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What is Hypermobility? Have you ever heard of people being “double jointed”? This is a crude term for Hypermobility. Have you heard of hypotonia (Floppy Baby Syndrome)? Do you or does anyone else you know in your immediate family suffer from this? Are you able to bend your joints (including fingers, knees, ankles, feet) back beyond their normal range? Are you able to dislocate your joints very easily? Do you suffer from referred pain? These are all symptoms of Hypermobility. What do I do about it? Read this next section and contact us if you need help. What is Hypermobility syndrome? Our bones are held together by ligaments around our joints. They keep the bones lined up correctly and prevent joints from bending the wrong way. People with Hypermobility syndrome have extra-stretchy ligaments. This means that their joints can bend the wrong way and even dislocate. In the knee, the kneecap often dislocates and the lower leg can move forwards. (Normally, the lower leg can move only backwards from a straight position: the knee “locks” when the leg is straight to prevent it from bending the wrong way.) The structural protein in connective tissue (i.e. everything except bone and muscle) is called collagen. In people with Hypermobility syndrome, the collagen that their body makes is more flexible (stretchy) than normal. This means that all the parts of the body that use collagen are also more stretchy. The proteins that our body makes are determined by our genetic code (DNA). So, Hypermobility is something we have from birth, and it will tend to run in families.
What conditions are associated with Hypermobility?
What can I do to ease my symptoms?
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