Hypermobile joints - Brighton score

cherrybim

Hi good peeps

After recently having a right TKR and a left THR, now in the system for right foot op, then the whole lot again for the opposite sides, I'm at a loss to understand why I still have hypermobile joints :? Despite the pain of RA etc (I'm on Cimzia) I' m not just still able to touch my toes, I can virtually put my forearms on the floor up to my elbows!

My rheumy says "that's half the trouble" and my orthopod says "I expect you were a jolly good gymnast and ballerina" Well that's all very amusing and the bonus side is that my artificial joints don't spontaneously dislocate.

Sometimes I wonder if I was meant to be a monkey. Is there anyone else in the same position?

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday and that Arthur has gone off to visit his cronies

tkachev

As a former gymnast I would have loved to be so flexible without the hard work. However I can see you have had major problems with the hip, knee and feet joints and so it can't be a blessing for you at all. Are you in pain?

How rare is this?
I hope all your future ops go well Cherry.
Best wishes
Elizabeth

cherrybim

Bless you Elizabeth, many thanks for your good wishes.

Yes, I am in pain, virtually all of the time yet despite that, should I choose I can still manage the most weird contortions. It was very difficult post op not to go beyond the 90 degree rule for the hip and the physio was a bit taken aback when 4 days post op I could manage the bench mark for a 2 months post op flexion, yet my knee was enormous and painful, weird!

Apart from the RA, PA, OA and osteoporosis as far as I'm aware I've no other disease such as Ehlers Danlos or Marfan's but I think when I see my lovely biologics rheumy nurse in December I'll have a chat to him about it. He's always happy to explain things!

The only gymnastics and ballet I get involved in nowadays are as a spectator. I expect you miss the gymnastics too!

tkachev

Oh Cherry I am sorry you are in so much pain. You are an unusual case aren't you? But i do hope the medical staff know you are acheiving these things due to hypermobility and not because you heal fast.
I had to give up gymnastics and dancing-first my elbows were too painful so I still could dance and leg kick high-touch my toes etc but then the rest of my joints followed. I am mega, mega frustrated and angry!!!!
I do enjoy watching gymnastics but get twitchy sometimes. Did you do Gymnastics Cherry?

Elizabeth

Starburst

Hmm interesting. Your poor body though, you must be in so much pain. I would def speak to your rheumy about it.

I used to be extremely hypermobile. As my RA has progressed, my joint hypermobility has reduced. Just over a year ago, I could still dislocate my thumbs, now I can barely bend them back towards my wrist though. That made me cross because it was my party trick!! hehe

Take good care.

tkachev

Hi Princess,
I used to do that but now they barely bend at all. I was trying today but didnt want to cause any damage.

Elizabeth

penfactor

Hi Cherry!
Yes - I've got those! Apparently all my main joints are double or hyper-mobile as they called these days. My arthur is osteo but in my teens I developed Osgood- Schlatters in both knees which left me with two horrible bumps. They always say this goes away leaving no real probs but it is a bit of a co-incidence my knees are both so bad now at just 51!
I was exceptionally good at yoga and my party trick was twisting my feet round to face the back! Paying for all now of course - wish someone had warned me back then what was to come!
Great to meet you here
pennie x

cherrybim

Thank you so much Elizabeth, Princess and Penny It's wonderful to know that there are others who are "wired up funny" too although I share with you the miserable pain that this "affliction" (if you can call it that!) brings.

Over the years I've had comments like "How can you possibly have RA and the rest when you can move all your bits around like some kind of contortionist?"

My developed stock answer to those who don't know me well has been. Why does a dog lick his bum? 'Cos he can! It's the same with me...'cos I can but I'm far too genteel to entertain the idea That shuts 'em up!

My appointment with my lovely Orthopod for the ops on my feet has been moved from Thursday evening to this evening but I'm going to save my questions until I see my lovely biologics nurse in December as my Orthopod is so, so busy with all his patients. We have to go 30 miles but he has patients from hundreds of miles away and I feel so blessed that I'm a NHS patient.

I'm so grateful for your replies. I don't feel so out on a limb now (groan, grown, lol)

Best love and take care. My speciality was putting my leg round the back of my neck. My Hubby says "Don't even think about it, it's not fitting for 66 year old grannies to do that kind of caper

Cherry xxx

lavenderlady

my 15 year old daughter has always had hyper mobile joints and can do some serioulsy wierd things with her arms legs etc, I have heriditery OA and also another form of inflamitory arthritis my nan had it bad mums got it and has had her knee replaced , so have just started using Rosehip tablets for her to hopefully protect her joints, has anyone else used these ? my 6 year old Grandaughter has juvanile Arther so its most likely she will get it in one form or another any other ideas to help her, I use to do gymnastics many years ago and loved it as well,