Waivers for ACL reconstruction

[kodiakisland]

My son had ACL reconstruction last month. According to the DoD instruction, it is an automatic DQ if it has been less than 12 months.

As the military wants athletes, I would think ACL injuries would be fairly common in high school seniors applying for academies/ROTC scholarships. Has anyone here had any experience in getting a waiver for an ACL repair that is under the 12 month window?

 

[Aglahad]

My son had ACL reconstruction last month. According to the DoD instruction, it is an automatic DQ if it has been less than 12 months.

As the military wants athletes, I would think ACL injuries would be fairly common in high school seniors applying for academies/ROTC scholarships. Has anyone here had any experience in getting a waiver for an ACL repair that is under the 12 month window?

An ACL tear under 12 months is still going to very weak. Not just because ligament has been torn but because there could have been damage to the meniscus as well. In addition, the surrounding hamstring, glutes and quads will be severely weakened from under use which could pose a huge problem for rucking in the woods and PT. I believe 6 months is the standard recovery but everyone is different.

They might consider a waiver but my guess is that it's going to be rejected. But hey only a orthopaedic doctor could give you an accurate prognosis 12 months down the road.

 

[kodiakisland]

By older therapy, 12 months may have been the benchmark, but today most athletes are back to 100% activity at 6 months. Physical therapy now starts within hours of surgery. Of course it all depends on the doctor one uses. We are using a doc and physical therapist who work with D1 athletes and have NFL/NHL experience. By the time school starts next fall he will be back to full strength or darn near close to it.

The meniscal repair has a 6 month or 3 month post surgery, depending on procedure.

Anyway, just wanting to hear from someone who has actually gone down this path.