Army won’t properly profile to MEB me?

[HipPain6]

I’ve had a recurring injury on my hip with repeated labral tearing and a permanent impingement for about 6 years (army related). I reinjured it but this time it’s worse than most. That being said I’ve been through a whirlwind of different appointments/profiles/etc. i was put on P2 profile but in general have been on a light PT at own pace. In reality all I can do is alternate aerobic events during PT. However, no one has ever put me on a profile for field related limitations. Every time I put on my body armor for training it’s pretty excruciating after a few hours and I have to take it off. I’m a staff officer anyway so it’s doable but I’m combat arms primarily so my job can switch immediately if it has to.

It’s gotten to the point where it greatly affects my life. It hurts when I sit, stand, etc and can have terrible flare ups. I denied the surgery because I do not want hip surgery at my age but at the same time I want to stop being exposed to training that worsens and injures it more. I’ve don’t physical therapy for it a dozen times over 6 years and finished off generally better but this time not. I can’t even jog beyond a mile. My commanders have generally worked with this knowing my limitations.

I had the MEB reviewer look over it and they said it’s because I can clearly still do my job since I can do “warrior task” in the field. Is this normal? I cannot even raise my leg without pain, won’t even dare attempt a deadlift or sprint drag. I’ve seen the requirement for MEB by regulation is lifting the leg to 90 degrees but they’ve never evaluated that (I cannot do that).

Not sure what to do and feeling lost in this. I don’t wanna spend another 2 years writhing in pain and making this worse only for it to end up in arthritis that’s “not service connected”. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Provis]

I’ve had a recurring injury on my hip with repeated labral tearing and a permanent impingement for about 6 years (army related). I reinjured it but this time it’s worse than most. That being said I’ve been through a whirlwind of different appointments/profiles/etc. i was put on P2 profile but in general have been on a light PT at own pace. In reality all I can do is alternate aerobic events during PT. However, no one has ever put me on a profile for field related limitations. Every time I put on my body armor for training it’s pretty excruciating after a few hours and I have to take it off. I’m a staff officer anyway so it’s doable but I’m combat arms primarily so my job can switch immediately if it has to.

It’s gotten to the point where it greatly affects my life. It hurts when I sit, stand, etc and can have terrible flare ups. I denied the surgery because I do not want hip surgery at my age but at the same time I want to stop being exposed to training that worsens and injures it more. I’ve don’t physical therapy for it a dozen times over 6 years and finished off generally better but this time not. I can’t even jog beyond a mile. My commanders have generally worked with this knowing my limitations.

I had the MEB reviewer look over it and they said it’s because I can clearly still do my job since I can do “warrior task” in the field. Is this normal? I cannot even raise my leg without pain, won’t even dare attempt a deadlift or sprint drag. I’ve seen the requirement for MEB by regulation is lifting the leg to 90 degrees but they’ve never evaluated that (I cannot do that).

Not sure what to do and feeling lost in this. I don’t wanna spend another 2 years writhing in pain and making this worse only for it to end up in arthritis that’s “not service connected”. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

I would focus on your health and seek profiles to protect yourself from aggravating or injuring it further. Keep seeking treatment. That may lead you to a MEB but if not at least you can work within your limitations. Just make sure to protect yourself and stand up for yourself if someone tries to get you to do something that can further damage this injury. That's why a proper profile is necessary.

 

[chaplaincharlie]

This is not what I did, but it is what I learned! Don't neglect your health. Our bodies have to last a lifetime! I agree with @Provis seek treatment, protect your interest.

 

[sapper27]

I’ve had a recurring injury on my hip with repeated labral tearing and a permanent impingement for about 6 years (army related). I reinjured it but this time it’s worse than most. That being said I’ve been through a whirlwind of different appointments/profiles/etc. i was put on P2 profile but in general have been on a light PT at own pace. In reality all I can do is alternate aerobic events during PT. However, no one has ever put me on a profile for field related limitations. Every time I put on my body armor for training it’s pretty excruciating after a few hours and I have to take it off. I’m a staff officer anyway so it’s doable but I’m combat arms primarily so my job can switch immediately if it has to.

It’s gotten to the point where it greatly affects my life. It hurts when I sit, stand, etc and can have terrible flare ups. I denied the surgery because I do not want hip surgery at my age but at the same time I want to stop being exposed to training that worsens and injures it more. I’ve don’t physical therapy for it a dozen times over 6 years and finished off generally better but this time not. I can’t even jog beyond a mile. My commanders have generally worked with this knowing my limitations.

I had the MEB reviewer look over it and they said it’s because I can clearly still do my job since I can do “warrior task” in the field. Is this normal? I cannot even raise my leg without pain, won’t even dare attempt a deadlift or sprint drag. I’ve seen the requirement for MEB by regulation is lifting the leg to 90 degrees but they’ve never evaluated that (I cannot do that).

Not sure what to do and feeling lost in this. I don’t wanna spend another 2 years writhing in pain and making this worse only for it to end up in arthritis that’s “not service connected”. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Hey,

I agree with Provis on this! I did about 3 years in a high-octane sapper unit with more field experience than most people who did 20 years without deployments being counted. With that being said, I avoided profiles and pushed through pain that was excruciating in that timeframe for just about every single day in those three years. Furthermore, I did all that to avoid being labeled weak or a sick call sapper that avoids work/FTX's per say. The unit was also purely toxic needless to say.

