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We are experienced at representing claimants who have been denied their long-term disability benefits for rheumatoid arthritis. If your long-term disability benefits have been terminated and you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, call us today.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition where the joints – elbows, knees, finger knuckles – become swollen, making it very painful for individuals with this condition to perform even the most normal everyday tasks, like squatting to pick something up, standing up out of a low chair, or even lifting something heavy with your hands. Compared to other forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is much more painful for people suffering from the condition, and can result in debilitating joint pain and lasting damage.
Today, rheumatoid arthritis is considered the number one cause of disability around the world, including over 370,000 Canadians. With no cure currently found for this disorder, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is a life-changing event that continues to impact the lives of many Canadians and their families, forcing them to rethink lifestyles and career choices. If you or a loved one suffers from rheumatoid arthritis affecting your ability to work, or you are dealing with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis impairing your ability to do your job, call Lalande Personal Injury Lawyers today at 905-333-8888. We help disability claimants all over Ontario, and our consultations are 100% free.
Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis
A big reason why a cure for RA has not yet been discovered is that the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still largely a mystery. What is understood is that it is a form of arthritis, a condition that results in swollen joints, and we also understand that RA is caused by the immune system accidentally turning against the body, or what is called an autoimmune disease. Research also seems to show that women are more likely to develop autoimmune diseases in general, although the core causes for autoimmune diseases and why it seems to affect women more than men are also things that need to be researched further.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk factors
What has been seen in past studies and data collected is that there are risk factors that seem to indicate which individuals are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as compared to other people:
People with family history/genetic connection to RA: Having other family members, particularly those in your immediate family, who have developed rheumatic arthritis, has been connected to a higher likelihood of developing the condition.
Women have a greater probability than men: Statistically, women are twice as likely to develop rheumatic arthritis as men. The reason for this is still unknown and something that continues to be studied. There seems to be some connection between RA and certain hormones, and the hormonal shifts women go through during pregnancy and breastfeeding may have some relationship with how some individuals develop rheumatic arthritis.
People between 40-60 years of age: From what is understood about autoimmune in generals, it’s not to say that younger (or older) individuals cannot develop RA, but the majority of cases consistently fall within this age range. While osteoarthritis – another form of arthritis that results from the “wear and tear” of years of usage, and is not an autoimmune disease – also can affect individuals in a similar age range, it should be noted that there is no causative connection between osteoarthritis and rheumatic arthritis.
People who are exposed to cigarette smoke: Smokers and people who often find themselves in situations where they breathe in second-hand smoke (e.g. social establishments, etc) are at a greater risk of developing rheumatic arthritis.
Unfortunately, there is very little conclusive medical proof that points to any concrete cause for rheumatic arthritis, which makes many diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis all the more shocking for many people. Since the signs of symptoms of RA are usually very slight and subtle at the beginning, only to worsen significantly as the condition develops, it usually isn’t until the condition has developed much more that people begin to recognize that there were risk factors – family members with rheumatoid arthritis or lifestyle habits like being around cigarette smoke – that had been in front of them.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is difficult to recognize for those who are developing the condition in the first few days or weeks because of how relatively normal the symptoms may feel. People who have developed rheumatoid arthritis have reported having experienced overall stiffness and discomfort when doing different actions, but nothing to warrant any worry or suspicion that it would develop into anything serious. Other more specific symptoms also develop, largely surrounding the joints:
- Joint pain and tenderness
- Joint swelling
- Morning stiffness (lasting more than 30 minutes)
- Warmth and redness of joints
- Fatigue
- Low-grade fever
- Weight loss
- Reduced range of motion in affected joints
- Firm bumps of tissue under the skin (rheumatoid nodules)
- Symmetrical symptoms (affecting both sides of the body, e.g., both wrists or both knees)
- Loss of appetite
- General feeling of malaise
- Weakness
These symptoms can vary in severity and may come and go, with periods of increased disease activity (flares) and periods of remission.
Physical Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rlare-ups and Everything in Between
Rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups, characterized by sudden increases in joint pain, swelling, and stiffness, present significant challenges for patients and clinicians alike. During a flare, the immune system’s heightened activity leads to increased inflammation in the synovial lining, exacerbating symptoms and often impairing daily function. These episodes may be triggered by stress, infection, or changes in medication, though in many cases, the precipitating factor remains unclear. Effective management of flares requires prompt recognition and a tailored approach, often involving adjustments in pharmacologic therapy, such as short courses of corticosteroids or modifications to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS), alongside supportive measures like rest, cold compresses, and physical therapy. For patients, understanding the unpredictable nature of flares and maintaining close communication with healthcare providers can significantly improve outcomes and quality of life, even as the disease course remains variable.
My Disability Adjuster Thinks That Rheumatoid Arthritis Is The Same As Osteoarthritis. What’s The Difference?
There is a major difference.
