Case Summary  |  Scar Tissue on the Spine

I joined the US Army early in 2007. By August, I left for basic training. While I was there, I fell off of an obstacle during a training exercise and landed on my back. Unluckily for me, there was a rock on the ground underneath the obstacle. After I fell, my sergeants told me that I would be fine without getting it checked out, so I didn't. Once I had completed basic and moved on to further training, I began to have problems. According to the doctors at my next duty station, I had permanent scar tissue around my spine that could not be repaired.

Even though they had already determined that nothing could be repaired, they tried several types of treatment anyways. First I was sent for physical therapy where I did stretches and exercises that were meant to ease the pressure on my spine. I was put on medications when the pain began to get significantly worse from the treatment. After they determined that nothing else was helping, the doctors tried Electroconvulsive therapy. That treatment helped to ease the pain a little bit, but nothing could help the scar tissue. Finally I was discharged because treatment was not working and because of my back, I was no longer in good enough physical condition to be in the army.

Currently, I still have a problem with pain and occasional swelling but there have been no significant changes for the worst. I have continued to walk, stretch, and rest in hopes that there will continue to be no change or change for the better.