Hypermobility and Life, Part 1

A few years ago, I had a serious struggle with our current medical system: even though I was having a lot of pain and tingling in both arms, no doctor seemed to know what was going on, and I would be sent home with advice to take some Advil for a few weeks. I was referred from person to person, without gaining any knowledge about what was going on, and while losing confidence that doctors listen to their patients. Two years and 13 doctors, physical therapists, and specialists later, I finally found a rheumatologist who pointed me in the right direction: hypermobility syndrome. By this point, I had learned to check whatever a doctor told me against online resources, and see how the diagnosis matched up to the symptoms I had. This particular physician was right, but I've learned that with more complex medical conditions you may need a secondary information source besides your doctor: other people on the internet.

I am going to spend this post discussing what hypermobility is and include some links I found helpful. Hopefully this and the following posts will find other people looking for answers. I am not advising replacing your physician with your computer, but I'd like to spare somebody else the frustration I experienced. :-)

Hypermobility syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by flexible joints. On Wikipedia's page on hypermobility, you can find several images of what people with hypermobile joints can do. The two tests

 my doctor used were: placing your hands flat on the floor without bending your knees, and bending your hand 

back towards your arm such that there is less than 90 degrees between the back of your hand 

and the top of your arm with your elbow straight. These flexible joints come from a lack of collagen in the body, which is the glue that holds stuff together. While it sounds kind of cool to be so flexible, there are a LOT of other less cool symptoms that go along with hypermobility because collagen doesn't just work in joints, but also affects other parts of the body. Symptoms can include:

• Joint pain, numbness, and tingling
• Joints that dislocate easily
• Clicking or popping joints
• Stretchy skin that tears easily
• Flat feet
• Bruises that form easily
• Varicose vein formation, especially after severe bruising
• Headaches and/or migraines
• Temperomandibular Joint Syndrome, or TMJ
• Uterine prolapse
• Mitral valve prolapse

among others. Studies have also been done linking hypermobility syndrome to depression and anxiety disorders.

Hypermobility affects women more than men (up to 4 times more, depending on the source). This syndrome is the least extreme and most common version of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in which joints and organs can be become stretchy to the point of no longer functioning. It has been my experience that almost any other random or odd medical issues you've been having can probably be connected to hypermobility because it has such widespread effects on the body.

If you are trying to find out more about hypermobility, I would recommend starting with the Wikipedia pages on Hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos, then move to some of the links attached to this post, which are hypermobility resources. The Mayo Clinic website is great for general information, but for more detailed information beyond what Wikipedia provides you will probably have to look somewhere more specific.

The next posts will discuss other syndromes often connected with hypermobility, and what you can do to deal with hypermobility on a daily basis. 

Links: 

Wikipedia on Hypermobility

Wikipedia on Ehlers-Danlos

Hypermobility online resource, based in UK

Hypermobility online resource: created and run individually

Study connecting hypermobility and anxiety

Keywords: hypermobility, joint pain, chronic fatigue