Information on arthritis please

margie1

Hi I have recently been diagnosed having arthritis in my spine. I have been off work now for 2 weeks but hope to return next week if the pain subsides, fingers crossed, I have not been told anything about the condition eg what type i have, how long the pain will last, how long i will be off work etc. I was diagnosed after having an x-ray, MRI scan and a blood test which did show an infection somewhere but apart from the pain I felt fine. I have been reading through the forums to try to find out what i do next? I'm not sure at all, I was reading about different benefits such as DLA, how bad does a persons arthritis have to be to be considered as being disabled? how disabled does someone need to be to claim DLA or other benefits? I am just trying to gain some knowledge of the condition and other information for in the future, i would be very grateful for any information at this point.
Thank you
marg

helpline_team

Hi Marg

Thanks for getting in touch and I'm sorry to hear that you've been experiencing such a lot of pain recently. I'm afraid it's not possible to even guess as to when your pain is going to subside - it depends on how well you respond to any treatment you've been offered. It's very likely that what you've been diagnosed with is osteoarthritis, but I would ask your doctor for clarification.
When it comes to DLA, the questions are how much does your condition limit your ability to carry out daily tasks including washing, dressing, mobility, preparing a meal etc. We're not benefits experts here so it would be best if you contacted welfare rights specialists such as Citizen's Advice or DIAL UK. They can go through the application process with you and help to present the best possible case for being awarded DLA. There's a factsheet on claiming DLA that you can download by clicking on 'Publications and Resources'
and there's a very useful booklet on back pain here:

http://www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp

Hope this helps
Best wishes
Paul