The C&P exam is a snapshot. The examiner measures you on one day — and if that happens to be one of your better days, your flare-ups can disappear from the record entirely. That is a problem the law expects the examiner to solve, but you have to give them the material.
The law is on your side
Court decisions require examiners to account for additional loss of function during flare-ups, not just your range of motion on the day of the exam. But they can only do that if you describe the flares clearly.
Describe the worst, not the average
- How often flares happen and how long they last
- What you cannot do during one — walk, lift, sleep, concentrate
- What triggers them and what it takes to recover
Do not minimize to be polite. "I manage" tells the examiner you are fine. Describe your worst day honestly and specifically, and bring a symptom log so it is in writing.