Many people don't realize that hypermobility is a problem! Hypermobility is a condition characterized by having very flexible joints. Many people with hypermobility refer to themselves as being "double-jointed." The truth is that this is not a healthy condition for your joints. Joint hypermobility syndrome is categorized as a connective tissue disorder. Most people with hypermobility experience pain. Over time, hypermobility can lead to a variety of symptoms. The list includes:

• Clicking joints.
• Joints that dislocate easily.
• Joint pain or stiffness.
• Muscle pain or stiffness.
• Extreme tiredness
• Thin, elastic skin.
• Recurrent sprains.
• Fainting or dizziness.
• Digestive problems.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Easy bruising.
• Impaired sense of joint position.

If you're living with hypermobility, you may be living with some degree of pain at all times. However, pain often peaks following exercise and physical activity. The good news is that it's possible to treat hypermobility. The main treatment available today is a gentle, holistic treatment that helps to protect the joints. Using chiropractic care, you can improve muscle strength and fitness to protect your joints from strain, pain, and injury. The main goals of a chiropractor when treating hypermobility include:

• Reducing pain.
• Reducing risks for dislocations and strains.
• Improving muscle strength.
• Improving posture and balance.

Learning that hypermobility isn't "normal" is the first step to getting treatment that can potentially help you to avoid serious long-term injuries. A diagnosis of hypermobility doesn't have to lead to a lifetime of pain. Keep reading to learn what every person with hypermobility needs to know about preventing pain.

Why Do I Have Hypermobility?

Hypermobility syndrome is caused by loose joints. If you have loose joints, this means that the connective tissue surrounding your joints has excessive laxity. The ligaments and joint capsules around your joints are there to protect each joint from moving out of its normal range of motion. When connective tissue is too loose, the joints become unstable. The "flexibility" that you're experiencing is actually a lack of control over your joints. It's inevitable that the flexibility will ultimately cause stiffness and pain. Spasms and sprains are also common in people with hypermobility. In many cases, people with hypermobility experience recurrent dislocations.

Most people who have hypermobility were simply born with loose joints. The condition is thought to be largely genetic in origin. However, it is possible to develop hypermobility. For example, people who participate in gymnastics can cause joint looseness that ultimately turns into hypermobility. It's also possible for yoga to trigger hypermobility. The condition isn't caused by "stretching" the joints. Constant stretching and extending of the joints can cause a change in the chemical process that breaks down the body's collagen fibers. This creates a permanent increase in elasticity.

Many people never get a diagnosis for hypermobility because they wrongly believe that flexibility is synonymous with fitness. As a result, they don't realize that their ability to move "like nobody else" is actually the result of a tissue disorder. Many people will continue to participate in exercises and movements that actually make the issue worse until they experience severe dysfunction that prevents them from being active and mobile.

What Are Some Common Ways to Treat Hypermobility?

Chiropractic care is a natural fit for treating hypermobility because it encompasses so many different aspects of wellness. A chiropractor can help to stabilize joints to prevent pain, decrease your odds of injuries, and help you to improve your posture for long-term relief. A chiropractor can also give you tools and resources that can be used at home to build on the treatments performed in the office. Take a look at some of the common tools you can use to reduce hypermobility symptoms.

Compression

Compression can be an incredible tool for relieving pain and discomfort associated with hypermobility. Your joint looseness can feel like a runaway train because joints will just get more out of sync as time goes on if you're not dialing things back. Compression offers a great way to train your joints to stay in proper alignment. One of the best ways to do compression treatments for hypermobility is to simply wear compression garments. Compression garments help to provide stability and support without much thought on your part. You may also find that you experience relief from a constant sense of joint looseness while you're wearing compression garments.

Muscle Strengthening

When a person walks into a chiropractic office with signs of hypermobility, the focus is always on helping to strengthen the musculoskeletal system. The core issue that is putting you at risk for injuries when you suffer from hypermobility is the lack of strength within your soft tissue. Your muscles are forced to pick up the slack when your connective tissue is unable to perform its role in stabilizing your musculoskeletal composition. This is why building your muscle strength to compensate for the issue is so important.

When you increase muscle strength, you're able to obtain control over your body movements to avoid strains, sprains, and dislocations. Building muscle strength also helps you to improve something called proprioception. Also known as kinesthesia, proprioception refers to the sense that's used to perceive the position and movement of the body. Most people identify this as being their combined sense of "equilibrium" and "balance." Our brains and bodies work together to use these perceptions to exert the correct amount of force when making movements.

Building up your proprioception isn't difficult. Chiropractors can offer a variety of individualized, low-impact exercises that allow you to develop improved proprioception for injury prevention. Many people living with hypermobility feel like they are finally getting control of the way their bodies move for the first time ever after learning these exercises.

Caring for Your Joints at Home

Working with a chiropractor is the best way to treat hypermobility. In addition, people with loose joints should adopt lifestyle habits that reduce their chances of injury and pain. Regularly participating in low-impact exercises is an important part of joint care if you're currently leading an inactive lifestyle. Swimming, cycling, and walking are all great activities for promoting joint stability. Remaining inactive without participating in any form of regular exercise will typically make hypermobility symptoms worse.

It's also important to strive to maintain a healthy weight if you're living with hypermobility. Excess weight puts excess strain on joints. While this strain puts everyone at risk for injury, people with loose joints are at increased risk for injury. Finally, people with hypermobility should pay special attention to their feet. Always wear supportive, well-designed shoes that allow you to maintain balance. You should also consider speaking with a chiropractor about getting custom orthotics created to help stabilize your posture and gait.

You also need to know what not to do if you have hypermobility. Avoid the temptation to overextend your joints! While exercise is important, it's also important to avoid repetitive exercises and activities that cause you to extend your joints for long periods of time.

See a Berkley, Michigan Chiropractor for Hypermobility Treatments

"Joint hypermobility syndrome is a common cause of chronic pain and fatigue seen in at least 3% of the general population," according to a 2017 study focused on recognizing a commonly overlooked cause of chronic pain. Don't wait until your hypermobility causes a serious injury to see a chiropractor! The flexibility that comes with hypermobility can create the illusion that you have a strong, flexible musculoskeletal system. In reality, your joints are vulnerable to strains, sprains, dislocations, and chronic pain. We help clients looking for natural treatments for hypermobility in Berkley, Michigan here at Dean Chiropractic. Book an appointment to get on the track to stable, pain-free joints today!