Rigors of War Leave Young Troops Battling Arthritis

[wezol]

Nowadays, working in a cubicle, I have to remember to get up every hour and move around or I get locked into place.

Oh yeah, I hear this. My arms and legs get to tingling/numb if I sit still for too long, as in 20-30 mins.

Right now I've got an added case of some crazy whiplash, turned my Focus into a convertible by using t-boning a semi trailer.

Movies aren't real....movies aren't real....movies aren't real.

[ArticPara]

Add to all those pains the constant ringing in the ears. Well at least my dick still works without pain, just got to find it some gainful employment.

[Jeff82]

Add to all those pains the constant ringing in the ears. Well at least my dick still works without pain, just got to find it some gainful enjoyment.

Fixed it for ya.

[old grunt]

I believe anyone who did any "paratrooping" has probably the foundations for variety of problems later on. Now,throw a tour or two in post 9/11 with the extra weight of body armor etc and that spells problems. I get 10% for an injured left knee, wouldn't mind it being kicked up to 20%(which I think is fair)for the arithritis that I know has already arrived. However, I'm 48+, some of these guys have wrecked bodies and they're only in their 20's. That's bad news.

[FISH]

Just wait until y'all get old

[ACo1/505]

I have been pretty fortunate over the years, especially since I had a couple bouts of Patellar Subluxation while in the Military. Fortunately I bounced back and refused surgury and opted on the advice of a CW4 Physicians Asst. to try physical therapy before surgery and that hooked me up and I learned how to fall when I feel it happening and it has not happend now for years.

However about 3 years ago I was washing the rubber roof on the motorhome and was getting down on the ladder and the ladder kicked up away from the vehicle fell and grabbed the roof with my left arm and caught all my weight on the one arm then swung and let go, tucked and landed on my left shoulder on the driveway, rolled and jumped up, hurt like hell.

Of course I did the look around see if any of the neighbors saw my lame ass being clumsy before I about doubled over, then to my chargrin my 12 year old daughter unbeknownst to me was behind me in the garage and yelled out, "Dad that was so awesome! Can you do it again?" Of course I told her no and then said, don't tell your Mom...of course she promptly did, something to do with that tribe of sisters bullshit I guess.

Anyway 3 years later and lots of pain I went and finally had a MRI done since the X-Ray right after it happend just showed inflammation. Ortho doc says I got Chronic Degenrative Osteo Arthritis of the upper glenohumeral joint, and lots of bone spurs as a result of both the recent and previous trauma. Did dislocate that shoulder on a jump in 85 for Solid Shield that the medic popped back in.

When your young you never think about the checks your body is cashing that will come due later. Anyway he says either live with it or get a total shoulder replacement so for now I will just keep ignoring it, one thing that has helped a ton those is Chiropractic care and in conjunction with this series of shoulder exercise routines to stablize the joint. Was just weird that until I fell I had zero shoulder issues and would have expected a ton of knee issues and have none! BTW I got rid of the fucking Motorhome!

E

Says live with it or get

[Jeff82]

I believe anyone who did any "paratrooping" has probably the foundations for variety of problems later on. Now,throw a tour or two in post 9/11 with the extra weight of body armor etc and that spells problems. I get 10% for an injured left knee, wouldn't mind it being kicked up to 20%(which I think is fair)for the arithritis that I know has already arrived. However, I'm 48+, some of these guys have wrecked bodies and they're only in their 20's. That's bad news.

Well, here's the criteria:


http://www.benefits.va.gov/warms/bookc.asp#d

§4.45 The joints.

As regards the joints the factors of disability reside in reductions of their normal excursion of movements in different planes. Inquiry will be directed to these considerations:

(a) Less movement than normal (due to ankylosis, limitation or blocking, adhesions, tendon-tie-up, contracted scars, etc.).

(b) More movement than normal (from flail joint, resections, nonunion of fracture, relaxation of ligaments, etc.).

(c) Weakened movement (due to muscle injury, disease or injury of peripheral nerves, divided or lengthened tendons, etc.).

(d) Excess fatigability.

(e) Incoordination, impaired ability to execute skilled movements smoothly.

(f) Pain on movement, swelling, deformity or atrophy of disuse. Instability of station, disturbance of locomotion, interference with sitting, standing and weight-bearing are related considerations. For the purpose of rating disability from arthritis, the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle are considered major joints; multiple involvements of the interphalangeal, metacarpal and carpal joints of the upper extremities, the interphalangeal, metatarsal and tarsal joints of the lower extremities, the cervical vertebrae, the dorsal vertebrae, and the lumbar vertebrae, are considered groups of minor joints, ratable on a parity with major joints. The lumbosacral articulation and both sacroiliac joints are considered to be a group of minor joints, ratable on disturbance of lumbar spine functions.

Supplement Highlights reference: 37(1)



§4.71a Schedule of ratings—musculoskeletal system.

