I am 23 yrs old and am former military. when i was 19 i was diagnosed with a (L) femoral neck stress fracture of 50% of the compressive side. the doctors elected not to do surgery to repair it so i was put on crutches for at 6 months. At first x-rays didnt show the fracture and i was misdiagnosed with bursitus. but when the pain didnt go away an mri was ordered and it found the problem. i was medically retired and 18 months later was cut out of my benefits because an x-ray that i had to do showed no stress fracture was there anymore.(the doctors exact words were "im not gonna have them do an $11,000 MRI scan for this.)now i am going through the veterans affairs and today i went for an evaluation because i am filing a claim because of the pain i get from prolonged walking/standing, sitting down, getting up etc. and other knee problems from being on the crutches for that period of time. could i still have problems with the fracture with me being on my feet. They wouldnt do an MRI either.
2006-11-01 07:15:01 · 3 answers · asked by mattmc0311 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Injuries
Your stress fracture should have been healed after 4 years unless you did not spare your hip and continued doing the thing that caused the stress fracture. There could be something else causing the constant pain in your hip-maybe you have idiopathic avascular necrosis of the hip. Ever been on steroids long or been a heavy smoker or done many deep sea dives? Look it up on the net.
2006-11-03 22:17:44 · answer #1 · answered by Rene B 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having worked in the military including, doing medical boards for orthopedic problems. The stress fracture has healed. The bone is in some ways like a wire coat hanger, if you bend it too many times in one spot, the metal weakens first, then will break. The bone does the same thing. But it causes pain as a symptom, as it continues, the bone can weaken to the point of breaking. Your's was found before this, thankfully. The bone has the ability to heal and re-inforce this area. A plain Xray will show this, at a minimum. Another test to prove healing would be a bone scan. The MRI is of limited value in determining if a stress fracture has healed. After recieving good benefits for 18 months, it is time for you to get back to being a productive member of society. Avoid marching, as your own body decided it was not strong enough to do that full time. The VA will throw you a bone, if you push for it, but remember, once you get labeled as "disabled" many employers and insurance companies will tend to shy away from you. Be careful what you wish for! Just my experience after 21 years of active duty.
2006-11-01 07:37:55 · answer #2 · answered by David B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the problem is still there go pay for the MRI yourself. And take it to the VA, If it shows the stress fracture is still there. They will have to cover the MRI they refused to do. If not you just bought a MRI for no reason.
2006-11-01 07:25:17 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