With OA, your joint cartilage, lining, ligaments, and bone are all affected by deterioration. The surrounding bones slowly rub together when the cartilage begins to break down due to injury or illness. The pain builds up over time and feels worse after joint use. In addition, osteoarthritis only affects the particular joint because the joint cartilage is worn away due to injury or overuse.
Rheumatoid arthritis is much different – it’s a chronic inflammation of the joints. The degeneration caused by RA tends to affect the smaller joints in the body first, namely the joints in the fingers, hands, and feet. The damage then spreads to other major joints in the body. Its early symptoms may appear as imprecise pain with a slow appearance without classic joint swelling or tenderness symptoms.
These symptoms are usually relatively non-specific and can persist for a long time. A person may gradually experience morning joint stiffness and redness for more than 30 minutes or arthritis-type pain in the small joints of the hands or feet with ongoing swelling and tenderness.
The pain is normally symmetrical—meaning on both sides of the body—whereas with osteoarthritis, the pain and disability affect the joint, causing the pain.
How long does Rheumatoid Arthritis last?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive auto-immune disease disease, meaning that the disease will become more aggressive over time. Typically, the inflammation will cause serious damage to the affected joints because of progressive joint swelling and/or persistent damage to the cartilage and bone.
Also, the chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis can cause major problems with your lungs, eyes and cardiovascular system (heart). For example, suppose you suffer prolonged and chronic inflammation in the lungs. In that case, it can lead to pulmonary fibrosis, which makes breathing very hard – and negatively affects your overall quality of life.
Although many medications and therapies are designed to decrease underlying inflammation inside the joint, there is no known cure. Quite often, people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis can go through periods of long remissions (where symptoms disappear for a long while) and have symptoms that come and go. In contrast, others suffer progressive and ongoing inflammation that never stops.
In all cases, however, inflammation wears away joint cartilage, causing bones to become unstable and rub together. Eventually, you might notice deformities as the bones move around within the joint. Pain, swelling, and loss of motion will progressively occur, and joint replacement surgery might become an option.
Rheumatoid Arthritis can Impact a Person’s Ability to Work
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and experience severe progressive symptoms, there is no doubt that your daily life and work life can be negatively affected.
It may be quite difficult for a person who chronically suffers from a reduced range of motion, fatigue, chronic pain, reduced mobility or overall reduced function to adhere to any type of regular work schedule.
The disease often will cause functional limitations for a person, such as the inability to walk, walk for long, sit for long, reach overhead, with your overall mobility, stooping, crouching, kneeling, etc., which can lead to problems in most occupations, either physical or sedentary. Things like typing on a keyboard or using a stapler can irritate, leading to exhausting pain over time. A teacher may not be able to get up in the morning and make it to school at 8:00 a.m. if he or she has progressive morning stiffness and joint swelling/pain.
In addition, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis require constant treatment, even if symptoms aren’t constant. A person can experience inconsistent, debilitating, and unpredictable flare-ups. One day, a person’s joints can feel pretty good, while the next, swelling and pain can cause a person to be unable to get out of bed. Work can, in time, become very difficult.
I Suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and was Cut-Off Long-Term Disability.
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and have been denied or cut off from long-term disability benefits, you may have a claim against your long-term disability insurance carrier if you cannot complete the substantial duties of your employment.
Many claimants are also denied long-term disability benefits at the two-year mark, otherwise called the change of definition or the COD. At this point in the claim, most policies change from your “own occupation” to “any occupation,” meaning that you must be disabled from doing the duties of any job for which you are reasonably trained by education, training and experience.
Whether you qualify for long-term disability benefits depends on the nature and severity of your work-related restrictions.
Many times, insurance carriers will have their internet or hire doctors to perform a so-called “independent medical examination,” which will more often than not find that you can work in some occupation.
Whatever your denial situation is, you must contact a disability lawyer to help you get your monthly benefits back on track.
Contact Hamilton’s disability lawyers for a free, confidential consultation.
Our Hamilton disability lawyers work with the best experts in the field—from autoimmune experts to pain experts to orthopedic surgeons and vocational and psychiatric experts. We understand that rheumatoid arthritis is a very serious autoimmune disease, and your individual or group long-term disability insurance company should no doubt protect your financial future by providing you with the disability benefits you deserve.
If you have been denied or cut off your long-term disability benefits, call our Hamilton disability lawyers at 905-333-8888 or contact us online today. We can help with your individual or group long-term disability claim and get your benefits back on track.
At Lalande Personal Injury Lawyers, we take pride in being trusted Hamilton personal injury lawyers since 2003. Over the years, we’ve helped our clients recover more than $30 Million in settlements and verdicts in personal injury, disability, and employment law cases. Whether you’re dealing with a life-changing injury, a denied disability claim, wrongful death, a hurt child or employment termination, we are here to provide compassionate and experienced legal representation. If you believe you have a case, call us today—we’re ready to help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Call Lalande Personal Injury Lawyers today, no matter where you are in Ontario, at 905-333-8888 for your free consultation. Alternatively, you can contact us online, confidentially, by filling out a contact form.