Listing 1.18
Abnormality of a major joint(s) in any extremity
This listing covers serious problems in major joints of the arms or legs — shoulder, elbow, wrist-hand, hip, knee, or ankle-foot — from conditions like osteoarthritis, chronic joint infections, or joint fusion.
Read the full plain-language explanation
SSA needs four things documented close together in time: (A) chronic joint pain or stiffness; (B) abnormal motion, instability, or immobility of the joint; (C) a physical or imaging finding of a structural abnormality (like joint space narrowing or contracture); and (D) proof of a serious functional limitation lasting at least 12 months, such as a medical need for a walker, two canes, or a wheelchair, or being unable to use one or both arms for work tasks.
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What Listing 1.18 asks for
What SSA looks for — see the 4 items
We will check your records against each of these. Every item comes straight from SSA's own listing.
Your medical records must show ongoing (chronic) pain or stiffness in the affected major joint. A, B, C, and D are all required.
(Listing 1.18, criterion A)
A doctor's exam must show the joint moves abnormally — limited motion, too much motion, movement outside the normal plane, instability, or being fixed in place.
(Listing 1.18, criterion B)
- A structural problem in the joint must be found either on a physical exam (such as partial dislocation, contracture, or fusion) OR on imaging (such as joint space narrowing or bone destruction).
- Either one satisfies this criterion.
Read the original wording
A structural problem in the joint must be found either on a physical exam (such as partial dislocation, contracture, or fusion) OR on imaging (such as joint space narrowing or bone destruction). Either one satisfies this criterion.
(Listing 1.18, criterion C)
- Your condition must limit your functioning for at least 12 months, and records must show at least ONE of these:
- You medically need a walker, two canes, two crutches, or a two-handed wheelchair
- You can't use one arm/hand for work tasks AND you medically need a one-handed device (like a cane) that ties up your other hand
- You can't use either arm/hand for work tasks. Only one path is needed.
Read the original wording
Your condition must limit your functioning for at least 12 months, and records must show at least ONE of these: (1) you medically need a walker, two canes, two crutches, or a two-handed wheelchair; (2) you can't use one arm/hand for work tasks AND you medically need a one-handed device (like a cane) that ties up your other hand; or (3) you can't use either arm/hand for work tasks. Only one path is needed.
(Listing 1.18, criterion D)
How long it must last:
- The impairment-related physical limitation must have lasted, or be expected to last, for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
- All criteria (A, B, C, and D) must appear in the medical record simultaneously or within a close proximity of time (a consecutive 4-month period, or 12 months for claims decided during the pandemic/post-pandemic evaluation periods), and the severity must continue or be expected to continue for at least 12 months.
Read the original wording
The impairment-related physical limitation must have lasted, or be expected to last, for a continuous period of at least 12 months. All criteria (A, B, C, and D) must appear in the medical record simultaneously or within a close proximity of time (a consecutive 4-month period, or 12 months for claims decided during the pandemic/post-pandemic evaluation periods), and the severity must continue or be expected to continue for at least 12 months.