Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or EDS, is a complex set of genetic disorders involving the way that a person’s body produces and regulates collagen. Ultimately, this can end up impacting many of their connective tissues, including their joints, muscles, skin, organs and eyes.
Because there are over a dozen different types of EDS. Because the condition can vary in severity, people with EDS can find the condition to be nothing more than a mild medical inconvenience or absolutely disabling. Common symptoms of the disorder include:
- Hypermobility (hyper-flexible joints or “double-jointedness”)
- Skin problems, including skin that tears, stretches, sags or won’t heal properly
- Chronic muscle, tendon and joint pain and early-onset arthritis
- Chronic problems with sprains and dislocations
- Difficulty with their heart or other organs, including the eyes
While the Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn’t specifically address EDS in its “Blue Book” of listings that cover many qualifying conditions, that doesn’t mean you can’t win an approval for your claim based on EDS. It just means that you must demonstrate that your condition is equally as disabling as some other condition that is listed. For example, if your EDS has led to significant pain and problems with your joints and has left you dependent on mobility aids to walk, you may qualify based on comparison to a musculoskeletal not included in the Blue Book.
If you have a variant of EDS that has been documented by your medical providers and it’s become impossible for you to keep working, it may be time to file for Social Security Disability benefits. An attorney can help assess your case and organize your evidence in a way that makes it easier to win approval.