In 2015, changes were made to the Schedule of Diseases document, which also affected spinal disease - kyphosis. The reduction in the number of diseases for which they are exempt from military service has become the reason for many conscripts to seek an answer to the question of whether they are accepted into the army with kyphosis of 1, 2 or 3 degrees.
Kyphosis is externally manifested by an arched back, resembling a hump. The disease begins to develop from school years and is caused by incorrect posture. Due to loads on the deformed areas, displacement of the vertebrae occurs with deformation of the intervertebral discs.
A non-conscription category is assigned when grade 2 or 3 of the disease is detected, if certain complications occur.
Kyphosis and the army in 2021
The diagnosis of kyphosis is not inconclusive. In order to make a final diagnosis, the medical commission determines the shape, type and degree of kyphosis. There are congenital, postural, degenerative and traumatic types of kyphosis. The commission personally reviews medical documents confirming the diagnosis and indicating the shape and degree of spinal deformation of each conscript.
The compatibility of military service and spinal pathology is mainly determined based on the degree of the disease.
In 2021, as in the previous conscription campaign, first-degree kyphosis is not a reason for exemption from military service. This form is considered a mild phase of the disease that does not affect the functioning of organ systems, which justifies the commission’s decision to send the young man to serve in the army.
With kyphosis of the 2nd degree, if a conscript complains of constant pain that appears even at rest, he is sent for additional examination to determine the level of development of the abnormalities. This diagnosis mainly involves modifications of internal organs, which is incompatible with military service.
To receive exemption from the army, a conscript must submit a medical card and a surgeon's report to the medical commission. Lack of documents often becomes a reason for delaying the appointment of an additional examination by a doctor. In the absence of documentary evidence of the disease, even if kyphosis is visually recorded, the conscript can be recruited to serve in the Armed Forces.
The third degree of kyphosis is revealed by multiple complications that are incompatible with physical activity. The presence of the necessary documents and the conclusion of a competent specialist in this case serve as the basis for granting a non-conscription fitness category.
Kyphosis is a spinal disease that develops in stages. There are several stages of development of this pathology. Each stage is characterized by a separate bending angle of the spinal column.
Causes
Kyphoscoliosis can be a congenital or acquired pathology. Congenital kyphoscoliosis is formed due to abnormal development of the vertebrae and is often accompanied by dysfunction of the genitourinary system. It is not always possible to detect congenital curvature immediately after birth; usually the disease manifests itself six months or more later. But in medical practice there have been cases when third degree kyphoscoliosis was discovered in a newborn.
The causes of acquired kyphoscoliosis are being monitored more clearly. These include:
- congenital connective tissue deficiency;
- diseases of the spine;
- rickets;
- lack of muscle tone;
- muscular dystrophy;
- paralysis;
- rheumatism;
- spasmodic development of muscle and bone tissue.
It is precisely because of active growth that kyphoscoliosis develops in adolescents aged 13-15 years.
Factors that may contribute to the development of kyphoscoliosis:
- heavy load on the back due to excess weight or heavy physical labor;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- Incorrect posture while working while sitting.
Is it recommended for kyphosis?
If a hammer man diagnosed with kyphosis is nevertheless drafted into the army, during the period of service under the influence of physical exertion the pathology may worsen. The soldier must notify the military doctor about the changes taking place and the presence of negative dynamics in the pathological condition. All complaints must be recorded in his medical record. Based on complaints and the results of the doctor’s examination, the young man serving in the service is sent for examination in order to review his category.
A soldier is required to be commissioned if there are regular calls to the medical unit and complaints recorded in the medical record. It is also mandatory to have additional x-rays confirming grade 2-4 kyphosis and documented severe back pain after physical activity lasting more than 4-5 hours in a row for 1 month or more.
Prevention of kyphoscoliosis
In our medical center, you have the opportunity to consult on preventive measures to prevent the development of kyphoscoliosis and other diseases of the spine with specialists in the field of orthopedics, neurology, as well as with a physical therapy doctor - to draw up an individual training program to strengthen the musculoskeletal system and ligamentous muscular apparatus.
The article was reviewed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Grigory Isaakovich Shvartsman, Northwestern Medical University. I.I. Mechnikov.
Sign up at the MART medical center in St. Petersburg (see map) by phone, or leave a request on the website.
Do they take you into the army with a bad back?
The question of the suitability of conscripts with kyphosis for military service is resolved by 66 articles of the Schedule of Diseases, which lists all degrees of spinal curvature. The concept of a sore back includes various diseases of the spine, such as scoliosis, osteochondrosis, kyphosis, kyphoscoliosis, thoracic kyphosis, which have several stages of development. Basically, they are accepted into the army if a conscript is diagnosed with a back disease in the initial phase. In more severe forms of pathologies associated with the spine, a young man can qualify for non-conscription categories B and D. The specific category for which he is released from service depends on the degree of deformation and the presence of changes in internal organ systems against the background of the above anatomical changes.
The essence of pathology
Kyphosis is a pathology of the spinal column , manifested by curvature in the anteroposterior plane. As a result, the spine becomes arched, in complex cases it looks like a hump. This is a serious disease that can lead to disability. Advanced stages can only be treated surgically. The disease occurs at any age and can be congenital or acquired.
Kyphosis of the thoracic spine occurs mainly, curvature of the lumbar or cervical spine is very rare.
