VA examination limited because I was in pain

Question:

I recently had a VA exam for joints, muscles, etc. I am being med boarded for my hips and back. I was in a lot of pain and always in a lot of pain. I am very limited in everything I do. The examiner saw this and asked a bunch of questions but then she said that she could see that I am in a lot of pain and that she is not going to do the range of motion testing on anything. She said that she could see I was in pain just standing there. Will this hurt my VA rating? I am worried that the VA will not see how limited I truly am. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Jim's Reply:

The examiner did the right thing in this case. When the examiner insists on pushing our painful joints past their limits to measure the range of motion (ROM) asked for in the record, they can cause lasting damage. Pain is a disabling condition on its own and the rater is required to consider that in the evaluation of your condition. I would believe that this circumstance would further support your claim so no harm, no foul here.