Parham v. Colvin

Decision Date13 April 2015
Docket NumberCivil No. 3:14cv283 (DJN)
CourtU.S. District Court — Eastern District of Virginia
PartiesCHRISTOPHER D. PARHAM Plaintiff, v. CAROLYN W. COLVIN, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant.
MEMORANDUM OPINION

Christopher D. Parham ("Plaintiff") is forty-nine years old and previously worked as a delivery distributor for a wine company. On February 10, 2011, Plaintiff protectively filed for Disability Insurance Benefits ("DIB") and Supplemental Security Income ("SSI") under the Social Security Act ("Act"), alleging disability from degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine with an original alleged onset date of October 1, 2010. An Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ") held a hearing on September 27, 2012, during which Plaintiff amended his alleged onset date to August 3, 2009. The ALJ denied Plaintiff's claims by written decision on October 17, 2012. The Appeals Council denied Plaintiff's request for review on February 21, 2014, rendering the ALJ's decision the final decision of the Commissioner.

Plaintiff seeks judicial review of the ALJ's decision in this Court pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Plaintiff challenges the ALJ's denial of benefits on the basis that the ALJ violated Plaintiff's Fifth Amendment due process rights and failed to fully inquire into all matters at issue during Plaintiff's hearing, that the ALJ erred in affording less than controlling weight to Plaintiff's treating physician's opinion and some weight to one of the state agency physicians,that the ALJ erred in assessing Plaintiff's credibility and that Plaintiff presented new evidence requiring remand. (Pl.'s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. for Summ. J. ("Pl.'s Mem.") (ECF No. 13) at 16-22.)

The matter comes before the Court for a Report and Recommendation pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c)(1) on the parties' cross-motions for summary judgment.1 For the reasons set forth below, the Court DENIES Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 12), GRANTS Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 16) and AFFIRMS the final decision of the Commissioner.

I. BACKGROUND

Because Plaintiff challenges the ALJ's decision, Plaintiff's education and work history, medical history, state agency physician opinions, Plaintiff's testimony and vocational expert testimony are summarized below.

A. Education and Work History

Plaintiff completed high school. (R. at 45, 205.) Plaintiff worked for thirteen years as a delivery driver for a wine distributor. (R. at 45-46, 197.) Plaintiff suffered an injury in 1999 and received worker's compensation benefits, but continued to work on light duty for the wine distributor. (R. at 47.) In March 2007, Plaintiff stopped working to undergo shoulder surgery as a result of his 1999 injury. (R. at 47.)

B. Medical History2

On March 25, 1999, Plaintiff visited John W. Ayres, M.D. at West End Orthopedic for pain and discomfort in his right arm. (R. at 597.) A physical examination of his right arm and shoulder revealed no abnormalities, and x-rays of Plaintiff's cervical spine were normal. (R. at 597.) On March 31, 1999, Plaintiff returned to Dr. Ayres and stated that his pain was associated with duties that he performed at work, including frequently lifting heavy objects and frequently lifting over his head. (R. at 599.) Dr. Ayres assessed that Plaintiff's symptoms were consistent with upper shoulder and cervical strain, as well as irritation and possible impingement of the scalenes and brachial plexus. (R. at 599.)

On August 9, 1999, Plaintiff visited Charles Bonner, M.D. at Physical Medicine Center. (R. at 473.) Dr. Bonner conducted a physical examination and opined that Plaintiff suffered from a chronic sprain and strain of the right shoulder with shoulder-hand syndrome. (R. at 47374.) Dr. Bonner also indicated that Plaintiff's report suggested that he had degenerative disc disease. (R. at 474.) Dr. Bonner prescribed Zoloft, Naprelan and Flexeril, and referred Plaintiff for physical therapy. (R. at 474.)

On April 18, 2006, Plaintiff returned to Dr. Maragh and stated that his pain began on March 3, 1999, after he suffered a shoulder injury at work while lifting a case of wine. (R. at 565.) Plaintiff's injury was initially treated as a sprain. (R. at 565.) Plaintiff subsequently visited Dr. Ayres and Dr. Bonner for pain control, who referred Plaintiff to Dr. Young in 2004. (R. at 565.) Dr. Young requested and examined an MRI of Plaintiff's shoulder, which revealed a shoulder joint abnormality that required surgery. (R. at 565.) On physical examination, Plaintiff demonstrated limited motion in his right shoulder and mild atrophy in his joints. (R. at 566.)Plaintiff also felt pain with abduction of his right shoulder above ninety degrees that increased with external rotation. (R. at 566.) Dr. Maragh recommended that Plaintiff continue with his light duties at work and diagnosed Plaintiff with right thoracic outlet syndrome ("TOS"),3 but noted that the progression was minimal because Plaintiff had been limited to light duties at work. (R. at 566.) On September 26, 2006, Dr. Maragh re-examined Plaintiff and observed that Plaintiff had limited motion in his neck and right shoulder due to pain. (R. at 572.) Dr. Maragh opined that Plaintiff suffered from TOS as a result from his injury at work. (R. at 572.) Dr. Maragh noted that Plaintiff needed to have his "pain cycle broken" and recommended that Plaintiff undergo a Kenalog injection into the painful area. (R. at 572.)