5002 Arthritis rheumatoid (atrophic) as an active process

With constitutional manifestations associated with
active joint involvement, totally incapacitating.................................... ...... 100

5002 Arthritis rheumatoid (atrophic) as an active process (cont.)
Less than criteria for 100% but with weight loss and anemia
productive of severe impairment of health or severely
incapacitating exacerbations occurring 4 or more times a year
or a lesser number over prolonged periods........................................... ...... 60
Symptom combinations productive of definite impairment of
health objectively supported by examination findings or
incapacitating exacerbations occurring 3 or more times a year............... 40
One or two exacerbations a year in a well-established diagnosis............... 20

For chronic residuals:
For residuals such as limitation of motion or ankylosis, favorable or unfavorable, rate under the appropriate diagnostic codes for the specific joints involved. Where, however, the limitation of motion of the specific joint or joints involved is noncompensable under the codes a rating of 10 percent is for application for each such major joint or group of minor joints affected by limitation of motion, to be combined, not added under diagnostic code 5002. Limitation of motion must be objectively confirmed by findings such as swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion.

Note: The ratings for the active process will not be combined with the residual ratings for limitation of motion or ankylosis. Assign the higher evaluation.


5003 Arthritis, degenerative (hypertrophic or osteoarthritis):


Degenerative arthritis established by X-ray findings will be rated on the basis of limitation of motion under the appropriate diagnostic codes for the specific joint or joints involved (DC 5200 etc.). When however, the limitation of motion of the specific joint or joints involved is noncompensable under the appropriate diagnostic codes, a rating of 10 pct is for application for each such major joint or group of minor joints affected by limitation of motion, to be combined, not added under diagnostic code 5003. Limitation of motion must be objectively confirmed by findings such as swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion. In the absence of limitation of motion, rate as below:
With X-ray evidence of involvement of 2 or more major joints
or 2 or more minor joint groups, with occasional incapacitating
exacerbations..................................... .................................................. ............. 20

With X-ray evidence of involvement of 2 or more major joints
or 2 or more minor joint groups............................................ .......................... 10

Note (1): The 20 pct and 10 pct ratings based on X-ray findings, above, will not be combined with ratings based on limitation of motion.

Note(2): The 20 pct and 10 pct ratings based on X-ray findings, above, will not be utilized in rating conditions listed under diagnostic code 5013 to 5024, inclusive.


5010 Arthritis, due to trauma, substantiated by X-ray findings:

Rate as arthritis, degenerative.

5055 Knee replacement (prosthesis).

Prosthetic replacement of knee joint:
For 1 year following implantation of prosthesis ....................................... 100
With chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or
weakness in the affected extremity......................................... ................. 60
With intermediate degrees of residual weakness, pain or limitation
of motion rate by analogy to diagnostic codes 5256, 5261, or 5262.
Minimum rating............................................ .................................................. ... 30


5256 Knee, ankylosis of:

Extremely unfavorable, in flexion at an angle of 45° or more....................... 60
In flexion between 20° and 45°............................................... ........................... 50
In flexion between 10° and 20°............................................... ........................... 40
Favorable angle in full extension, or in slight flexion between 0° and 10° 30

5257 Knee, other impairment of:

Recurrent subluxation or lateral instability:
Severe............................................ .................................................. .............. 30
Moderate.......................................... .................................................. ............ 20
Slight .................................................. .................................................. ......... 10

5258 Cartilage, semilunar, dislocated, with frequent episodes of
“locking,” pain, and effusion into the joint............................................. ........... 20

5259 Cartilage, semilunar, removal of, symptomatic....................................... .............. 10

[Sandybdus]

I am one of those "young troops" I have degenerative joint disease, and a 20% service connected disability as a result of too many parachute jumps (or so says the VA!) At least I get a nice check, many people coming back from oif/oef with disabilities get ZERO $$$$ ... give Obama time, he'll take my 20% also!

[Jeff82]

I am one of those "young troops" I have degenerative joint disease, and a 20% service connected disability as a result of too many parachute jumps (or so says the VA!) At least I get a nice check, many people coming back from oif/oef with disabilities get ZERO $$$$ ... give Obama time, he'll take my 20% also!

-*-*-*Poser Alert*-*-*-

Now doesn't a few things in Sandy's post stink?

And I don't trust the links he's posted.

[gunsmittys]

Sandy...you need to appeal and appeal and appeal until you get at least 40%...keep all of your paperwork and resubmit it ..VA Land will eventually come around. Then again...if you have a private physician he should be able to help...better narrative from him and his diagnosis trumps the putz PAs who will do your VA evaluation.

[enyalil2]

I was just diagnosed with it, but took them over a year. At first they were trying to throw me out and was saying it was non-duty related, went to another Army doctor and when he found out that I use to jump all the time it was changed. It's in my lower back, knees and right hip, soldiers have to remember that they will try to get rid of them if they don't fight to stay in. It is not a disqualifying and they will try to med board you out.

[IEDmagnet]

Bot

[GERONIMO]

Just wait until y'all get old

Old and 100% service connected for Arthritus