Sit-ups? There's no need to train sit-ups! Just do 'em... and PASS!
When we last left our hero (that's ME), I had completed my steroid injection and was feeling much better. I spent a few more months going to physical therapy. I completed the how to live with a bad back class and traction therapy was resulting in longer periods of relief. At PT I was walking further and faster every week.
In May 2001 (almost 9 months after the injury), I reviewed my progress with the physical therapist and we decided that I didn't require any more sessions at that time. The door was left open for my return, but the physical therapist said that I was on my own now. He reviewed all the stretches and exercises with me and told me that I should continue to do them, even during periods when my back felt good. He told me that I should return to the main clinic and see a doc (PA) about a permanent profile (doctor's note) for my records.
I made an appointment with the PA I had seen originally. We spent the first part of the appointment reviewing my records and rehab. He asked questions and basically got up to speed on what had gone on since he'd seen me in Dec. He then told me that he agreed with the doctor from physical medicine. He felt that surgery wasn't a good idea at that point in time and that I continue to rehab through non-surgical means. He then told me that I should expect my back to be like a roller coaster in that I would have highs (good) and lows (bad). He said that through proper exercise I would eventually extend the highs for longer periods of time and shorten the lows. This all sounded good to me.
I then asked about full recovery or to what extent I could expect to recover. He told me that I would probably live with some problems for much of my life. He said one thing that I had in my favor was that as we age, discs begin to shrink. If the problem discs shrink enough, then the pressure might be relieved and then the problem would become much less. To this day I remain hopeful that this will turn out to be true.
He told me that he'd write a permanent profile for me and he'd have the draft ready for pick up the next day. He added it would take a little time to get it OK'd by the division surgeon, but once that was complete, I'd be good to go. He went over the main points of it right there with me. He went through the list of exercises on the form and told me which ones he'd mark that I would have to avoid. He also told me that while I was allowed to run, I wouldn't be tested on the run anymore. This protects me from having to take a PT test during a low and possibly failing it. I am now authorized to do an alternate event. The normal alternate aerobic event is the 2.5-mile walk. He also limited the weight I'm allowed to carry and the distance I have to march. I'm also allowed to take off my gear during training if it starts to cause me pain.
The only odd thing that went on the form was that I was not allowed to do sit-ups except for the PT test. He agreed with both the physical medicine doctor and the physical therapist that doing sit-ups was bad for me. He even wrote in the remarks section that I was not authorized to do sit-ups except for the PT test. Now, anyone that knows even a little about exercise knows that the best way to get better at something is to do exactly that thing. Well, I didn't protest because I was just happy to get a permanent profile and be off the temporary ones. I had been covered for nearly 9 months on a series of temp profiles and that just doesn't look good. As I posted in Pt I, people get to thinking you're a lazy dirtbag if you are constantly on a temp profile. Some still feel this way about permanent ones, but most people equate permanent profiles with legitimate injuries.
After receiving my permanent profile (late Jun - it actually took a month to get the real one signed by the division surgeon), my unit asked when I'd be ready to take a PT test. I was already out of my 'window' and overdue by a number of months. Normally, when someone comes off a temp profile, we give them a set period of time to 'recover' themselves before we test them. The period is usually twice the length of the profile, but caps at 90 days. I was feeling much better by that time, so I told them I'd be ready for the Aug test (about 6 weeks away).
On the test, I did fairly well, for me. The sit-ups did cause me some pain and I did a few less than I had done on my last test (just about a year earlier). During the 10 minute break between the sit-ups and the walk, I did some stretches and hoped for the best. I was actually nervous about the walk. I get a crazy amount of time to do it (35:30) but this was my first time, so I wasn't sure what kind of pace I needed to keep. My plan was to just walk as fast as I could and keep it up as long as possible. There is no score for the walk, it's just pass or fail, but I wanted to get a good time for two reasons. First, I wanted to show that I was trying and not some lazy dirtbag out there loafing. Second, it's a boring event. So, the faster you do it, the sooner you're done. I did fairly well on the walk and turned in a time that was faster than the other walkers but the pain I'd gotten from the sit-ups made it hard to stride the first mile or so.
I didn't take another PT test for nearly a year (Army rules are every 6 months), because of the ambulance incident (which I'm going to have to get to in Pt IV because this is very long already). I went back on a temp profile that was more restrictive than my permanent one for a while and didn't actually take another test until I got to Korea. I failed the sit-ups on that test. That's right, nearly a year of not doing any sit-ups and I failed. By 3. My 1SG talked to me and recommended that I go back and get my permanent profile rewritten. Either allow me to do sit-ups or take them out completely. She told me it was crap that I had to take the event, but since I had to and failed, she had to take administrative steps. It was a matter of pride for me, so I didn't go to the doc right away. Instead, I started tranining the sit-ups and passed the diagnostic test I took the next month. I passed the next diagnostic, too. I took a record on the third month and passed that one, too. And then, mission related business made it so that I didn't go to the doc. Six months later, I took another PT test and passed with exactly the minimum number of sit-ups.
I did eventually go to the doc about getting my profile redone. But by that time, I was within 2 months of leaving Korea and the doc told me that the profile would never make it through the system in time for me to have it before I left. He told me he'd annotate my records and that I should seek out a doc at my next duty station (my current station). He then gave me a temp profile so I could take another test before I left, without the sit-ups. The unit agreed this was the way to go, so before I left Korea, I was able to take one more record test and not do the sit-ups.
Upon arriving in Monterey, I set up an appointment with a doc here. Within 15 minutes, I had described everything that had happened and the doc reviewed my record. He immediately type up a new permanent profile (exactly like the old one with the sit-ups removed), printed it, signed it, and went to find the chief doctor of the clinic. After a very short wait, I had my brand new profile signed and approved in my hands. It was a very happy day!
Well, I promised to include the ambulance ride in this post, but it's already too long. So, in a couple of days, I'll write that one up. It will be, by far, the most entertaining in this line of posts.