Having hip/back pain myself and really everywhere to be honest led me to eventually break and seek medical attention, well after about 2 years in my new MOS/IT I got the runaround of motrin and Physical therapy and people's opinions on my condition/presumptive muscle injury, next after many frustrating excuses from the military medical system I happened to schedule an appointment with a certain experienced Doctor who actually cared about the wellbeing of Soldiers. Thus, he ordered me MRIs, and X-Rays to find out I had tears in my L-side hip Labral, w/ cam morphology, and bilateral hip impingement, although much more was found but that is the meat and potatoes of my hip. Needless to say, he told me nobody based on my imaging studies on a military base could treat me and thus referred me off post to an Ortho-Surgeon. I had no P3 thankfully at this point and my surgeon did his thing which was along the lines of you are completely fucked and this surgery is required for a potential quality of life adjustment and "hopefully be better". After a few months I had the surgery to repair/correct everything along with a psoas tenden release, however MRI's and X-rays can only see/find so much. The surgeon found 3 bone spurs on my hip joint causing my hip to endlessly click with any motion which in turn killed a majority of my Cartlidge in the area of my hip joint his term was "buckshot hip". Next, he found that from extensive trauma, "most likely from rucking habitually everyday" of my life that muscles around my hips leading to my back had calcified/turn to tiny bone fragments which cause all types of pain mostly nerve. Lastly, in beginning of my surgery, I forgot to mention that my hip socket was closed shut/collapsed and almost rendered him to just wake me up for a later date to administer a hip replacement at the age of 26. Thankfully for the skill, expertise, and overall experience in his line of work he was able to operate thankfully and buy me some time before I have hip replacements.

In the end though this surgery triggered my useless PCM to launch a P3 and begin the arduous process called the MEB/PEB.

If I was you seek care and often, schedule appointments with DOCTORS! not PA's, not Nurses, not Physical Therapists "although they can help in the short-term", A DOCTOR. lol Cannot stress that enough. If you do not agree with someone's "opinion" schedule with someone else that is a "DOCTOR".

My last bit of advice in terms of getting care is to tell whomever that you are talking to in a medical appointment is that you wish to seek a second medical opinion off post "after imaging has been done". This can land you in the realm of getting better treatment/diagnosis from REAL Doctors who care about people. In my case I got the best Surgeon in my area for hip repair/replacement.

P.S. that surgeon did me a solid and wrote a VA DBQ in my favor to help get me 60% DOD PDRL. From a bad C&P exam from a glorified nurse that gave me 10% for each unfitting condition.

rant over, hope this help you!

 

[HipPain6]

Hey,

I agree with Provis on this! I did about 3 years in a high-octane sapper unit with more field experience than most people who did 20 years without deployments being counted. With that being said, I avoided profiles and pushed through pain that was excruciating in that timeframe for just about every single day in those three years. Furthermore, I did all that to avoid being labeled weak or a sick call sapper that avoids work/FTX's per say. The unit was also purely toxic needless to say.

Having hip/back pain myself and really everywhere to be honest led me to eventually break and seek medical attention, well after about 2 years in my new MOS/IT I got the runaround of motrin and Physical therapy and people's opinions on my condition/presumptive muscle injury, next after many frustrating excuses from the military medical system I happened to schedule an appointment with a certain experienced Doctor who actually cared about the wellbeing of Soldiers. Thus, he ordered me MRIs, and X-Rays to find out I had tears in my L-side hip Labral, w/ cam morphology, and bilateral hip impingement, although much more was found but that is the meat and potatoes of my hip. Needless to say, he told me nobody based on my imaging studies on a military base could treat me and thus referred me off post to an Ortho-Surgeon. I had no P3 thankfully at this point and my surgeon did his thing which was along the lines of you are completely fucked and this surgery is required for a potential quality of life adjustment and "hopefully be better". After a few months I had the surgery to repair/correct everything along with a psoas tenden release, however MRI's and X-rays can only see/find so much. The surgeon found 3 bone spurs on my hip joint causing my hip to endlessly click with any motion which in turn killed a majority of my Cartlidge in the area of my hip joint his term was "buckshot hip". Next, he found that from extensive trauma, "most likely from rucking habitually everyday" of my life that muscles around my hips leading to my back had calcified/turn to tiny bone fragments which cause all types of pain mostly nerve. Lastly, in beginning of my surgery, I forgot to mention that my hip socket was closed shut/collapsed and almost rendered him to just wake me up for a later date to administer a hip replacement at the age of 26. Thankfully for the skill, expertise, and overall experience in his line of work he was able to operate thankfully and buy me some time before I have hip replacements.

In the end though this surgery triggered my useless PCM to launch a P3 and begin the arduous process called the MEB/PEB.

If I was you seek care and often, schedule appointments with DOCTORS! not PA's, not Nurses, not Physical Therapists "although they can help in the short-term", A DOCTOR. lol Cannot stress that enough. If you do not agree with someone's "opinion" schedule with someone else that is a "DOCTOR".

My last bit of advice in terms of getting care is to tell whomever that you are talking to in a medical appointment is that you wish to seek a second medical opinion off post "after imaging has been done". This can land you in the realm of getting better treatment/diagnosis from REAL Doctors who care about people. In my case I got the best Surgeon in my area for hip repair/replacement.

P.S. that surgeon did me a solid and wrote a VA DBQ in my favor to help get me 60% DOD PDRL. From a bad C&P exam from a glorified nurse that gave me 10% for each unfitting condition.

rant over, hope this help you!

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’m certainly going to start aiming to use doctors because you’re right. Only so much you can do from a PA without the expertise. Thanks for your help!

 

[HipPain6]

I would focus on your health and seek profiles to protect yourself from aggravating or injuring it further. Keep seeking treatment. That may lead you to a MEB but if not at least you can work within your limitations. Just make sure to protect yourself and stand up for yourself if someone tries to get you to do something that can further damage this injury. That's why a proper profile is necessary.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I’m certainly going to go in. It’s time I admit the issues to their full extent and not pull the punches to carry on the mission.