Quote:
Originally Posted by Firedude
I have read this clinical diagnosis and two trains of thought have come to mind.
First where these two MD's state,
"Many Special Forces Soldiers seek treatment from their Special Forces Medical Sergeants (18Ds) and never report to the clinic. In fact, it is only after several weeks of treatment by the medic that many Soldiers even report
to the physicians or therapist."
Many team members many times over won't talk/see the team medic for at least a couple of days post injury. And this is mostly for sprain/strains which the proper recommendation is RICE. We have all seen it or been the one to be seen. These cases can often be resolved at the team level and result in nothing else then some time off of physical activity without referrals to a higher medical care.
But even then, proper documentation for even the most trivial injuries need to be filled out and filed.
Secondly, I do believe there is a need for advance orthopedic studies for 18D's. If the higher medical authorities do in-fact realize that an injured soldier does go to their 18D for primary care, then that 18D should be able to provide the proper skills to assist his teammate with the best possible outcome and recovery.
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I concur. I was guilty of not documenting sprains and strains. I did however push my guys to the Bn Docs for just about everything else. Of course when I did that I went with them with SF600 in hand.
As far as injuries go, I think demographics are important. Ranger Vs SF for example is going to have an average age difference and with that will be different overuse injuries. The older SF guys are going to be more long term lumbar back, knee, and shoulder injuries that guys have been dealing with for most of their careers. Hidden because they don't want to end up in the S3 or at HHC or worse....SWCS
!
I had/have back and ankle problems. The only reason I have a 10% rating at the VA was a well documented over pressure injury to my left ear with nerve damage. The back and ankle problems that fill most of my medical record didn't even draw a few questions at the VA. I tried to ham them up and got nothing. Just another bloated government bureaucracy that screws over soldiers to keep their bottom line low to keep themselves afloat.
The real conversation should be why do we have to fight for our promised medical treatment? Soldiers are soldiers and will fight on through injury and pain, that is our job. Even when documented it's practically impossible to get treatment or compensation for your sustained injuries.
I'll step off the soapbox for awhile.