On March 20, 2007, Dr. Young operated on Plaintiff's right shoulder and conducted arthroscopic subacromial decompression, debridement of the glenohumeral joint and distal clavicle excision. (R. at 578-79.) On November 27, 2007, Plaintiff visited Dr. Maragh for a follow-up appointment. (R. at 582.) Dr. Maragh noted that Dr. Young opined that Plaintiff's shoulder had improved and that Plaintiff should consider returning to an appropriate job level. (R. at 582.) Upon physical examination, Dr. Maragh observed that Plaintiff experienced tenderness over the scapula muscles, pectoralis and chest. (R. at 582.) Plaintiff described pain that radiated into his shoulder, through his lateral arm and into his hand when he elevated his arm to ninety degrees. (R. at 582.) Dr. Maragh opined that Plaintiff continued to suffer from TOS and rib arthralgias. (R. at 582.)

On April 23, 2008, Plaintiff visited Peyman Nazmi, M.D. at the Richmond Spine Interventions and Pain Center. (R. at 552-54.) Dr. Nazmi observed that Plaintiff's physical examination showed pain upon flexion of the right shoulder and some tenderness over the cervical paraspinal muscles on the right side upon deep palpation. (R. at 553.) During the evaluation, Plaintiff complained of some radicular and neuropathic-type pain in his right pectoral area, but did not complain of any significant pain in his right shoulder and he retained full range of motion in his shoulder. (R. at 553.) On July 25, 2008, Dr. Nazmi performed trigger-point injections into Plaintiff's right cervical and thoracic paraspinal and trapezius region. (R. at 560.) On August 22, 2008, Plaintiff reported that his pain level decreased from 10/10 to 6/10 with medication. (R. at 561.) Dr. Nazmi recommended that Plaintiff return to work. (R. at 562.)

On September 22, 2008, Plaintiff visited Dr. Young and complained of right parascapular pain, neck and rib pain, and tingling in his fingers. (R. at 286.) Dr. Young observed that Plaintiff did not exhibit signs of acute distress, he retained intact sensation to touch in his upper extremities, showed positive Adson's reaction on the right side and had a mildly positive Tinel's reaction in his right elbow and wrist. (R. at 286-87.) Dr. Young also opined that Plaintiff's incisional sites were well-healed and Plaintiff demonstrated good external rotation abduction power. (R. at 287.) Although Plaintiff complained generally about pain in his parascapular musculature, Plaintiff did not describe any particular pain in his shoulder itself and had no complaints regarding his acromioclavicular or sternoclavicular joints. (R. at 287.)

On October 13, 2008, Plaintiff visited Gregory Lockhart, M.D. at Thoracic Surgery, PLC. (R. at 449.) Dr. Lockhart's physical examination of Plaintiff revealed that Plaintiff had spasms in his posterior cervical trunk and parascapular spasms on his right side. (R. at 449.) Dr. Lockhart opined that Plaintiff suffered from TOS, but noted that Plaintiff needed to undergo anMRI to determine if his cervical discs were compressed before Dr. Lockhart could determine what treatment would be appropriate. (R. at 449.)

On November 10, 2008, Michelle Kraut, M.D. at MRI of Richmond read Plaintiff's MRI. (R. at 288.) Dr. Kraut opined that Plaintiff had straightening of the cervical spine, likely the result of a muscle spasm, central canal stenosis and right neural foraminal narrowing at C4-C5 and bilateral narrowing at C3-C4. (R. at 288.)

On June 26, 2009, Plaintiff underwent an electrodiagnostic consultation with Katherine L. Dec, M.D. at CJW Sports Medicine. (R. at 291-92.) Plaintiff's examination did not reveal any findings to suggest that he suffered from right cervical radiculopathy, right lower trunk brachial plexopathy, neurogenic TOS or carpal tunnel syndrome. (R. at 292.) Dr. Dec concluded that the electrodiagnostic examination did not explain Plaintiff's symptoms and that his results were normal. (R. at 292.)

On July 1, 2009, Rich J. Placide, M.D. at West End Orthopedic Clinic reviewed Plaintiff's MRI. (R. at 293.) Dr. Placide determined that Plaintiff showed degenerative changes in his cervical spine. (R. at 293.) Plaintiff's x-ray also showed that he had large transverse processes at C7. (R. at 293.)

On August 3, 2009, Plaintiff visited Michael J. DePalma, M.D. at the VCU Spine Center. (R. at 307-09.) Dr. DePalma conducted a physical examination and observed that Plaintiff's peripheral joint range of motion was normal in the head, neck, trunk and all four limbs,...

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