waiver for a.c.l.?

Question

i am getting surgery on my knee to repair my acl. there are a few different kind of ways to do this, but what i wanna know is... would i be more likely to get a waiver by getting a certain one of those proceedures? and don't tell me to ask my recruiter.. lol if i wanted to ask one i wouldn't have taken the time to type this up.

Answer 1

The key to whole thing is retained hardware i.e. screws and such. If you don't have to get any dont do it. The MEPS doctors will be more likely to DQ you if you have it in you and cannot heal naturally. The surgery should be fine though.

Answer 2

The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are (in your case):

c. Leg, knee, thigh, and hip.

(1) Loose or foreign bodies within the knee joint.

(2) Physical findings of an unstable or internally deranged joint. History of UNCORRECTED anterior or posterior cruciate ligament injury.

(3) Surgical correction of any knee ligaments IF SYMPTOMATIC or UNSTABLE.

Hope that helps. But you aren't really going to know until you get to MEPS and that doctor examines you.

Answer 3

If you try to enlist with an uncorrected ACL problem, that's disqualifying. If you get the surgery, it will only be disqualifying if it is symptomatic or unstable. The source below is from the medical standards used for enlistment physicals.