By Lin on Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 02:16 pm:

i just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem, and how to correct it. after exercise, like physical therapy (for my knees) my hips tend to bother me, get sore, and click alot when i walk. it is slightly painful, more annoying and worrysome because of not knowing why or what it means. at pt i do weight lifting on a machine that is to strengthen the hip abductor muscles, are these too weak and thats why my hips are clicking? and i was thinking the wieghts for that machine may be too high, i do heavy weights for most of the machines, because i am strong and it is hard to find weights that actualy are of some resistance, but on that machine my hips lock alot and i have to relax and rest for a minute inbetween only 5 reps or so. thanks!
Lin

By Sheena on Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 02:47 pm:

Lin,

In another message you say you are 15. In the UK you are not allowed to use these exercise machines until you are 16 because your body is not matured. And that is referring to "normal" people. In the case of hypermobile people, weight-bearing exercises are very risky at any age. You don't want to hear this, but please consider giving up some of the more strenuous exercise for a while and let your body rest and stabilise, and then take stock. You will not lose much fitness at your age.

I pushed myself too when I was a teenager. I enjoyed it very much at the time, but have been left with a couple of annoying injuries.

In another message, you object to people giving you different advice because you are a teenager - well, the advice is based on the facts as you give them to us. We do care!

By Lin on Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 05:14 pm:

in the us, there isnt any problem. and dont worry, my physical therapist knows i have hypermobility syndrome, and rearranges my workout accordingly. i never object to people giving me advice as a teenager, i was objecting to the incinuation that i would not understand her advice because i am a teenager. sorry if that was confusing, i will reply and clarify that.
Lin

By Kati on Friday, January 11, 2002 - 03:54 pm:

i am responding to the messages about the "clicking hips". although my hips don't click, they "pop" and "klunk". i was told by an experienced dance teacher (i used to be a dancer before eds pain started) that clicking, klunking, and popping hips are a sign of weak lower abs. i've noticed mine aren't as bad when i work those muscles. ask your pt for exercises.

By Kati on Friday, January 11, 2002 - 04:08 pm:

i just remembered what i was going to add to my message. althougth it hasn't happened recently, i used to have this problem with my left hip. if i were to move it a certain way, i could actually feel something (it felt like a tendon or a ligament) slide over the bone/joint. was wondering if anyone else has this problem.

By Margareth on Saturday, January 12, 2002 - 01:23 am:

Yes Kati, I think I know that feeling of something in my hip sliding over some bone... My hips are quite bad, they frequently subluxate anyway they can and they make a whole lot of different noices. My lower abs have always been extremely well developed. This is sort of strange as I have never really done any excercise to work them. Maybe this is related to my hips being so bad, maybe it is my body compensating the bad hips with very strong abs. I mean, maybe my abs got so strong from trying to keep my hips (or other joints in that area) in line...

By Simone Donnelly on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 07:32 am:

hi
i suffer from hms throughout my whole body and my hips and shoulders are worse for the clicking, sometimes i only need to breath in and they will click, this is usually very painful i have read in a rheumatology book that any clicking of the hip is generally not that good and if it is persistent it can lead to problems. i dont get to come here much so i would appreciate any e-mails

simone_ashley@hotmail.com

By Myke on Saturday, January 19, 2002 - 07:59 am:

I have the exact same problem with hip clicking. But I only ever noticed after I starterd playing guitar and I had some really intense pains & muscle spasms.

Visited the doctor and she said that my ITB's (illeotobial band (sp?)) are actually too TIGHT. And that they're snapping like a rubber band across the tops of my femurs.

I had gone in there concerned that I was dislocating when it click.

If I put my hands on the sides of my thighs right at the level of the hip joint, I can feel it externally.

Best thing (supposedly) is to just do some stretching to eventually loosen them (!). I tried this and unfortunatly, everytime I did the pain just got worse so I don't try this and just deal with it.

I also pop my shoulders all the time, my elbows and knees hyperextend, my ankles roll, and my fingers dislocate a bit. Fun *SARC*

By Kati on Friday, January 25, 2002 - 10:31 pm:

Hey Myke!
I just remembered that when I was having a knee problem last year, my PT thought that it was a problem with my IT band. Apparently, the IT band goes from your hip down to the lower outside of your knee, and then crosses over. My IT band was tight, and he thought it was out of place where it came across my knee, and that was what causing all of the pain. Just some extra info!
Kati

By Myke on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 05:45 am:

So... ...What'd you do to make it better?

