Injury and commissioning

Bostonian

5-Year Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
4
I'm an MSIV getting ready to commission on Active Duty in May 13.

However, I've messed up my ankle bad, and it's showing no signs of getting better any time soon. I guess achilles tendons take a long time to heal :(

That being said, what happens if I don't pass a PT test before commissioning? Do they have any provisions for injury, or is that it? LDAC is all done and complete, all my prior PT tests have been great.

I know it's a worst case scenario, but I just want to know what will happen in that unfortunate circumstance.
 
This is a question for you PMS to answer. If you are unable to pass a PT test because of an injury you will probably have to undergo a medical determination, where the Cadet Command surgeon will determine whether you are still medically qualified. You aren't medically qualified if you have an injury that precludes you from passing a PT test and you will be medically disenrolled. I'm a little skeptical that you think you have an injury that you won't allow you to run two miles some time in the next 5 months . You need to come up with a plan (with your cadre's help) to maintain your fitness level while letting your ankle heal, and suck it up and pass a PT test by the end of Spring semester. If you can't figure out how to do that perhaps being an Army Officer is not the right path for you.
 
First step, see a doctor! May 13 is still a long ways off. Talk to your PMS, see a doctor, get physical therapy. You never know, it could be something as simple as PT for a month and you are back at it. Lets not jump to worst case... Part of being an officer is knowing when you (and your troops) are injured vs hurt. You have to know when to push yourself and them. Take care of yourself so you are 100% when you raise your right hand. Don't delay seeing a doctor. The sooner you do, the sooner you are healthy.
 
+1

Doing nothing could actually hurt you more than anything else.

Our DS injured his foot and out of fear he didn't say anything, just worked through the pain. His father(ret. AF O5 flier) and I had a fit when we found out. We told him tell the det., and get to a doc now. The det. had no problem, he went to the doc, was excused for 6 weeks from PT. Came back and all was well.

May is far away, but if you don't see a doc you can be jeopardizing your future.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, I've been in a walking boot that my doctor gave me, but the pain isn't going away. It's been months now, which is why I'm worried. It isn't for lack of effort - I've been following instructions to a T but I guess I just don't feel like I'm getting better, which is pretty frustrating.

Sad thing is PT has never been a problem for me, I've never gotten less than a 250 on the PT test, ever.
 
Yeah, I've been in a walking boot that my doctor gave me, but the pain isn't going away. It's been months now.
I'd get a second opinion, STAT. Your career is on the line.

You don't mention if you underwent surgery. Sounds a little like not. If not, clearly whatever you've got isn't healing on its own, and probably requires surgery. If that is the case, you need to get on if before Christmas, so it can heal in time for you to pass PFT in early May. If you did have surgery, than it is possible it simply didn't work in the way it was supposed to, and needs to be redone.

"My doctor" to me implies either the first doctor you went to, or your regular doctor. Either way, I would return to "my doctor", explain the repercussions of not healing (lose your upcoming commission), and ask for a referral to "the best orthopaedist in the country that treats this particular injury". If that means you need to fly to visit the team physician for the Boston Celtics, or San Francisco 49ers, then that's what you do! Consider what you have as a sports injury, so you should probably focus on physicians who treat foot/ankle injuries for professional athletes/

This is really serious. Aside from not commissioning, it is a possibility that if you've received Scholarship dollars, those will need to be repaid if you are separated from ROTC. I am not familiar with how the medical DQ process works, but if I read between the lines of Clarkson's post, it is possible that having an injury so severe as to require a surgical repair could DQ you from ROTC. Whether that means you would then still qualify to serve in a restricted line duty, I don't know. It is possible you will be separated from ROTC.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, I've been in a walking boot that my doctor gave me, but the pain isn't going away. It's been months now, which is why I'm worried. It isn't for lack of effort - I've been following instructions to a T but I guess I just don't feel like I'm getting better, which is pretty frustrating.

Sad thing is PT has never been a problem for me, I've never gotten less than a 250 on the PT test, ever.

In addition to everything Dunninla said.... what does your current doc say? How often have you had follow-ups? Get on it. In the military your body IS your tool... or at least one of them.
 
Problem is, I'm uninsured and going through the school doc (free visits/year). Had imaging done - no surgery needed, just said to get in a boot. Told me to get out of the boot now, but it still hurts like hell. Due to backlog, I just talk with the staff over the phone.

If I had real medical insurance, I'd be on it, but I don't really have that option. I'm kinda stuck with the doc I have now. I did some online research and everything said to avoid weight bearing. I guess I'm going to try to get the doc to cast it so I can be completely off of it, but its frustrating and hard to get in touch with them.
 
Problem is, I'm uninsured and going through the school doc (free visits/year). Had imaging done - no surgery needed, just said to get in a boot. Told me to get out of the boot now, but it still hurts like hell. Due to backlog, I just talk with the staff over the phone.

