So a little background.... I started having symptoms in early 2010... they started out very mild, and manageable. I was in the Army for nearly 2yrs by that point and just thought I was having normal back pain like everyone gets. Fast forward a few months later, we are doing a battalion run which is a very slow pace and more up and down motion than striding out.... when all of a sudden it felt like a knife had been jammed in my back.

I battled with the Army for a couple of months before finally being sent to ortho at which time they ordered x-rays, mri's, ect and determined I had "facet joint hypertrophy". Treatments included tramadol, epidural steroid injections, and facet joint steroid injections. The injections did nothing for me.

Me being a dumb soldier kept trying to soldier on, as the doctors told me which probably made it worse. Fast forward to late 2011 and I've gotten to the point where my daily life is compromised. I find myself constantly changing position, standing up, sitting down, and I can no longer run anymore without severe tightness in my lower back, and sometimes making my left foot go numb.

I change duty stations and get to Ft Lewis where Madigan Army hospital is. The Army determined it would take longer than 1yrs time to "heal" me, so a med-board was initiated on me. Once in the med-board process they seemed to not really be concerned with treating me, just processing me out as fast as possible (14 month process).

I do have a minor bone spur, and I have very minor disc deterioration, but nothing out of the ordinary I am told. It is not listed as a concern. I was finally sent to a chiropractor (Army treats them like witch doctors) who immediately was concerned with how I walk, my very limited rear flex of motion, and my posture. Ordered xrays and told me my core issue issue was the curvature of my lumbar spine. He seemed very confident that he could fix this with adjustments, supine traction, and a home regimen, but the med-board would not let me see him more than a few times.

As of October of last year I was medically retired and I now deal with the VA who is very slow (been waiting 4 months to get into physical therapy) and don't seem to want to "fix" me, rather just have me accept that I am phucked and pay me more money (sounds good right?)

I go to the gym 4 days a week, I do a 2-day body building split. My I do core strengthening and my lower back exercises consist of rowes, dead lift, ect. The only exercise I CANNOT do without nearly crippling myself is the lumbar extensions.

I do cardio 5 days a week, I can't run because of what it does to my back, but I do the elliptical and bike. I am in pretty good shape but am severely affected by my low back.

My ultimate goal is to get my back into a condition where I can possibly run again... try to live a normal life, and ultimately I want back into the Army. I joined a forum to ask for advice because I'm stuck in the VA system where I have no advice, and that is what I rely on. I am to the point where I am desperate enough to come out of pocket to get seen by civilian doctors, but I'd like some facts and advice going into it first.

If anyone on here is experienced enough and would like to see some of my xrays/mri's I have all of them on disc/photo to show the spine curvature. I also have my written diagnosis.

If there is a better place in the forum, or a better forum to ask this on, I would also appreciate that.

Thanks for listening,

NMB2