EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Adhesive Capsulitis (Hip)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Adhesive Capsulitis (Hip) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5252 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5252 across 5 severity tiers (40% / 30% / 20% / 10% / 0%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Severely restricted hip movement from joint capsule inflammation and scarring, limiting flexion, rotation, and abduction
RATING CRITERIA (5 LEVELS)
40%
Flexion limited to 10°.
30%
Flexion limited to 20°.
20%
Flexion limited to 30°.
10%
Flexion limited to 45°.
0%
Flexion limited to less than 45° (i.e., flexion of 46° or more) — schedularly noncompensable under DC 5252; consider DC 5003 single-joint painful-motion fallback at 10% per § 4.59 if painful motion is objectively documented.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system). Source verified 2026-05-27 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026