Do they take you into the army with a torn meniscus?

Author of the article

Uradovskikh Irina Leonidovna

Member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, lawyer with over 20 years of experience

The knee joint is essential in human life. If it is damaged, complications may occur and straining the leg in this case is contraindicated.

The meniscus is a plastic cartilage layer necessary to reduce the load on the knee joint. You can damage the meniscus even by simply straightening and bending your leg. But as a rule, athletes suffer serious injuries. If a meniscus tear recurs, it becomes chronic and it is much easier to damage the knee joint than the first time.

There are cases when a meniscus injury leads to complete immobilization of the knee joint, but such cases are not that common. Meniscus injuries often occur, after which you can engage in physical activity and this will not affect your service in any way. Even after removal of the meniscus, people can walk calmly the next day, and after a couple of weeks the joints are completely restored. There are some rules that allow a conscript to receive a deferment in the army.

Reasons for getting a deferment and a military ID:

If damage to the knee joint occurred during or before military conscription, the conscript may receive a deferment for a period of 1 month under Article 85 of the Schedule of Illnesses. The delay time will be devoted to the treatment of the damaged meniscus.

After the treatment is completed, the conscript will be examined again by doctors and only after that will it be decided whether he will join the army or not. The question will be decided whether this pathology interferes with the conscript’s ability to perform military service or not.

If you have any doubts about whether you can count on exemption from the army or service without restrictions due to your health condition, it is better to consult with an experienced military lawyer who will help you understand the nuances and develop the right course of action.

A conscript may be transferred to the reserve if he has arthrosis of the knee. In case of knee arthrosis, a joint space of 2-4 mm wide is required for deferment.

Indicators about the joint space are contained only in the x-ray. If a draftee says to the draft board that he has a knee meniscus with a gap of less than 4 mm, then he is sent for an X-ray, and then to a rheumatologist and traumatologist

If a conscript has arthrosis of the first or second degree, which is accompanied by severe pain, then he is entitled to transfer to the reserve.
In the presence of grade 3 arthrosis of the knee joint, one can observe pronounced bone growths, deformation of the joints and the absence of joint spaces. In this case, the conscript definitely receives a deferment from the army and a military ID.

In cases where you are not sure that you have any of the listed symptoms, then before going to the military commission it is better to consult with a specialist who can examine your photograph and determine the provisions under which you can receive a deferment from the army.

With a meniscus injury, a draftee usually falls into category “B” and “C”, but not into “A”.

How to confirm knee instability?

At the medical commission, a conscript citizen is not able to count on the reserve if he does not have the required medical documents in order to confirm the decline in his health. Permanent dislocations must be documented by specialists. In any case of dislocation and instability of the joint, the conscript should definitely have an x-ray before and after reduction. For the purpose of examination, other medical documents and radiology studies may be required. If at least one of the additional signs is found, the young man will not serve.

The final decision on suitability for service is made after an additional examination, which will be sent to you by a specialist from the medical commission. You should definitely seek the advice of an orthopedist and surgeon. With this documentation, it is necessary to undergo a survey again and obtain a fitness category “B” if there are reasons.

Meniscus tear and the army.

According to Article 65 of the Schedule of Diseases, if you have frequent dislocations of the knee joint (several times a year) during physical activity or you have deforming arthrosis, then you fall into category “B”, that is, you are fit for military service, but with small restrictions.

If you have persistent contractures of the knee meniscus or rare dislocations of the shoulder joint, then you belong to category “B” conscripts and are partially fit for military service, which means you receive a military ID and a deferment from the army.

It should be remembered that the young man himself should collect the necessary package of documents confirming his ability to receive a deferment from the army, because No one on the draft board is interested in delaying a conscript from the army.

Factors determining fitness for service

The list of diseases determines the suitability of the conscript, taking into account the type of joint affected. If the diagnostic conclusion is “complete instability of the shoulder joint,” the service is contraindicated and category “D” is issued. Absolute exemption from conscription awaits persons who have total damage to other large non-supporting joints: the elbow and wrist.