Keeping in mind I'm already wearing CTi2 knee braces (which are absolutely wonderful if anyone cares) because I've wrecked my meniscii by hyperextenstion and other ... 'not good' motions

By Sharon on Monday, January 28, 2002 - 06:22 pm:

Myke
Like you I have found the CTi2 Knee
Braces good but very expensive , the Townsend Rebel is also good.

By Kati on Tuesday, January 29, 2002 - 10:06 pm:

Myke,

The stretch is performed by laying on one side with your body in a relatively straight line. Keeping your knees together, lower the bottom part of your top leg (if you are laying on your right side then you would lower your left leg) toward the ground. Be prepared, it's pretty painful. I believe this is how the stretch is performed, but you might want to check with your PT. I am not entirely sure if this is what helped my knee (there were a lot of other things going on too), but I think it's worth giving a try. Good luck.

Kati

By Bree on Friday, February 01, 2002 - 05:50 pm:

A question about all this clicking and clunking - I keep reading that its to do with gas between the joints, and that you only get one click and then have to wait for the gas to build up again. This is not what happens to me all all - if my knee or hip is in a clicking/clunking mood it'll do it every time I move (up to about 50 times in 10 minutes). Really loud single clicks, or sometimes a long series of clicks with a single move. I also feel the joint 'clunking' through its range of motion at the same time. Is what I'm getting different to what others are describing? Or is this 'once only' thing just a myth?

By Ian on Friday, February 01, 2002 - 07:00 pm:

Bree -
I do not believe that the discussion is about the same thing. In simplistic terms, if a person pulls on a finger and the joint emits a "click" then this is the gas theory.

But a hyper mobile joint can move around off its natural seat position and I do not believe this has anything to do with the gas theory. As you state; you get multiple clicks so that blows the gas theory for you and many like you.

By sharon on Friday, February 01, 2002 - 08:58 pm:

Bree,
From what I understand the clicking feeling in a hypermobile is more likely a subluxation to a major or minor degree (even very minor) and this can happen aas many times as yuou move that joint, it is not gas bubbles as In a normal person who can crack there knuckles but then can't for awhile, in us hypermobiles we move the joint beyond the normal range so that the joint slightly (or significantly) jumps the edge of the rim of the socket and that is the clunk or click feeling, it can also be small peices of torn cartilage or articular catrliage that get caught in the joint when we move (these peices of cartliage are damaged or ton from the subluxation/dislocation (dislocation being a complete relocation of part of the joint (ie. it is out of place completely and need to be put back in and a subluxation is a partial dislocation ie. goes out and back in usually quickly and not all the way.
Hope this helps

By Bree on Saturday, February 02, 2002 - 09:29 pm:

Thanks heaps for the info. I'm trying to come up with some sort of PT program for myself (I can't find a physio who deals with hypermobiles) and I really needed a better idea of what's going on with all the clicking/clunking.

By Ian on Sunday, February 03, 2002 - 12:50 am:

Bree

For what it is worth the following from a medical article:

"Another source of popping and cracking sounds is the tendons and ligaments near the joint. Tendons must cross at least one joint in order to cause motion. But when a joint moves, the tendon's position with respect to the joint is forced to change. It is not uncommon for a tendon to shift to a slightly different position, followed by a sudden snap as the tendon returns to its original location with respect to the joint. These noises are often heard in the knee and ankle joints when standing up from a seated position or when walking up or down the stairs."

Regards, Ian

By Jessica on Friday, February 08, 2002 - 09:33 am:

Dear Bree - I don't know if you are in the US or England, but I am in England and I have just found a fantastic physio at Guys Hospital who is attempting to sort out my clicking and extremely painful hip problems by subtle excercise of all the muscles round the joint - the Physio department there deals with a lot of hypermobile people and she was really good at explaining what she thinks is happening. Sadly, if you are based in the US I don't know of anyone there. - best wishes Jessica

By bree on Saturday, February 09, 2002 - 12:01 am:

Thanks for the thought Jessica - I'm glad you've found someone to help you. Unfortunately, I'm in Australia, so I won't be able to try to see them. I've even written to a couple of the UK clinics that deal with hypermobiles to see if they know anyone here in Oz, but no luck yet. Maybe you could let us know if your physio comes up with any exercises that work well?

