSDI. So, if you’re younger than 65, you will need to submit medical evidence proving you cannot work for 12 months. Your medical records must show you cannot work due to health problems that your doctor treats regularly.

Is Spinal Stenosis a Disability According to the SSA?

The SSA lists LSS under Blue Book Section 1.16, Lumbar spinal stenosis resulting in compromise of the cauda equina.However, it does not specifically mention cervical spinal stenosis (CSS).

To get disability for LSS, you’ll need to show all the following apply in your case:

• You show at least one sign of neurological compromise in the cauda equina. This means that the nerve roots near the bottom of your spinal cord show signs of compression or damage. In plain English, the power lines that send signals to your legs, feet, bladder and bowels go down periodically. Nerve compression in your spine can cause non-radiating pain or numbness in your legs, feet or both, for example.
• Ability to prove that you cannot move around easily without a mobility aid or another person helping you. Alternatively, you may show that you cannot use one of your hands at all while using the other to help yourself move around.
• Your musculoskeletal functioning is limited due to your diagnosis, and your doctor expects that to last for at least 12 months. You need to use a walker, crutches, wheelchair, scooter, or cane to get around, for example.
• Diagnostic tests showing you exhibit non-radicular neurological signs of muscle weakness and sensory changes or chronic pain. Otherwise, a consultative exam with the Disability Determination Services office in your state can provide this evidence.

Medical Evidence You’ll Need for Your Spinal Stenosis Disability Claim

To confirm you’re truly disabled, the SSA needs to see certain types of medical documentation about your condition.

Medical Records

Be sure to include complete medical records about your condition, including:

• The date you received your official diagnosis from your doctor.
• Diagnostic test or clinical exam results showing neurological compromise in your cauda equina.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, X-rays, CT scans, other medial imaging scans, or a recent surgery report showing you have lumbar spinal stenosis due to a compromised cauda equina. For example: An X-ray showing bone spurs on the part of your spine in your lower back.
• Documented medical need for a walker, bilateral canes, seated mobility, or other assistive device.

Medical Documentation That Work Triggers Your Symptoms

Showing the type of work you usually do and how your diagnosis makes that job hard to impossible is key here. Since spinal stenosis makes it hard for you to move and walk around comfortably, you should complete a residual functional capacity (RFC) form. Your best bet is to make an appointment with your current physician to fill out and sign your RFC form together.

A 2019 study found factory and construction workers are especially prone to developing severe lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Doctors diagnose workers in those two job sectors nearly four times as often as other occupations.

Does Your RFC Mean There’s No Work You Can Do?

In some cases, you may be able to keep working for a while after your diagnosis. But is spinal stenosis a disability that can get you special accommodations at work under the ADA? Maybe. The Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act does not list specific conditions that count as disabilities. However, many employers subject to the ADA must allow for a reasonable accommodation to help you keep working with a spinal cord injury (SCI).

Once things get too difficult for you to work even with a reasonable accommodation, it’s time to file your disability claim.

How Hard is It to Get Disability for This Type of Medical Condition?

Spinal stenosis is among the #1 group of conditions the SSA awards benefits for: Musculoskeletal disorders. In December 2023, 34.1% of disabled workers receiving benefits had disabilities evaluated under musculoskeletal disorders.

Here are some tips that may help boost your chances for disability benefit approval:

• Your doctor says you must alternate sitting, standing, and lying down throughout the day to relieve your symptoms
• You have trouble bending over, squatting, or crouching to pick up a pencil off the floor without help
• You have a high school diploma or GED only, but no college degree
• You’ve already tried physical therapy or surgery, but they didn’t fully relieve your symptoms
• It’s hard or impossible for you to reach, carry, or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds
• You’re at least 50 years old and cannot find a sedentary job you’re qualified for that will hire you
• You take prescription medication that makes it dangerous to drive or difficult to complete your usual job tasks

Related Health Problems That May Help You Get Social Security Disability Benefits

Many people with spinal stenosis have other health issues that also appear in the SSA’s Blue Book of qualifying disabilities. Since more than 6 in 10 people drawing benefits today listed multiple health issues on their claims, be sure to mention everything you have on your application forms.

Common related health problems and comorbid conditions that can help support your spinal stenosis claim include:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated discs (sometimes called herniated disks)
• Obesity
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spinal tumors
• Scoliosis

How to Apply for Spinal Stenosis Disability Benefits

Generally, you have three free ways to apply for disability benefits:

1. Apply online (SSDI only). If you wish to apply for SSDI benefits, you may do so online at SSA.gov. You cannot apply for SSI payments online anywhere at this time, unfortunately.
2. Apply in person at the nearest Social Security office. You’ll need to call ahead to make an appointment first; most offices don’t accept walk-in visits for this service. Plan to spend at least 4-5 hours there filling out paperwork, assuming you have all the documents you’ll need on hand.
3. Have a local disability lawyer help you complete and file an error-free claim. The SSA currently awards disability payments to less than 1 in 5 people on their first attempt. Since technical denials are the #1 reason for rejecting SSD claims, an attorney can help you avoid making any mistakes.

How to Get a Free Case Evaluation from a Disability Lawyer

You’re 3x as likely to get benefits within 180 days if a Social Security attorney helps you apply. But perhaps even more importantly, disability lawyers can tell you whether you’ll qualify before you start the application process. This service is always free, and it starts with just one phone call.

When you’re done with your free case evaluation, you’re not required to do anything else. The decision to move forward with your claim or work with the attorney you spoke with is completely up to you.

Ready to find out if you may qualify before you apply? Click the button below to start your free online benefits evaluation now:

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