No, the VA doesn’t have a specific diagnostic code or assign a standalone disability rating for abnormal gait, such as limping or difficulty walking.
Instead, gait abnormalities are considered symptoms of an underlying service-connected condition, such as a knee, hip, back, or foot injury.
The severity of your abnormal gait (limp) symptoms can lead to a higher VA rating of a service-connected condition depending on how they impact your work, life, and social functioning as well as any functional impairment or loss.
Additionally, abnormal gait can lead to VA secondary conditions, including back pain, knee or hip problems, radiculopathy, or degenerative disc disease, among others.
These secondary conditions may qualify for service connection through secondary VA claims, potentially increasing your combined disability rating.
Okay, let’s explore abnormal gait in veterans, its impact on VA disability claims, common secondary conditions, and how the painful motion rule applies to musculoskeletal conditions.
Table of Contents
Summary of Key Points
- The VA does not assign a specific diagnostic code or standalone rating for abnormal gait, but it is considered a symptom of underlying service-connected conditions, like knee, hip, back, or foot injuries.
- The severity of your abnormal gait (limp) symptoms can increase the VA rating for your service-connected condition, depending on how it affects your ability to work, perform daily activities, and engage in social interactions, as well as any related functional impairments or limitations.
- Gait abnormalities often lead to secondary conditions, such as back pain, radiculopathy, degenerative disc disease, or joint issues, which can qualify for secondary service connection.
- Thorough documentation of symptoms in medical records and the “nexus” or connection between abnormal gait and service-related conditions via a nexus letter is key to maximizing compensation and ensuring all related conditions are considered.
What is an Abnormal Gait?
An abnormal gait (limp) refers to any irregularity in the way a person walks.
It is a physical manifestation of dysfunction in the legs, feet, spine, or even the nervous system.
Veterans experiencing abnormal gait may have difficulty with mobility, experience pain while walking, or be at risk of falling.
Abnormal gait can result from a range of injuries or conditions, such as musculoskeletal injuries, joint dysfunction, spinal cord issues, or neurological conditions.
The VA often considers gait abnormalities when evaluating the limitations caused by a service-connected disability.
For example, a veteran with a service-connected knee injury might experience abnormal gait as a secondary result of compensating for knee pain.
This altered gait may lead to additional disabilities over time, such as lower back pain or hip issues, both of which could also be eligible for secondary service connection.
Symptoms of Abnormal Gate in Veterans
Abnormal gait in veterans can manifest in various ways, often depending on the underlying condition causing the issue.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Limping or Favoring One Side: Veterans may experience a noticeable limp or favor one leg over the other due to pain or weakness, often stemming from injuries to the knee, hip, or ankle.
- Shuffling Feet: Veterans with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or those who have suffered a stroke may develop a shuffling gait, where their feet barely lift off the ground while walking.
- Toe Dragging: This occurs when the toes drag along the ground as a result of foot drop, which is often caused by nerve damage, such as radiculopathy from spinal injuries.
- Stiff or Uncoordinated Movement: Conditions like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injuries can cause stiffness or lack of coordination in the legs, leading to jerky or rigid walking patterns.
- Difficulty with Balance: Veterans may struggle with balance while walking, leading to frequent stumbles or falls, particularly if they have conditions like degenerative disc disease or spinal cord injuries.
- Pain While Walking: Veterans may experience pain in the lower back, hips, knees, or feet as a result of compensating for an injury. This pain can worsen over time due to the uneven distribution of weight caused by abnormal gait.
- Swelling or Weakness in Lower Limbs: Prolonged abnormal gait may lead to swelling or weakness in the legs or feet due to uneven pressure and strain on joints and muscles.
These symptoms often develop as a result of compensating for an existing injury or condition, and they can progressively worsen if left untreated.
Risk Factors for Abnormal Gait in Military Veterans
Military veterans are at a higher risk for developing abnormal gait due to the unique physical demands and exposures associated with military service.
Some of the key risk factors include:
Musculoskeletal Injuries:
Injuries to the knees, hips, feet, or ankles are common in veterans due to the physically demanding nature of military service, including running, marching, carrying heavy loads, and jumping from heights. These injuries can result in long-term mobility issues, leading to abnormal gait.