If I had real medical insurance, I'd be on it, but I don't really have that option. I'm kinda stuck with the doc I have now. I did some online research and everything said to avoid weight bearing. I guess I'm going to try to get the doc to cast it so I can be completely off of it, but its frustrating and hard to get in touch with them.

I don't really mean to be callous but you get what you pay for. Did they recommend any therapeutic exercises? You know, this is your future that's at risk, not the doctor's. I would at east recommend that you don't self-diagnose. I'm not doctor but it's possible that the cast could be the worse thing for it. I'd also find a way to get in the doc's office. It's mighty hard to actually examine an injury over the phone, at least the last time I checked.

As a wise man once told me, "You can have results, or you can have excuses". It's up to you.
 
Problem is, I'm uninsured and going through the school doc (free visits/year). Had imaging done - no surgery needed, just said to get in a boot. Told me to get out of the boot now, but it still hurts like hell. Due to backlog, I just talk with the staff over the phone.

If I had real medical insurance, I'd be on it, but I don't really have that option. I'm kinda stuck with the doc I have now. I did some online research and everything said to avoid weight bearing. I guess I'm going to try to get the doc to cast it so I can be completely off of it, but its frustrating and hard to get in touch with them.

None of us here are doctors, but one thing we do know is that lacking insurance limits the medical help you can get if you cannot pay out of pocket. That being said, if the imaging showed no rupture requiring surgery, the only treatments available are ice (to treat swelling) massage (to increase blood flow - tendons get very little blood on their own) and rest.

Beyond this, you need to address what caused this injury. Often this is a "use" injury (wear and tear) that occurs because something is not right in your step. For these kinds of things, you might want to seek out someone in PT. They should be able to identify if it is a foot issue (pronation) or poor footwear and/or training techniques that got you in this situation. MDs are great for the diagnosis and "repair" if there is any, but for rehab a PT is what is called for. I'd suggest starting with athletic trainers at your school. Perhaps the doctors office (or even your Cadre) might have a connection with that staff and be able to get you in there. They would be helpful in assisting you in massage and icing treatments as well.

I can hear the frustration in your postings. You need to find the people near you who want you to succeed and work with them to get the right treatment for your condition.
 
I don't really mean to be callous but you get what you pay for. Did they recommend any therapeutic exercises? You know, this is your future that's at risk, not the doctor's. I would at east recommend that you don't self-diagnose. I'm not doctor but it's possible that the cast could be the worse thing for it. I'd also find a way to get in the doc's office. It's mighty hard to actually examine an injury over the phone, at least the last time I checked.

As a wise man once told me, "You can have results, or you can have excuses". It's up to you.

I agree, self-diagnosis is not the way to go here. Casting could be what is needed, or it could be a waste of time.

Also don't know what kind of Doc you went to (GP/orthopedic surgeon/etc). I'm guessing that it is a GP if it is a typical student health clinic. I would say that if it is only "strained" as opposed to "ruptured" (eliminated by the imaging), the specialist that would be referred would be PT, given that surgery is not required.

The quote at the end is one every cadet should live by.
 
It was during PT.


Problem with the whole "see the doctor" thing is that you can't just walk in - they're booked up all the time, usually months at a time for specialists.

I do have a plan I'm working with to try to see another health care source, although it may bankrupt me. Really at this point, I'm not getting much out of this one except that I should be coming out of the boot, and they don't seem to be listening to me that it's incredibly painful to do so.

I'm hoping to get my MRI result and take it to another provider.
 
So a MRI was negative for gross tissue damage and I assume there was no signs of fracture on the x-ray right? If both are true than a boot isn't going to help at all and staying off it might not help either.

Can you describe the pain? Is it throbbing, burning, dull? Does flexion, extension aduction, or abduction incite the pain? What was the injury exactly?

Unfortunately I know how cookie cutter on campus provider can be whether it is a nurse practitioner, PA or FM/IM physician. They see so many people and are so crippled by lackluster insurance, getting a referral to specialist can be difficult. I had a few friends in ROTC who only had insurance it was a pain for them.

My only advice is to be EXACT with your pain and limited range of motion so the providers can do their best job to fit your needs .
 
So a MRI was negative for gross tissue damage and I assume there was no signs of fracture on the x-ray right? If both are true than a boot isn't going to help at all and staying off it might not help either.

Can you describe the pain? Is it throbbing, burning, dull? Does flexion, extension aduction, or abduction incite the pain? What was the injury exactly?

Unfortunately I know how cookie cutter on campus provider can be whether it is a nurse practitioner, PA or FM/IM physician. They see so many people and are so crippled by lackluster insurance, getting a referral to specialist can be difficult. I had a few friends in ROTC who only had insurance it was a pain for them.

My only advice is to be EXACT with your pain and limited range of motion so the providers can do their best job to fit your needs .

Nurse Aglahad at work! No fair sending OP to the dictionary nurse! :biggrin:
 
Back
Top