By Sharon on Saturday, February 09, 2002 - 04:07 pm:

BRee,
I too am in Australia, and am seeing a Connective Tissue Disorder specialist geneticist in April in Sydney. I am hoping that he can help me out and give me ideas etc on what to do with this body of mine.If you would like his name then feel free to email me on shazinoz@ski.com.au. I live in Canberra.

By Dawn S. on Monday, February 11, 2002 - 02:10 pm:

I had tremendous stability problems with my right hip and popping and clicking when the femur slipped out of position or ligament/tendon popped over the femur up until the fall of 2000. It had gotten so bad that I had a handicapped license tag so I could park close to stores/work and I had constant pain if I moved/used it. The joint was way too LOOSE, not too TIGHT... Any PT that would say a person with hypermobility has a joint that is too tight because it is popping and clicking doesn't know much about hypermobility (and most PT's don't)...I had Prolotherapy done 3 times on it in the fall of 2000 and my frequently unstable, clicking, popping right hip became stable, not painful and no more popping, clicking and sliding. I no longer have to limit my walking. The doctor used the murruate (or however you spell it) and a lot of it. He said the ligaments that hold the hip/femur joint together are really thick and wide and cover a large area. It worked wonders for me and I paid $125 (US) a session and he treated the whole right hip. I am glad I found a Prolo doctor who knows what he's doing and is reasonably priced...There are only two doctors in Michigan who do Prolo. I'm glad I found mine. He also stabilized my lower back that had been unstable since 1992 and painful most of that time also.

By Jessica on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 05:15 pm:

Dear Bree - I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful, but maybe this will be... I too am currently having severe problems with my right hip. it sublaxates with most steps I take, which obviously is agony - my physio has given me several great exercises for the hips. For the first you lie on your back and making sure your pelvis does not rise up your body or off the floor, and keeping your tummy button sucked in (naval to spine in pilates terms) you try and suck your hip up into the socket. Once you have mastered this then try to bend that leg so your knee is raised and then lower it again, still keeping the hip sucked in using your hip flexors. Apparently it takes about 2-3 months to really take effect, but already in a week the pain is less. Let me know if these are any use! Apparently, the clunking I am hearing in my hip is it slipping out of the socket and that is why it happens every time I move, not every half an hour - I've plenty more where that came from - if its at all useful, let me know. One of the other things she is suggesting is using a swiss ball. Sit on it in a normal on a chair position and try and lift one leg, only but without shifting your weight at all or moving your pelvis, it seems impossible at first, but with practice becomes more possible! Let me know if this is any help and I can tell you more... I've also realised my physio is australian - I am sure she may know of someone - I will ask her for you. She is apparently going back there for a couple of weeks soon, so she may be able to find someone... its worth a try - best wishes - Jx

By bree on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 09:42 pm:

Thanks Jessica! This is exactly the sort of exercise I need, so I'll definately be giving this one with the hip flexors a go. My right hip is really awful at the moment, so even a slight improvement would make a big difference. I might even invest in one of those swiss balls so I can give the other exercise a go too. I'll let you know how I get on with it. If there are any other exercises that are working for you, I'd love to hear about them. If you don't feel like posting them here, you can email me at breehadley@hotmail.com if you get a chance.

By jessica on Sunday, February 17, 2002 - 12:19 pm:

Ok Bree! here's another one (by the way thanks for helping out on the how to describe HMS front!)
Lie on your back with both knees bent. Suck your navel to spine i.e suck your tummy button in and breathe through your diaphragm, then on the out breath try and lower one of the bent knees out to the side to the floor, keeping your feet on the ground (i.e. so just dropping the knee to the side) keep the other knee in the starting position, but you mustn't let your pelvis twist, keep it in place by using your lower stomach muscles. Breathe in once you have gone as far as you can without straining, then breath out again and bring the knee up to the starting position. This is supposed to realign your pelvis, which often can get displaced if you are sublaxating your hip alot. Do it on whichever side has the most pain. The last one I do is lying on my side, bend your knees, keeping the hips one on top of the other and feet on top of each other too. Then raise the top knee, but still keeping your feet together and without tilting the pelvis, again, keep naval to spine throughout the excercise, and breathe regularly. Do both sides. This strengthens your gluts, which again is important for keeping the hip in place. You should only ever do about 10 of these at a time, and if you get tired - stop as they are very intensive - let me know how you are getting on. Apparently I have just heard that the cheapest swiss balls are available through the web, so you don't even need to walk to the shops!! Take care - Jx