You ran until your shins screamed. You carried weight until your back gave warnings you ignored. You trained through pain because the mission required it—and now, years later, your body remembers every mile, every ruck march, every repetition. Army overuse injuries don’t announce themselves with a single dramatic moment. They accumulate quietly, building from stress fractures that never fully healed to tendonitis that turned chronic to lower back pain that won’t quit. For Veterans living with these lasting disabilities, the benefits system of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a path to recognition and compensation—but only if you know how to make your case.
At the Law Office of Sean Kendall, our experienced United States Veterans lawyers help clients nationwide fight for—and obtain—the VA benefits they deserve. Not only do we guide clients through the legal process for seeking benefits, but we also understand how to gather and present evidence as the VA requires. Here’s what you should know about how our skilled team assists you with an unemployability claim. Then, contact us to start the process.
What Makes Army Overuse Injuries Different from Combat Wounds?
Repetitive service takes an invisible toll. Combat injuries get immediate attention. Overuse injuries happen in training yards, on patrol routes, and during the thousands of repetitions that military readiness demands. For example:
- Stress fractures develop in tibias—the inner, long bones in the lower legs—and metatarsals—the five long bones in the midfoot—from running on hard surfaces with heavy loads.
- Rotator cuff tendonitis often arises from activities such as weapons training and equipment handling.
- Lumbar strain becomes chronic lower back disability after years of lifting, carrying, and maintaining tactical positions.
These conditions don’t fit the dramatic narrative of battlefield injury, but they cause real, measurable disability. The VA recognizes service-connected conditions regardless of whether they originated in combat or training—what matters is proving the connection between your military service and your current limitations.
When Overuse Becomes Permanent Disability
Many soldiers push through pain during active service, assuming injuries will heal after discharge. Sometimes they don’t. Tendonitis left unaddressed becomes permanent tissue damage. Lower back strain evolves into degenerative disc disease or chronic pain syndrome that affects your ability to work, sleep, and function.
The transition from “overuse injury” to “service-connected disability” happens when temporary damage becomes permanent limitation. Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) Veterans' benefits exist to compensate for this loss—not just the pain itself, but also the reduced earning capacity, diminished quality of life, and ongoing medical needs that result from military service.
What Common Army Overuse Injuries Qualify for Veterans’ Disability Benefits?
Military service demands performance that civilian life rarely requires. These repetitive stresses create predictable patterns of injury, such as:
- Stress fractures in weight-bearing bones. Tibial stress fractures from running and marching cause chronic shin pain, altered biomechanics, and increased arthritis risk. Metatarsal fractures from ruck marches can lead to permanent foot pain and mobility limitations.
- Tendonitis in the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Rotator cuff tendonitis from weapons handling and equipment management becomes chronic shoulder pain that limits lifting and overhead work. Patellar tendonitis from running and tactical movements can also progress to permanent knee dysfunction.
- Chronic lower back pain and spinal conditions. Lumbar strain from carrying equipment, maintaining tactical positions, and vehicle operations leads to degenerative disc disease, facet joint arthritis, and chronic joint syndromes that affect daily functioning.
- Hip and knee joint deterioration. Years of running with gear, jumping from vehicles, and maintaining tactical positions accelerate joint wear, leading to early-onset osteoarthritis that requires ongoing treatment and potentially joint replacement.
- Plantar fasciitis and other foot conditions. Repetitive marching, running, and standing in combat boots causes heel pain and arch inflammation that becomes chronic. What starts as morning stiffness progresses to persistent plantar fasciitis pain that limits standing, walking, and physical employment options.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist injuries. Weapons maintenance, equipment handling, and computer operations create repetitive strain on the wrists and hands. Nerve compression develops gradually, causing numbness, weakness, and reduced fine motor control that affects both manual labor and desk work.
- Cervical spine strain and neck pain. Wearing helmets, carrying gear with shoulder straps, and maintaining tactical positions for extended periods strains neck muscles and cervical vertebrae. This leads to chronic neck pain, headaches, and nerve symptoms radiating into the arms.
- Ankle instability and chronic sprains. Uneven terrain, parachute landings, and tactical movements cause repeated ankle injuries that stretch ligaments beyond recovery. Chronic instability results in recurring sprains, difficulty navigating uneven surfaces, and accelerated ankle arthritis.
- Hearing loss and tinnitus. While not strictly due to “overuse,” cumulative noise exposure from weapons fire, aircraft, vehicles, and equipment causes permanent hearing damage. Tinnitus and hearing loss rank among the most common service-connected disabilities and significantly impact quality of life.
Each of these conditions creates a chain of consequences. Back pain affects sleep, which impacts cognitive function and employability. Knee damage limits mobility, which reduces fitness and contributes to weight gain. Shoulder tendonitis prevents lifting, which eliminates entire categories of employment.
How Does Sean Kendall Help You Build a Strong VA Claim for Overuse Injuries?
Documentation that connects your service to your disability is crucial. The VA requires proof that your current disability originated during military service. This involves:
- Gathering service medical records that document the initial injury.
- Treatment records that demonstrate ongoing issues.
- Current medical evidence explaining the present disability.
Many overuse injuries weren’t formally documented during active duty—many soldiers often avoided sick calls to maintain readiness or avoid being seen as weak. If your service records don’t show the injury, buddy statements from fellow service members who witnessed your condition can help establish the timeline. Statements from family members who observed your symptoms immediately after discharge can also support continuity.
Getting the Right Medical Evidence Is Key
Current medical evaluations must clearly describe your functional limitations. Generic statements about pain aren’t enough—your medical provider needs to document what you can’t do. Can you lift 25 pounds? Stand for extended periods? Climb stairs without pain? These specific functional assessments determine your disability rating and compensation level.
Independent medical opinions from physicians who understand military service conditions can strengthen claims the VA initially denies. These evaluations should address causation directly: how your current disability stems from documented or reasonably inferred military service activities.
Sean Kendall’s legal team collaborates with a network of experts to win claims worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for our clients.
What If the VA Denies Your TDUI Claim?
The VA refutes many legitimate overuse injury claims for correctable reasons. Missing service treatment records, insufficient current medical evidence, or failure to establish the connection between service and disability all lead to denials. Understanding why your claim failed is the first step toward fixing it and obtaining the recognition and benefits you deserve.
Some denials stem from the VA’s failure to properly develop your claim. The VA has a duty to assist Veterans in gathering evidence, but it doesn’t always fulfill this obligation properly. If the VA didn’t request all relevant service records or didn’t arrange adequate medical examinations, your denial may be reversed on appeal.
The Appeals Process and Getting Our Professional Help
Veterans have the right to appeal VA decisions through multiple levels, including the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. These forums exist because the VA doesn’t always get it right the first time—or the second, or third.
At the Law Office of Sean Kendall, our accomplished attorneys focus on Veterans’ benefits cases. We understand how to present medical evidence, challenge inadequate VA examinations, and argue for proper application of VA regulations. Since the creation of the Veterans Appeals Court in 1988, judicial review has served as a check on VA denials, establishing precedents that protect Veterans’ rights.
The physical demands you met during Army service created the overuse injuries affecting you now. Whether those injuries manifested as stress fractures, tendonitis, or chronic back pain, they represent a service-connected disability that deserves recognition and compensation. The VA benefits system exists to acknowledge this connection, but claiming those benefits requires persistence, proper evidence, and sometimes professional advocacy. Attorney Sean Kendall has worked in Veterans’ law, protecting his clients’ rights, since 1990.
You trained through pain because the mission required it. Now the mission is securing the benefits you earned. That effort deserves the same determination you brought to your service.
