Why cant i get on disability?

i have a problem called sciatica nerve damage. it runs from the back to the right leg. i have had this for over 1 year. i have done physical therapy and living off pain killers. i tried to look for a job that requires only sitting down but can't find one. keep in mind im only 18 years old and attending college. i havea very hard time getting around. i cant stand on my leg for more than 1 hour. but my doctor wont sign a form that says im disable. dont you think i should have the right to be disabled. i can't work and need to support my brother. i lost my mother last year and its just me and my brother living together but i need income which i cant get becuase of this problem. please help me
Answer:
If you are 18 years old and have had sciatica for one year, I would either say:
A: You did not have a good mechanical evaluation by a therapist who specializes in this...or
B: If you did, and you failed to improve, you would be classified as someone with an irriducible derrangement and why isn't surgery being considered

At the age of 18, it is very unlikely that this degrangement should not reduce...or if it cannot be by ANY conservative means then why surgery shouldn't be considered. Furthermore, at the age of 18 there is also no reason why you cannot learn a new skill...you have your whole life ahead of you and to declare yourself "disabed" at this point is going to leave you unfullfilled and POOR. Someone your age who has not paid much into the social security system will probably not earn more than $700 a month (by best guess based on what my father earns after paying into the system for 45 years). Remember that SS pays out based on what you've paid into it.

As a comparison, my own father has advanced spinal stenosis to the point where he was having sciatica in both legs, neuropathy, loss of balance and inability to feel when he has his feet on the gas pedal. He cannot walk more than 50 feet at a time. He also has lost part of his vision in one eye and has a pulmonary condition. It took him three years to be declared disabled.

I do not think you have the RIGHT to disability. To be declared disabled, you have to be deemed to be completly unemployable in all arenas and unable to be retrained in something else.

Many people with sciatica either live with it or:
A. get it fixed by seeing the right type of PT, chiro, surgeon, whatever...especially at such a young age
B. find a job that they can do based on their condition.

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Have you considered a job in a customer service center or call center? They're not ideal jobs, but you'd be sitting down %26 it would be a good job to get you through college.
Your college should have internship programs that will help get you into good companies after graduation, in whatever field you choose.
You could even try online travel companies like priceline and orbitz. They need people to take reservations, you work at home %26 you can sit, stand, whatever you want.
There are jobs out there, you just have to know where to look. If nothing else, you can get a job as a cashier - then they have to accommodate your disability by providing a chair for you.

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