The mechanism of kyphosis formation is a stretching of the intervertebral ligaments in their posterior part and a narrowing of the distance between the vertebrae in the anterior part. As a result, an irreversible contraction of the thoracic muscles occurs.
With kyphosis, the intervertebral ligaments are stretched in their posterior part.
Among the causes of the disease are:
- congenital anomalies of the spine;
- incorrect posture;
- weak muscular system;
- spinal injuries;
- infections (poliomyelitis);
- age-related changes in the skeleton;
- bone diseases (osteoporosis);
- heredity.
The disease develops for quite a long time and remains invisible at the initial stage. Severe curvatures provoke irreversible processes and disrupt the functioning of internal organs.
Peculiarities
Kyphosis is manifested by a slight stoop or a pronounced hump on the back. Treatment of pathology is carried out comprehensively, using drug therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage and other physiotherapeutic procedures. The disease has different forms, specific to this type of spinal deformity:
- angular. Patients have a characteristic bulge on the back, the apex of which is located behind;
- arcuate. This species is rare, but dangerous. The spine has a convexity that resembles a short or long arc in shape.
- physiological. This is the most dangerous form of pathology. The back with this form has a deviation of 30 degrees. Most often, pathology occurs during the formation of the musculoskeletal system.
The following types of kyphosis are also distinguished:
- physiological;
- congenital;
- dorsal (develops in boys during puberty);
- rachitic;
- paralytic (develops against the background of cerebral palsy);
- post-traumatic;
- senile.
Treatment methods
A distinctive feature of scoliosis as a disease is that the spine is subject to significant deformation during the period of intensive growth of the child. According to statistics, scoliosis develops much more often in girls than in boys. This is due to the physiological characteristics of the body.
It is important to understand that treatment for scoliosis should begin at an early stage of the pathology, when the joints and spinal column still retain their mobility. Remember that with scoliosis, there is asymmetry of the body, which ultimately puts pressure on the internal organs. Many patients believe that scoliosis affects only the spine; in fact, it provokes many concomitant diseases, including heart failure, if there is no treatment.
Untimely treatment of scoliosis causes tissue hypoxia in the body due to the fact that the patient experiences problems breathing.
In the early stages of the disease, conservative treatment of the disease is practiced; the more complications, the greater the likelihood that surgical treatment will be required.
Conservative treatment methods include:
- Wearing a Chenault corset;
- Special therapeutic exercise;
- Taking medications to relieve pain.
If the disease is at a progressing stage, only a special corset that corrects the correct posture will help cope with it. Physical therapy is indicated only if the patient’s scoliosis is in remission.
Remember that manual therapy, physiotherapy, massage and other techniques do not cure scoliosis, they only alleviate the patient’s current condition.
Conservative treatment of scoliosis without surgical intervention has a number of objectives:
- Correction of emerging deformities;
- Maintaining the spine in the correct anatomical state;
- Restoring the balance of all body systems;
- Stopping the progression of the disease.
The treatment method is selected depending on the type of disease, its location, and the degree of development of the problem.
Surgical treatment is prescribed only in the most advanced cases. As a result of the operation, a special metal rod is attached to the spine, which acts as a kind of frame.
How to prove a diagnosis
The conscript must appear at the military registration and enlistment office with medical documents confirming the presence of kyphosis of a specific stage. In their absence, the young man is sent for examination to determine the degree and form of the disease. Based on the results of this survey, the commission makes a decision on assigning a non-conscription category or sending the conscript to serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces.
The diagnosis begins with a visual examination of the patient. The orthopedic doctor clarifies the characteristics of the pain and records the presence or absence of neurological disorders. By palpation, the specialist checks the back and neck to determine muscle tone and skin sensitivity. The doctor also checks tendon reflexes and performs auscultation of the heart and lungs, as well as tests to assess neurological status.
To clarify the diagnosis, radiography of the spine is mandatory (direct and lateral views).
To detect pathological changes in soft tissues, MRI is prescribed, and CT is prescribed to detect changes in bone structures.
How does a military medical commission decide on the fitness of a conscript?
Kyphosis is a curvature of the spine, revealed by stooping and hunchbacking. The presence of pathological kyphosis is regulated by a medical commission in accordance with Article 66 of the Schedule of Diseases (points b and c).
Point b includes kyphosis of the 3rd degree with moderate deformation of the chest and respiratory failure of the 2nd degree in a restrictive form. Point c includes fixed acquired curvatures of the spine, accompanied by rotation of the vertebrae. The commission, guided by the above article and subject to all the requirements of paragraphs b and c, provides non-conscription category B with the conscript being transferred to the reserve.
Kyphosis is a serious and severe disease that requires treatment. In most cases, upon submission of the necessary documents to the military registration and enlistment office for a medical commission, the conscript is exempt from military service.
Reviews
Dear readers, was this article helpful? What do you think about serving in the army with 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree kyphosis? Leave feedback in the comments! Your opinion is important to us!
Makar
“I received a white ticket and fitness category D, which completely exempts me from military service, since I was diagnosed with third-degree kyphosis. There was curvature of the spine and severe pain even at rest.”
Max
“I’ve had problems with posture since I was at school. Over the years, the stoop has become more pronounced. At the medical commission I was told that I needed to undergo an x-ray as there were signs of kyphosis. Had both an x-ray and an MRI. They diagnosed grade 2 kyphosis without damage to internal organ systems and gave a deferment for treatment of the pathology. After completing the course of treatment, he must undergo a second commission.”