Scoliosis

[JasonH]

Does anyone know anything about what impact that having scoliosis would have? My back isn‘t that bad and I havn‘t been in any pain, matter of fact I‘ve been in the greatest shape of my life since training for when I finally get in @ the end of the year so can anyone help me out and give me some info on the topic? I havn‘t said anything to the recruiters about it but I‘ve been getten more anxious about the subject.

 

[nULL]

are you sure you have it? scoliosis is one of those things you can tell by feeling your spine/looking in the mirror, or so i‘ve been led to believe.

 

[Korus]

are you sure you have it? scoliosis is one of those things you can tell by feeling your spine/looking in the mirror, or so i‘ve been led to believe.

Have you ever looked at your back with a mirror? Harder to do than you‘d think. Others can spot scoliosis much easier than the individual himseld. But to adequatley determine the severity, you will require x-rays.

Jay; You may as well confront the recruiters about it, since they most likely will find out about it in your medical exam. If the curvature is not too severe, and you‘ve never had a brace or surgery, then you may get a form for your Orthopedic surgeon to read over and sign stating that it won‘t be a problem for the activities required of military personel..

 

[JasonH]

Yes I have it I got it from my mom (Genetic) and had it all tested a year ago or so down at the hospital with x-rays and the whole 9 yards. It‘s on a 21 degree curve or something, I have no clue how that **** works out but I just find my back hasn‘t been hurting or bugging me for a very long time even after strenious workouts.

 

[JasonH]

Alright thanks kor, nah I‘ve never had a brace or surgery, wasn‘t that severe to get that done.

 

[ludacris]

one docotor said i have scoliosis, another said my spine is jsut slightly over bent, either way, would this be a major contributing factor in the whole denial area of getting into the army.?

 

[Michael OLeary]

It may. That will require undergoing the recruitment medical exam and waiting for any review of your case if required. There‘s no one on the forums that can give you a definite answer to your question.

 

[Korus]

It will slow down your medical.

 

[nULL]

There was a person on these boards a while ago who had the same thing...jay hunter i think his name was. You should email him and find out how far he got with his app.

Scoliosis isn‘t something like diabetes where you know what it will do to you, the type, etc. The severity of scoliosis varies. If you have a "bend in it", is it minor enough such that a brace can align it? Does it prevent you from heavy lifting, such as squats? Does it cause you pain? While skeletal deformities of some sort are extremely common (i myself have one!) not all of them will affect the quality of your life. You‘re still young like myself (I gather) so you should take advantage of the opportunities that may be available to you (like bracing!) while your body is still growing.

http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/scoliosis.html

That site may offer some information for you. Best of luck.

 

[ludacris]

thanks alot bud, ive been going to the physio thearpist for it, and he said that the probelm would be fixed in less than a year with proper stretching and teh such, the docotor, or my physiotherapist never said id have to use a brace

 

[double0three]

Time to resurrect this old thread.  Anyone from way back when have any info whether scoliosis can severly affect your application, for specifically pilot??  The medical officer at the recruiting office noticed a very slight curvature to my spine, and after sending me for Xrays, sure enough I have a very, very mild case of scoliosis.  My doctor has ruled that it basically will not cause any problems for me, but just to check up on it every few years, as sometimes the curvature can change.

Now I'm going pilot, and although so far it's proven to be a slight delay in the medical portion of the application, I just don't want to it to cause major problems with my eligibility.

Does anyone know what exactly the stance is on this type of condition, mostly in regards to the pilot profession?? (Although I would hardly call it a condition, I didn't even suspect a single thing until the examining officer at the RC noticed)

 

[JasonH]

There was a person on these boards a while ago who had the same thing...jay hunter i think his name was. You should email him and find out how far he got with his app.

Scoliosis isn‘t something like diabetes where you know what it will do to you, the type, etc. The severity of scoliosis varies. If you have a "bend in it", is it minor enough such that a brace can align it? Does it prevent you from heavy lifting, such as squats? Does it cause you pain? While skeletal deformities of some sort are extremely common (i myself have one!) not all of them will affect the quality of your life. You‘re still young like myself (I gather) so you should take advantage of the opportunities that may be available to you (like bracing!) while your body is still growing.

http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/scoliosis.html

That site may offer some information for you. Best of luck.

