A person is said to have a dynamic disability if their symptoms fluctuate in severity. Sometimes these fluctuations are referred to as flares, where one or all of the symptoms of a condition worsen for a period of time. The period may be days, weeks, or months.
You might be diagnosed as a dynamically disabled person if you are able to perform tasks at some point but unable to complete the same tasks at another time. For example, you can walk, exercise, and stay active today but are unable to do any of that tomorrow. Then, the disability repeats some other time. On a day when symptoms aren’t present, it is difficult for someone who doesn’t know you to recognize your disability. To them, you seem completely healthy.
Some people who have ankylosing spondylitis (AS) experience dynamic disability. The symptoms may come and go. They may also improve or get worse over many years.
Dynamic disability can also affect people who have multiple sclerosis (MS). In this case, your doctor would say that you have a relapsing-remitting disease course. This means that you experience periods of new symptoms or relapses that develop over days or weeks. However, they later improve partially or completely. Multiple sclerosis relapses are usually followed by quiet periods of disease remission that can even last months or years.
Although some people use them interchangeably, dynamic disability is not the same as invisible disability or hidden disability. The latter refers to disabilities that are not immediately apparent: for example, a person with a visual disability who does not wear glasses.
Being dynamically disabled can pose various challenges. For instance, you may be well enough to work today and be bedridden tomorrow. However, with adequate support from a dedicated health team and loved ones, you can live more comfortably.
