Hello Mr.sweet, I'm an aspiring special forces soldier and I have a few questions regarding preparation and training. I've accumulated a good amount of injuries the past couple years and was wondering what I should do to train around these injuries and how long i I should wait before shipping out. I have a grade 3 ac separation in my left shoulder I got a year ago in addition to a torn labrum I had surgery on in February. Also I had a meniscus root repair last June and recently tore some of the cartilage under my knee. I've been rehabbing both shoulders for awhile but I'm not all the way there yet. My knee is kind of in this weird spot where running and lifting doesn't bother it but just standing on it for a couple hours will make it swell up. My doctor told me that if it doesn't get better soon I could be looking at another surgery to take out the damaged cartilage. I'm worried this will screw me at meps as I don't see myself getting cleared for 3 surgeries. Training wise I've been running and lifting 4-5 days a week. In the gym I'm transition from bodybuilding style workouts to workouts more based around pushing and pulling and with an emphasis on high reps. Should I continue training and rehabbing until my shoulders and knee are good then shoot for my contract?
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Man that is a challenging question to answer. I'm going to give you some recommendations based off generalities. Only you can ultimately discern whats advantageous.
First, pray about this dilemma and all the details surrounding it.
You've already done the second step which is to seek advice.
Imagine this scenario: You're going through the Special Forces pipeline. You are crushing it and are 6 months in, then, your injuries begin to exacerbate. You are holding your team back at this point and are no longer crushing it. Things begin to get rough for you as you see your performance drastically decreasing and your team getting punished because you are now the weakest link in the chain and have to be carried through. Eventually, you have to be pulled from training. What happens at that point? You will be set back to the next class possibly if the injury is recoverable, but how long will that take? The period of waiting is called "casual status," and it is similar to Purgatory. You get to workout a little bit and do a lot of ridiculous "chores" like sweeping. It's not a great place to be. If the injury doesn't recover, you could be re-classed into a completely different career field, maybe a desk job, or honorably discharged from the army. I don't think you want that to happen.
You're right that getting a third surgery will increase your chances of obtaining a medical waiver to enter training. The Army doesn't want to cover your medical expenses if re-injured after enlisting, and definitely don't want to pay for your disability the rest of your life, thus they will resist to the max.
Is there a particular time limitation you are dealing with? If for example, you only had a year left before you were at the maximum age, or something a long those lines. If not, time is the ultimate healer. Take the time you need to recover. Ask yourself, "What is the rush? Is it emotional rush centered around anxiety to get into SF training ASAP?" If that's the case, emotions must be set aside, and a patient strategy for getting healthy must be applied.
Also, how are your numbers? If you're already a stud for example, and are exceeding the running and calisthenic standards then there is no need to stress the injuries. Push more physical therapy-type training and increase your mobility, flexibility and maintain what you already have in accordance to you injury limitations. If you are weak in certain areas, and your injuries are holding you back from getting you where you need to be, then I completely understand your problem.
What supplements are you taking to help your injuries?
Based on what I've written, give me some more feedback and clarity so we can continue to diagnose your issue man,
-Jason
Thanks for responding Mr.Sweet. I'm 19 so I have no time limitation what so ever. I'm not taking any supplements for any of my injuries so far but which ones should I take. Numbers wise I'm ok, push-ups I'm hitting 67, sit-ups 94, and my 2 mile run time is 14:36. Physically my weakest areas are by far my shoulders and legs but I'm starting to work them again and haven't had any real set backs. I'll just take the time to heal up then leave when I'm 100% confident physically. Thanks for the advice man.
The only movements that ever give me any trouble are pressing movements, behind the neck type stuff and squats occasionally, but it's not to bad and if my shoulders are feeling irritated I won't work them for a couple days besides my physical therapy exercises.