I’ve been dealing with shoulder, neck and arm pain for over 2 years, and I do have medical records from my PCP documenting it. The main issue is that prolonged writing or computer use causes numbness and pain in my arms, shoulders and hands. During full PTs, by around the second section, I sometimes physically can’t annotate or take notes normally anymore because my arm starts going numb and too painful.

I also notice that once the pain and numbness gets worse, it becomes much harder to focus and process information efficiently. It’s not just discomfort, it genuinely affects my pacing and ability to continue testing normally.

I’ve tried taking pain medication and using pain relief patches during practice tests and real tests. Unfortunately, normal doses of pain medication don’t really reduce the pain anymore, while stronger doses make me feel drowsy and mentally slower. Stronger pain patches also don’t really help the numbness and only seem to help for about 45 minutes before the symptoms come back.

I never really considered accommodations before because I didn’t think this would “count” as a disability. But I feel like I might need it now😞

For people who applied under chronic pain or physical impairment:

• What documentation did LSAC want most?

• Was PCP documentation enough, or did I need a specialist?

• Did you apply for breaks, extra time, or both?

• Do you think my situation sounds like something worth applying for, or am I overthinking this?

Would really appreciate hearing anyone’s experiences. Thanks!