Jay hunter, that would be me  :warstory: Nah I didn't make it through the process but not because of that but because I messed up on the CFAT.  As far as I know if your doctor ok's it and gives the info onto the medical board you should be good to go.

 

[double0three]

Jay hunter, that would be me  :warstory: Nah I didn't make it through the process but not because of that but because I messed up on the CFAT.  As far as I know if your doctor ok's it and gives the info onto the medical board you should be good to go.

Good news about the medical stuff, not so good about the CFAT, but you can always give it another go!!

Thanks for the info on scoliosis, just handed in what I hope to be my last doctor's note today.  And hopefully everything goes through!!

 

[Tyrone_88]

Hi there, what kind of bend are we talking about here exactly. The arch of my back is more pronounced then most people when I relax all of my muscles and kind of slouch, but when I'm standing up strait it looks normal would this be considered scolilosis? and if so would this problem keep from getting into the Infantry? It doesn't cause me any pain or anything and I've never been told I had scoliosis.

 

[Strike]

Tyrone,

Think about the arch in your back, then turn it sideways.

Anyway, I have a slight bend in my back which the chiro considers scoliosis.  Every two years like clockwork, since I was 20, I get these wonderfull back spasms.

I am also a helicopter pilot with 12 years in.

Hope this clears up a few things.

 

[Willow]

I would absolutely love to join the navy as either a Steward or Sonar Op, but have mild scoliosis.  My chiropractor, who I no longer see, told me that it was "mild" and that "no way in hell would I ever be able to receive disability for it", when I asked just out of curiosity.  Although it does cause pain, I don't require medication for it.

I've tried asking around and I have gotten NO answer to my simple question - will having scoliosis automatically bar me from entry  into the military?  As in, they won't even consider or look at me at all and throw my application in the garbage like it's diseased?  Or do I actually have a chance?

I have NEVER in my life been unable to do tasks because of my back, regardless of having pain.  I may be only 5"3 and 105 lbs, but I'm not weak.  Ironically enough, it's actually improved over the years without doing anything. (go figure)  I just started going to a gym recently and was absolutely floored to find out that in only ONE week of working out, my back pain completely vanished.

So, my plan is this - work my butt off at the gym until I am able to do a minimum of 20 pushups, 20 situps, 10 chinups (not required, but still), 2.4km in 12.5 minutes, 12 minutes preferred, WITH a backpack of at least 20 pounds BEFORE I even think of putting in an application.

If I am able to prove to them that I am able to do all of these things with the scoliosis right from the get-go, do I have ANY chance?  I really need to have a simple yes or no answer.  If I'm going to be completely barred from entry  before I even have an application in my hand, I want to know!  Being told "oh, just apply and you'll find that out later" isn't fair or acceptable in my opinion.  Frankly, the idea of being auto-rejected terrifies me, as I've never wanted to do anything else in my life as much as I want to do this!

Thanks for any information you can provide! =)

 

[aesop081]

"oh, just apply and you'll find that out later" isn't fair or acceptable in my opinion. 

Well, its the only answer you will get that is 100% accurate.

So, apply and you will find out what happens.

This isn't "WebMD" ya know.....

 

[Willow]

Let's try this again.

Will having scoliosis automatically bar me from entry into the military?  Even the recruitment center desk guy wouldn't tell me.  Why is this so difficult to answer? :-\

 

[chrisf]

I taught a troop on BMQ a while ago with a steel rod in his spin...

 

[chrisf]

Sig Op, that is a HUGE surprise!  Do you have any idea how long it took that person to be accepted?  Did they have to fight for it, or was it just a "show us the papers" sort of thing?  I'm nowhere near that world of severity, thankfully!

No idea, kid had a terrible attitude from day 1, wanted to quit day 2, back problems by day 3, and gone by day 4.

However, he was cleared by the medics to start the course.