Question
Hi im currently serving in the us army, infantry 11b, Been in over 4 years and i was told i would be getting recommended for a med board, I was curious if you have any input on this and if i should get a civilian doctor to look at my feet as well, I have sever pain in the middle of my foot as well as constant shin splints and my Achilles feels beyond tight when stretch all the way to my calf. any information on this would be greatly appreciated. They said my arch collapse with weight bearing activity.

Answer
Hi Michael, we appreciate your service in the military!  I抦 going to tell you as much as I can about the military and flat foot condition in one paragraph.  I worked in the Tampa VA for 3 years and sent many charts to C&P physicians about patients with flat foot deformity.  Patients can have an asymptomatic flat foot deformity for years but sometimes an activity or exercise regimen can cause it to become symptomatic.  Unless you had an actual injury to the foot or tendons that insert in the foot, most likely the military did not cause you to have flat feet; however, the activity required by the military could have caused it to become symptomatic.  Usually military doctors will suggest custom orthotics to help control stability to the flat foot deformity, which is what should be done initially.  If that doesn抰 work and the pain is debilitating, then surgery could be considered.  If the deformity is not addressed properly, pes planus can cause multiple problems with lower extremities including shin splints, tendinitis, as well as knee and ankle pain.  If you抮e going to be evaluated for your flat foot deformity, getting a 2nd opinion by an outside private office physician isn抰 a bad idea.  Just make sure you get a copy of the records as soon as you can.  When dealing with the military medical disability or retirement, documentation is KEY!  Remember, if it wasn抰 written down, it never happened!  I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Dr. Leslie Johnston, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry

http://www.thetampapodiatrist.com
http://tampafootandanklepain.blogspot.com/
http://www.tampacryosurgery.com
http://katzpodiatristtampa.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/TampaPodiatrist
http://www.notoenailfungus.com
http://www.vibranttampatoenails.com  
Advanced Podiatry Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000260088035