Headaches

Headaches are an occasional and minor problem for most people.  For people who suffer from chronic and severe headaches, life can be a misery.  There are several different types and causes of chronic severe headache including migraine, cluster headaches, cervical arthritis, high blood pressure, glaucoma, brain tumor, concussion, sinusitis and Chiari malformation.

Any kind of chronic pain is going to limit your ability to work.  Severe headaches prevent you from being able to concentrate enough on any kind of tasks including work tasks.  Many people who suffer from chronic migraines do not leave get out of bed for days on end.  If you cannot attend work regularly, then you cannot work.  Severe headaches can prevent you from being able to concentrate enough to prevent you from being able to complete even simple tasks.

It is very difficult, but not impossible, to prove disability on the basis of headaches alone.  Headaches are a highly subjective problem.  In other words, we cannot hook you up to a machine to get a read out of how badly your head hurts.  We prove a headaches case by talking to your doctors and getting them to tell us how your headaches would affect your ability to work.  It is very important that you are compliant with treatment including trying the different medications they have recommended for you.  There are several medications for migraine headaches, and they are often highly effective.  You should try the medications that are recommended to you to see if they will work.  If you do not, the judge might consider your failure to do so as failure to comply with recommended treatment.

Even if you are not disabled on the basis of your headaches alone, headaches can affect your ability to concentrate.  Any limitation in your ability to concentrate could contribute to causing you work related limitations of function.  However, you must be in regular treatment for your headaches, and you must be sure to let your doctor know about the frequency and severity of your headaches.

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We serve clients throughout the Carolinas from our offices in Spartanburg, Greenville, and Columbia.