With frequent recurrences of shoulder dislocation, service can await a young man only under martial law: if the shoulder or patella is unstable, the young man is assigned fitness category “B”. The same solution will apply to those who have instability of the clavicle, patella or other large joint less than 3 times a year.

Separately, the Schedule of Diseases provides instructions on the suitability of the young man with a diagnostic conclusion “instability of the knee joint.” Service in this form is also prohibited. It doesn’t matter how often these signs are expressed, the young person will be given a fitness category of “B” - limited fit.

What you need to know about the meniscus

The meniscus is an elastic cartilage layer in the knee joint that performs several important functions at once: it reduces shock loads on the knee joints and reduces friction during movement. Therefore, it may seem that injury to such an important element of the knee leads to limited mobility of the joint, up to complete immobilization. In some cases this is true, but in most situations, even after removal of the cartilage layer, the young person can continue to engage in physical activity.

Loss of tissue integrity ranks number one among the causes of knee injuries. Athletes are especially susceptible to pathology. But with timely and correct treatment, after rehabilitation the patient can return to his previous lifestyle: already on the first day after surgery to remove the meniscus, a person can walk, and after 3-4 weeks the joints are completely restored. Therefore, the main nuance that needs to be taken into account when assessing your chances of enlisting in the reserve due to illness is your state of health at the time of conscription.

Reviews

Dear readers, you can leave your feedback about military service and joint instability in the comments, your opinion will be useful to other users of the site!

Vladislav:

There were problems with the joints, a diagnosis of joint instability was made, but the commission stated that such a disease was not on the list of diseases. They took me into the army and barely served. I advise guys to prove their illnesses, even in court.

Michael:

With such a diagnosis, I was not accepted into the army, but, frankly speaking, it would be better for me to serve in the army than to suffer from these joint pains like this.

How will the injury affect your service?

If a young man injured his knee before or during recruitment, he is entitled to a deferment for a period of up to 6 months. The right to temporary release from the army is secured by Article 85 of the Schedule of Sicknesses. The deferment is provided for the duration of drug treatment or surgical intervention and postoperative rehabilitation - until the functionality of the knee joint is fully restored.

If the rehabilitation period is completed, the members of the military medical commission make a decision on conscription based on the current state of health of the young man. First of all, the answer to the question “whether someone with a torn meniscus is drafted into the army” is related to whether the pathology prevents the patient from leading a normal lifestyle.

In the practice of lawyers of the Conscript Assistance Service, we often encounter young people who can receive a military ID due to a knee injury. The fact is that removal of the meniscus can lead to the development of gonarthrosis. If the injury of cartilage tissue itself is not considered by the Regulations on Military Medical Examination as a reason for exemption from military duty, then arthrosis of the knee joint is a serious reason for enlisting in the reserves. In this case, the conscript’s situation falls under Article 65 of the Schedule of Illnesses. Young men with deformed arthrosis, in which the width of the joint space is 2-4 mm, will not be accepted into the army.

In some cases, the injury can also lead to instability of the knee joint, usually due to improper treatment or refusal to seek medical help. In this situation, the citizen will also be examined under Article 65, but the conditions for obtaining a military ID will be different:

Instability of the knee joint II-III degree;
Instability with dislocations less than 3 times a year;
Instability, determined clinically and using radiological diagnostics.

Degrees of joint instability	Displacement of the tibial and femoral joint surfaces relative to each other
Degrees of joint instability	Degree, degrees	Difference, mm
I degree, mild	Less than 5°	Less than 5mm
II degree, average	5-10°	5-10 mm
III degree, severe	More than 10°	More than 10mm

If enough time has passed since the injury for complete rehabilitation, members of the draft commission recognize the young man as fit for service. With a completely healed meniscus tear, they are recruited into the army.

Consequences of refusing surgery

As we have already guessed, the delay is due to the need for treatment for the subsequent restoration of the functions of the knee joint. The conscript must visit an orthopedist for an accurate diagnosis and subsequent effective treatment. In severe cases, surgery is required. Subsequently, the patient may refuse treatment at his own risk, but a re-examination is required after 6 to 12 months. If the knee joint continues to have limited movement and function, you may be eligible for a draft exemption.

