Impairment · 2005 PDRS Section 2
Spine — neck & back: PD rating
Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine — the DRE and range-of-motion methods. These arrive directly as a whole-person impairment (WPI) percentage.
WPI → PD rating
Example — a 12% WPI low-back (lumbar) impairment: 12 × 1.4 = 17 standard rating (DOI ≥ 2013), before the occupational and age adjustments.
The occupational and age steps and the final dollar figure depend on the specific job and birth date — the calculator computes them exactly.
How spine ratings work: the evaluator rates the spine as whole-person impairment under Chapter 15 of the AMA Guides (5th ed.), usually by DRE category — placing the injury in a category from objective findings like radiculopathy or fracture, each carrying a WPI range — or by the range-of-motion method where DRE doesn’t fit (multilevel or recurrent cases). The 2005 schedule files the regions separately — cervical under 15.01, thoracic 15.02, lumbar 15.03 — so a neck and a low-back injury rate as two impairments that combine, not add. Each WPI then runs the standard pipeline: the 1.4 adjustment, occupational variant, and age modifier.
Impairments in this system · 31
Cervical
Cervical - Diagnosis-related Estimate (DRE)Cervical - Range of Motion (ROM) - FractureCervical - Range of Motion - Soft Tissue LesionCervical - Range of Motion - Spondylolysis, no operationCervical - Range of Motion - Stenosis, with operationCervical - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - SensoryCervical - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - Motor
Thoracic
Thoracic - Diagnosis-related Estimate (DRE)Thoracic - Range of Motion - FractureThoracic - Range of Motion - Soft Tissue LesionThoracic - Range of Motion - Spondylolysis, no operationThoracic - Range of Motion - Stenosis, with operationThoracic - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - SensoryThoracic - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - Motor
Lumbar
Lumbar - Diagnosis-related Estimate (DRE)Lumbar - Range of Motion - FractureLumbar - Range of Motion - Soft Tissue LesionLumbar - Range of Motion - Spondylolysis, no operationLumbar - Range of Motion - Stenosis, with operationLumbar - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - SensoryLumbar - Range of Motion - Nerve Root/Spinal Cord - Motor
Corticospinal Tract
Corticospinal Tract - One Upper ExtremityCorticospinal Tract - Two Upper ExtremitiesCorticospinal Tract - Station/Gait DisorderCorticospinal Tract - Bladder ImpairmentCorticospinal Tract - Anorectal ImpairmentCorticospinal Tract - Sexual ImpairmentCorticospinal Tract - Respiratory Impairment
Pelvic
Pelvic - Healed FracturePelvic - Healed Fracture with DisplacementPelvic - Healed Fracture with Deformity
Spine (neck & back) rating FAQ
How is a spine — neck & back injury rated for permanent disability in California?
These arrive directly as a whole-person impairment (WPI) percentage. The WPI is multiplied by 1.4 to get the standard rating (dates of injury on or after 2013 under SB 863), then adjusted for the worker’s occupation and age, apportioned under Lab. Code §4663, and combined with any other impairments. Example — a 12% WPI low-back (lumbar) impairment: 12 × 1.4 = 17 standard rating (DOI ≥ 2013), before the occupational and age adjustments.
What body parts are in the Spine — neck & back section of the PDRS?
The 2005 PDRS lists 31 impairments here, covering Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Corticospinal Tract, Pelvic. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine — the DRE and range-of-motion methods.
Does the occupation change a spine — neck & back rating?
Yes — after the ×1.4 step, the occupational group applies a variant that raises or lowers the standard rating. See the occupation pages for how each group treats this region.
Is this a legal PD rating?
No — it’s an estimate for informational use. Confirm every rating against the DEU. RateString rates strict AMA Guides 5th-edition values under the 2005 PDRS.
What a spine rating pays
This impairment at 10% WPI across three occupations — the variant does the moving:
Computed live by the rating engine — 10% WPI, age 42–46, single impairment, no apportionment, dollars at the 2026 maximum PD rate. Run any combination in the calculator.
Rate this impairment — free
Enter the WPI, occupation, and age — get a defensible PD rating and indemnity in under a minute.