Back injuries, including spinal trauma or disc degeneration, are also prevalent due to heavy lifting, strenuous physical activity, and the impact of military equipment. Spinal injuries can lead to nerve damage, affecting gait.
Combat and Trauma-Related Injuries:
Veterans who have experienced combat-related injuries or trauma, including amputations, may develop compensatory gait abnormalities, as they adapt to missing limbs or prosthetics.
Blast injuries from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or other explosions can result in complex fractures, shrapnel wounds, or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), all of which can affect coordination and walking ability.
Chronic Joint Conditions:
Conditions such as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease often develop prematurely in veterans due to repeated joint stress and overuse during military service. These conditions can affect the mobility of the lower limbs and lead to an abnormal gait over time.
Neurological Conditions:
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), which are more common in veterans than in the general population, can lead to balance issues and coordination problems, affecting the ability to walk normally.
Veterans may also develop neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, both of which can significantly impact gait.
Chronic Pain:
Many veterans suffer from chronic pain in the lower back, legs, or feet, often due to service-related injuries or the long-term wear and tear on their bodies. Chronic pain can lead to compensatory gait patterns, such as limping, that may worsen over time.
Psychological Conditions:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression can indirectly affect a veteran’s gait. Veterans with these conditions may experience physical tension, anxiety, or muscle stiffness, which can influence their mobility.
Exposure to Hazardous Environments:
Veterans exposed to toxic chemicals or environmental hazards, such as those from burn pits during deployments, may develop conditions like fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, which affect joints and muscles, potentially contributing to gait issues.
Addressing these risk factors early, through medical evaluation and physical rehabilitation, can help veterans manage or prevent worsening of gait abnormalities.
Can I Get a VA Disability for Abnormal Gait?
Negative, the VA does not provide a separate disability rating for abnormal gait alone.
However, abnormal gait is often an important symptom that the VA takes into account when assessing the severity of a service-connected condition.
If your gait disturbance is caused by an injury to your knee, hip, back, or foot, the VA will evaluate how that impacts your overall mobility and quality of life.
To receive compensation for abnormal gait, it’s essential to link the symptom to an underlying service-connected condition.
This involves documenting any injuries or illnesses sustained during military service that could be causing your gait abnormality.
For veterans who had a normal gait before service but now experience a limp or other walking difficulties, this change can often be traced back to their time in service, especially if there is clear evidence of injuries or physical strain related to military duties.
By establishing this connection, veterans can potentially receive a higher VA disability rating that accounts for both the original condition and the secondary effects of abnormal gait.
How Abnormal Gait Impacts VA Ratings
Although abnormal gait doesn’t have its own diagnostic code, the VA evaluates it as part of the underlying service-connected condition that causes the gait disturbance.
The VA focuses on the functional limitations caused by the primary condition when determining a disability rating.
For example, 38 CFR § 4.71a outlines how musculoskeletal conditions are rated based on factors such as reduced range of motion, pain, or other mechanical dysfunctions.
If a veteran’s abnormal gait is due to a condition like degenerative disc disease or muscle spasms, this symptom will be factored into the rating for that specific condition.
Take Diagnostic Code 5237, which covers lumbosacral strain (low back disorder).
A veteran with this condition may experience muscle spasms or guarding severe enough to cause an abnormal gait.
In such cases, the VA may assign a disability rating of 20% or higher, depending on how much the condition limits spinal function and range of motion.
In more severe cases, such as when the spinal condition involves complications like unfavorable ankylosis (abnormal stiffening of the spine) or radiculopathy (nerve pain radiating into the limbs), veterans may qualify for higher ratings because these conditions severely impair mobility and daily function.
VA Secondary Conditions Linked to Abnormal Gait
Abnormal gait often stems from injuries to the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the feet, legs, hips, or back.
Over time, an abnormal gait can lead to additional medical problems due to the body compensating for the original injury.
This compensation can result in secondary orthopedic conditions that may be eligible for a secondary service connection.
For instance, if a veteran with a service-connected left ankle injury develops a limp, they might shift more of their weight to the right side of their body to alleviate discomfort.
Over time, this altered gait can strain the right ankle, knee, hip, and even the lower back.