A meniscus tear is a serious lesion of a large knee joint with subsequent limitation in movement, therefore, with such a pathology, service is impossible. Conscripts who have restored the functionality of their knees and meniscus serve in the army on a general basis and cannot count on concessions while serving their homeland.

Surgery on the knee joint
A tear of the knee meniscus involves receiving a referral for surgery, but the patient has the right to refuse surgery. This will require a special application to the military commissariat. The application must be drawn up in free form and addressed to the doctor and the head of the department of the military commissariat.

A sore leg often requires surgery to restore the functionality of the knee joint. The operation allows you to obtain a deferment from military conscription, after which a repeat examination is required to assess the functional state of the knee joint. If a conscript refuses to undergo surgery for any reason, he has the right to receive a deferment from service.

It is difficult to serve in the army with tears of the menisci of the knee joint, so after 6 months a re-examination is carried out to determine the possibility of serving in the army.

How to get a military ID?

When working with clients, the lawyers of the Conscript Assistance Service always adhere to one rule: in order to obtain a military ID, you need careful preparation for a medical examination. Take it into account and prepare medical documents confirming your right to enlist in the reserve due to illness. The first thing that must be presented to the members of the medical commission is a medical card with records confirming an appointment with a traumatologist or surgeon.

If the operation took place before the start of conscription activities, for a medical examination it is also necessary to take an extract confirming the fact of seeking medical help, ultrasound images of the knee and MRI.

With the development of gonarthrosis, a non-referral diagnosis can be confirmed by presenting X-rays, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging to the surgeon who is part of the medical commission.

The presence of instability is confirmed by x-rays in a lateral projection or by X-ray diagnostic methods according to one of the following signs:

separation of the labrum;
bone defect of the articular surface of the scapula;
bone defect of the head of the humerus;
displacement of articular surfaces.

The last caveat is that it is important to consider that the presence of medical documents does not guarantee immediate enrollment in the reserve. They are needed to familiarize the doctor with the health problems the young man has. Before setting the fitness category, the conscript will definitely be sent for an additional examination from the military registration and enlistment office, at which he will have to undergo all the necessary tests again. Only after completing the additional examination will it be clear whether they will take you into the army with a meniscus or enlist in the reserves.

With respect to you, Ekaterina Mikheeva, head of the legal department of the Assistance Service for Conscripts.

Do people with chronic instability of the knee joint join the army?

Instability of the knee joint is quite an unpleasant and significant difficulty that interferes with normal movement. The knee joint has a complex structure. Its stable functioning is carried out by the meniscus, condyles and other articular parts.

Chronic instability can be expressed at any age, in athletes, especially in team games, or simply in people who lead a fairly active lifestyle.

Violation may occur due to:

Impacts and injuries to the knee joint, especially repetitive ones.
Violations due to transport accidents.
Sprains, tears of ligaments and muscles.
Falls from high distances.
Increased loads that arise due to a certain position of the leg or when performing similar movements with emphasis on the knee joint.
A sudden jump when the medial collateral ligaments are stretched.
Sharp and unexpected movements of the knee joint when stumbling or subluxation.

There are several stages of the disorder that express the severity of the disease:

Easy. Determines the initial phase when a superficial displacement of the joint of 5 mm is observed. The joint capsule is partially damaged, and the ligaments are not tense and are in a relaxed state.
Average. The displacement is more than 5 mm, there is a danger of moving towards the 10 mm mark. In addition, there are difficulties with the cruciate ligament.
Heavy. The displacement is more than 10 mm, there is a tear of the cruciate ligament.

During a medical examination, the doctor examines the signs and medical history of the conscript. He examines the young man and his problematic limb.

An accurate diagnostic conclusion can be made after:

X-rays.
Arthroscopy.
Ultrasound examination.
MRI and CT.

The degree of instability of the knee joint is determined by the angle of displacement. Depending on the results of the examination, the commission determines the suitability category for the conscript.

Note ! _ People with chronic instability of the knee joint are not accepted into the army. In such a situation, category “B” is assigned according to Article 65, paragraph B (after surgical treatment of instability of a large joint or patella, the examination is carried out according to points “a”, “b” or “c”).