By Lin on Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - 08:49 pm:

I have been having alot of pain in my back recently, along with stiffness and alot of subluxations. anyone know why or what i can do? i wake up so stiff i cant move my back, its terribly painful! before i go to bed each night i crack all the bones in my back and do this thing to pop all the subluxed bones into place (i am an insomniac and noticed i slept for a longer time before i woke up when i did this) and i am constantly having sharp back pain which goes away after i pop any bones that had slid out back into place. i have a few different ways i use to do this. the bones that commonly slide are in the very lower back, they slide out constantly, and after horseback riding i usualy have a bone right between my shoulder blades out of place. the stiffness and soreness lasts all day, and is very annoying. any suggestions will be very helpful! i have HMS and EDS 3
Lin

By Pat on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 03:49 pm:

Sorry to do this, Lin, but I can't access the buttons that allow me to start a new discussion - I don't have the left panel coming up on my screen for some reason, grrrr.
I got a cherry-pit-sized lump on the tendon running along the bottom of my arch (foot). The doctor told me it was synovitis and told me to rub it out. Three weeks later, one showed up on the tendon going up the back of my neck to my head. Does anyone out there know what these are and are they EDS related? What kind of doc should I see - rheuma or ortho?

By Lin on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 05:56 pm:

Pat, my conversation wasnt the best choice to post under, because no one is replying to me at all so i am assuming no one is even checking it. might want to post under someones that is actualy being read.
Lin

By Silvia on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 01:54 pm:

Hi Lin,

I also have a lot of back/neck problems, mostly with pain. One of the things I do to help alleviate it is take a long hot shower. I have a detachable showerhead that comes with several massage settings. I just let the hot water hit my back with one of the strongest massage settings, it really helps me relax. Are you in the states? If you are you can buy one at any Wal Mart,K-mart, etc...

Also, I too used to have problems sleeping. My doctor recommended I take Valerian Root and Kava Kava, and since I've been doing that I've been sleeping much better. Prior to this I was taking prescription sleeping pills but I have found that these supplements have helped me more. I also heard that eating a banana with a cup of milk at night can help people sleep better (sorry, I don't recall where I heard this).

Hope this is helpful.

By Mei on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 03:24 pm:

Please Lin, don't be bitter. people are checking and reading, but you seem to be asking the right questions. I mean the questions that aren't easy to answer, therefore they are good questions, but most of your fellow hypermobile-people haven't figured them out themselves. That's why nobody is answering. Hope you will get more answers soon, I'll be reading them closely!

By Gwen on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 06:04 pm:

Lin, I seem to remember writing to you about
horseriding a couple of months back. When I rode
I used to find I was very sore between my shoulder
blades (thoracic vertebrae). I think that because
we are told to be 'soft' in the saddle that I was
being jarred because I was consciously relaxing.
This was in the days before I knew about being
hypermobile. Another thing I always found
diffucult was to keep both feet in the stirrups
when sitting to the canter. My left foot would
always slip out. It wasn't a problem when doing
sitting trot. Recently I found out that I have a
twisted pelvis and my left hip higher than my
right, so that would make sense.
I also managed to rupture my L4/5 disc when the
horse I was riding gave a very, very small buck.
Again I suspect because the ligaments weren't
holding things in place as the amount of force
wasn't anything like enough to do that amount of
damage.

I think you are being rather harsh in your
judgement of people who use this board. Have you
ever thought that perhaps you are not getting
replies because most people either haven't the
experience with riding or simply don't know how to
answer your particular question. I read the
postings at least every couple of days but often
don't reply either because the particular query is
something I can't relate to or else because I may
want to think about it for a couple of days, maybe
look something up to verify my facts before I
answer.

Your first posting was only ten days ago. I
appreciate that pain makes one feel angry and
frustrated but I think it very unfair of you to
make such sweeping comments about us. Learn a
little tolerance. You'll find that as beneficial
as any pain cures. It'll stop you stressing out
and help you relax.

By Lin on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 06:36 pm:

I am not bitter, but my posting certainly got a few replies! ;)
thanks!
Lin

By Nadine on Sunday, October 21, 2001 - 10:07 am:

Hi everyone, my name is Nadine. I have suffered acute pain for the best part of twelve years when i had an accident and prolapsed the L4 & L5 of my spine. I gradually got myself back on track after not being able to stand,sit, or walk for the best part of 4 mths, in dispair after lots of pysio and chiropracter i went to a faith healer in scunthorpe after 3 visits i was like a new person. Until i had children, my back is more knackered now than ever. My youngest been 4 yrs old, i have had to manage pain for years. It's only in the last month i have been diagnosed as hypermobile. This being in the area of my hips, the muscles and abs not strong enough to support me. Physio said i had recieved wrong treatment for 12 yrs, causing adverse effects. I used to be so fit and do karate and now i can only dream of that and horse riding and normal keep fit classes. has anyone got similar problem that can give me any tips or things that may have worked for you, to get you back on track to lead a normal life?

By Mei on Sunday, October 21, 2001 - 01:24 pm:

Hi Nadine, This might not help much but talking about karate... I do karate, in my wheelchair, with most of my braces on, being as hypermobile as I am. The style I practice is not a full-contact style. We don't hit eachother, we hardly touch. For me it has been an excellent way to improve my coordination, proprioception and strenght. (mainly in my arms and back as I can't payt attention to both legs and arms at the same time plus I can't stand up/ walk for a very long time) I can do things at my own pace, for every kick I can't do there is an arm move that replaces it, I can always work within a normal range of motion, actually I am forced to do so in controling my movements. At first I used to overstretch quite a lot while doing my techniques but along the way I have gained the controle over my body to be able to make a fierce movement without overstretching at all. Only troublemaker is my chest. The ribs don't always stay in place if I make a wrong move. But I still believe that's trainable.
Above these physical advantages it has given me mental strenght aswell.
Nadine, maybe there is a soft karate style taught where you live too. This might just be one of the few things you won't have to give up.

By Mei on Sunday, October 21, 2001 - 01:30 pm:

P.S.
I was misdiagnosed and given wrong treatment aswell for years. I have had physio therapy ever since I was 5 years old. It only made things worse. But now, with the karate, without damaging any ligaments, I am actually growing some muscles!