These secondary conditions—such as chronic back pain, pes planus (flat feet), or joint issues—could be service-connected as secondary disabilities, leading to additional VA compensation.
Here’s a list of secondary conditions to abnormal gait for VA disability benefits:
- Back injuries
- Knee pain and injuries
- Hip issues
- Radiculopathy (nerve pain or compression affecting the lower extremities)
- Degenerative disc disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
- Fibromyalgia (widespread musculoskeletal pain)
- Myositis (muscle inflammation)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Pes planus (flat feet) and other conditions of the foot
- Sciatica (pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which runs down the back of the leg)
- Scoliosis (curvature of the spine that can lead to gait issues)
- Parkinson’s disease (neurological disorder that affects movement)
- Multiple sclerosis (damage to the central nervous system can lead to walking difficulties)
- Cerebral palsy (can cause abnormal gait due to muscle stiffness or imbalance)
- Stroke (can result in hemiplegia or weakness on one side of the body, leading to altered gait)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (can affect coordination and walking ability)
Each of these conditions can either cause or be aggravated by an abnormal gait, and many may qualify for service connection if they stem from or are secondary to a service-connected disability rated at 0% or higher.
The Painful Motion Principle for Secondary Conditions Abnormal Gait
The Painful Motion Principle is outlined in 38 CFR § 4.59 – Painful Motion, which acknowledges that pain itself can be a cause for disability and can lead to compensation at the minimum compensable level of 10%.
For secondary conditions to abnormal gait, even in cases where the range of motion might not significantly be limited according to measurements taken during a C&P exam, if the veteran experiences pain during motion, this pain can justify the minimum compensable rating for a particular condition.
For example, Let’s say a veteran has a service-connected left knee injury, which has led to an abnormal gait over time.
This altered walking pattern results in chronic hip pain on the opposite side (right hip) due to the veteran compensating for the pain in their left knee.
Even if the veteran’s range of motion in the right hip is only mildly restricted during a C&P exam, the VA rater should apply the painful motion principle (outlined in 38 CFR § 4.59).
This regulation acknowledges that pain during movement itself qualifies for a compensable rating, even if the motion is not significantly limited by standard measurements.
In this case, the veteran would be entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating of 10% for the right hip due to pain experienced during motion, even if the full range of motion criteria isn’t met.
Pro Tip: The Importance of a Nexus Letter for Secondary Conditions
A nexus letter can be the linchpin piece of evidence when filing a VA claim for a secondary condition.
It serves as the medical link or connection between your primary service-connected condition and the new condition you’re claiming.
In the nexus letter for a secondary condition, your doctor should clearly explain how your new secondary condition is “proximately due to” or “aggravated by” the primary condition.
The doctor should use certain nexus language, stating that it is “at least as likely as not” that the primary condition is responsible for the secondary one.
Without this, the VA might reject your claim due to a lack of medical evidence linking the two conditions.
A well-written nexus letter is often the difference between VA claim approval and denial.
Conclusion & Wrap-Up
Although abnormal gait is not assigned its own VA disability rating, it plays a key role in evaluating the severity of underlying service-connected conditions.
Veterans experiencing gait abnormalities due to injuries or illnesses sustained during service may still qualify for compensation, especially if the abnormal gait leads to secondary conditions like back pain, joint issues, or nerve damage.
To maximize the chances of receiving the benefits deserved, veterans should ensure they thoroughly document their symptoms, clearly link the gait issues to service-related injuries, and highlight any secondary complications.
By doing so, veterans can strengthen their claims and increase their overall disability ratings, ensuring that all aspects of their condition are properly evaluated by the VA.
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About the Author
Brian Reese
Brian Reese is a world-renowned VA disability benefits expert and the #1 bestselling author of VA Claim Secrets and You Deserve It. Motivated by his own frustration with the VA claim process, Brian founded VA Claims Insider to help disabled veterans secure their VA disability compensation faster, regardless of their past struggles with the VA. Since 2013, he has positively impacted the lives of over 10 million military, veterans, and their families.
A former active-duty Air Force officer, Brian has extensive experience leading diverse teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Brian is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy and earned his MBA from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, where he was a National Honor Scholar, ranking in the top 1% of his class.
