Will this down me, or am I too paranoid?

[powder]

Starting primary soon. Have had considerable knee pain in my right knee for about four months now. I can run/jump on it, but it freaking hurts. Time/Rest/Icing/Strengthening Exercises haven't helped. Is this one of those "keep your mouth shut until you get winged kind of things" or should I go see the Doc. I really can't see some type of knee problem (for which I can't imagine any scenario in which it would hamper my flight performance) downing someone, but I've had a few buds go through several months of waiver/evaluation processes for pretty mundane crap. Any info from someone with maybe a similar joint problem would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[zippy]

Maybe tendonitis??? If you are concerned about being downed, one option would be going to see a specialist out of the realm of the Navy, and their medical records. It may cost you though. If it turns out to be something serious, you might want to give some serious thought to whether or not you really want a Navy doc to work on you.

 

[kray1395]

The only times you should be putting much pressure on your knees in my experience are when you are having to throw full rudder deflection in during a spin or a slip. Having to hold the brakes for long periods of time on the ground can be somewhat painful at times, but that is felt mostly in the calves. If you are able to run/jump on it, and bear the pain, I don't see anything happening in the airplane that would be any worse. Just have to keep in mind, and this goes without saying I'm sure, if they find out you've been keeping it from them, it could be worse. Have a classmate right now who is med down for a knee. I believe they have put him med down for 6 months and will then reevaluate. I would just say that now that you have made it this far, it is not their first option to throw you out of the program.

 

[squorch2]

I really can't see some type of knee problem (for which I can't imagine any scenario in which it would hamper my flight performance) downing someone, but I've had a few buds go through several months of waiver/evaluation processes for pretty mundane crap. Any info from someone with maybe a similar joint problem would be appreciated. Thanks.

I've had two reconstructive surgeries on my right knee - the first was a lateral release that I had to have done after my 2nd knee injury. Both were of the same type - a twisting motion with dislocation/subluxation of the patella. The 2nd was a purely arthroscopic surgery to remove some loose cartilage floating around my knee that caused me to have a trick knee, along with shaving/smoothing the underside of my patella to allow it to track better. #1 was performed winter of my freshman year of high school, #2 was performed summer before my junior year. I started the DODMERB process around middle of my junior year, and it included some tests to determine my leg strength and whether it was assymetrical or not, along with a few to determine if my knee was of appropriate strength. All in all, it took an extra couple of hours for the tests.

Throughout college (I did ROTC) I had no problems with my knee. The waiver process for aviation only required the documentation that I already had from my DODMERB physical, but I do know that my waiver tacked on an extra three weeks to getting my clearance from NAMI - and that was with my skipper and advisor leaning on them to try and push it through (which is another story, for another time.)

My waiver from BUMED says it's only good while I remain asymptomatic. I imagine almost any waiver for knee problems has the same restriction. As such, I keep my legs strong, swim the PRT when I can, and if I'm at a command where I can't, I run with a knee brace, use orthotics (prescription shoe inserts) and change shoes every 6 months. Oh, and I avoid most sports. Sucks, but that's the price I've gotta pay.

As for your particular problem... if you've had pain in your knee for months, something is structurally wrong. You might have tendonitis, chondromalacia patella (signified by pain "behind" the patella), or something else. You need to see an orthopedist. I can't say whether a Navy doc would down you or not for knee pain, but I can say that a civilian doctor won't. Only an orthopedist will be able to give you an accurate diagnosis.

 

[feddoc]

See your doc. You owe that much to your health. Bulletproof you may be...for now. But take a close look at how healthy you want to be in 20-25 years.

And, do not hide it from the Navy. At this point in your career, that is not a wise choice. Your future may be delayed a bit, but, delayed is better than derailed because you were too concerned to tell the Navy docs and they found out anyway.


See the first paragraph.

Good luck to you.

 

[Gatordev]

Not to mention that if you've already made it through the NAMI-whammy, and wait to see someone when you're at Primary, you've already got your foot in the door. Prior to the NAMI-whammy, they're a lot less inclined to help you along. Take it from me.

 

[bunk22]

Second day of API (Oct 93), tripped and tore my knee up. Had surgery two months later, was med-down for 6 months and then finished API (o-course and x-country). Need to proctect your body and find out what's wrong. The flight program will wait.

 

[THRILLER]

Powder,

Let’s see if I can put this Kinesiology degree to use. Answer some of these questions so I can see if it might be tendonitis or some other type of exercise related injury.

When did the knee problem start?
Where exactly does it hurt?
When does it hurt most (Example: Going up stairs)?
How often do you run?
What speed do you run (Sprint, Jog, etc.)?
What surface do you run on?
What type of shoes do you run in?
How old are the shoes?
Do you under pronate or over pronate (look at bottom of running shoes and see which side is most worn)?
When do you stretch?
Do you do any other type of weight bearing exercises on your lower legs?

Hopefully I can help out...

Peace,

THRILLER

 

[toddb]

Could be GOUT?
which is controlled by your diet