scoliosis

1dad

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My son tried getting into the air force and was permanently disqualified because they said his scoliosis was too high for his age. He is 18 with a curvature of 35 degrees thoracic. We are now trying to enlist in the navy, the navy recruiters have sent his records off to beumeds we are awaiting their decision now.

My son also scored really high on the asvab do they take this into account?

My question to you is what are the chances of him getting approved for the navy? And what are the limits for the navy when it comes to scoliosis?

The recruiters said he has a good chance and this curvature is not high at all and he should get in.

Thank you,
1dad
 
it's over

my son rejected today from the navy because of his scolisis.
 
Rats. :frown:

Sorry to hear that. No idea what the appeal process may be, so I'll move this over to the DODMERB forum in case the Doc knows of any possibilities.
 
Bullets family has a history of scoliosis, and that curve is pretty high! Because of his family history the AF Dodmerb watched Bullet like a hawk (his sister had a rod placement when she was 13, her daughter is 11 now and has a 40, she will be getting the operation in a few weeks)

When Bullet went for his final exam b4 commissioning they DQ'd him b/c they stated he was over 20 degrees. His parents had the sense of mind to take him to a reknown specialist in NYC (doc was actually featured in People mag for his medical work). The doctor went in and did a full work up (all day), and he proved that his curve was many degrees less, much less than the DQ, the AF accepted his findings and no waiver was ever needed. A couple of things he stated was that the curve can look larger if they are standing improperly for the x ray or if they breathe during the procedure and also that evry human being has some degree of curvature. Twenty yrs later, Bullet is still flying and has never had the issue addressed again!

As a parent I would be more concerned looking into the degree, at the 40 degree it can start crushing organs and that is why they do the operation...don't mean to frighten you, take him to a specialist now, it is a fixable non life threatening operation. The operation no longer requires a body cast for 6 mos., it is now @ a 6 week rehab time. The specialist will also be able to say if it really that large of a curve or if the x ray was taken improperly (as in Bullets case). You should also be able to notice by asking him to stand straight up against a wall...Mark where his shoulders are at and measure. I am so paranoid about Bullets family history, that I constantly look at my kids and him, if they seem to have one shoulder higher I tell them to stand up straight and re-look again. Another way to tell is if their pants seem to be lower on one side (hip would be higher).

Also find out if you have scoliosis in your family history, because it is genetic and you might need to watch your other children. Your DS will also need to pay attention to his own children in the future.

The positive is that scoliosis tends to happen during growth spurts (too fast) and so he should be through it by now, this is why the girls are found at a younger age compared to boys

Good luck
 
Let me start off by saying that I am by no means an expert on this issue, I'm not even out of high school yet, but I know plenty about scoliosis since I have it in my lumbar region. First, let me say that the seriousness of the degree may not matter at this point. Has your son's growth plates over his hip gone away or are they close to vanishing? If so, then the bones in the body will be coming to maturity and growth will stop soon. In this case the curve will not progress any further or have any drastic movement 9.9/10. If the plate is still coming across the hip, it may still move a few degrees. Since the curve is the part of the spine where the heart and lungs are located it may be of some concern, but surgery should be your last option. Consult your orthopedic and contact a chiropractor to help with the back. Best of luck and sorry for the wall of text.
 
I believe the military curvature allowed is 20 without a waiver. RetNavy can give the best answer.
 
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