By Sharon on Wednesday, May 09, 2001 - 08:23 pm:

I am writing this to see if anyone has any trick to put ribs and feet/ankles back into place mine sublux/disloate frequently and I am sick of goint to massage therapist or E.R to have them put back in. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Thanx in Advance
Sharon

By Jane on Thursday, May 10, 2001 - 11:28 am:

similar question -- anyone know how to deal with big toes? the big ball joint of my big toes dislocates and pops all over and it's one of the few where i have no idea how to fix it -- i just walk on it and am in pain till it goes back in of its own accord. anyone have wisdom? good luck sharon.

By Lin on Friday, May 11, 2001 - 07:16 am:

just a note, the joint of your big toe is not a ball, its a gliding joint of the two bones that meet together sort of like this )( of the bones touching and held in place by ligaments, therefor when the ligaments are lax and allow the bones to slide away from each other you just need to slide it back for a subluxation, a complete dislocation, i am not sure of how to correct on your own. my feet and ankles slide and sublux alot too, but they usualy just slide back on their own, or i manipulate them until they are in place, its hard to describe. my ribs i replace when they slide by twisting my back and laying down and trying to push it from the front to relocate it. sorry, i know this isnt much help, but its hard to describe, you just have to be REALY careful and experiment to see what works for you, or ask a physical therapist.
Lin

By Jane on Sunday, May 13, 2001 - 07:50 pm:

Thanks Lin -- I always just call it a ball because it's shaped like one, but it's always good to know the sneaky details. I'm working on how to put it back in the socket, but oddly enough it's the one joint I'm really afraid of, because it hurts SO MUCH. Normally I'll just poke my fingers any old where to stick the joint back where it should go... Do you manipulate the joint with your hands, or do you do it by shifting your weight while standing or sitting?

By Lin on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 07:14 am:

for me it depends on the joint, with my ankles i shift my weight if the slide while i am standing, if its like my wrists i manipulate them with my hands.
Lin

By Rosemary on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 09:37 am:

I have a very detailed full color anatomy illustration book intended for medical professionals which helps me enormously with my various joint dislocations. The Big toe is one of mine. I find that if I use the pictures to visualize the correct position it tends to slide in more accurately (yes it still hurts). After I reduce the dislocation I go after the tendons that oppose the joint. For me the big toe going out causes great strain on the tendons going up the front of my leg between the lower leg bones. The other tendon spot to check is where the toe tendons meet in my non existant arch. I massage and use acupressure to normalize these tendons and try to get balance back so my muscles can take over again. (If I don't do this my patella will get too sloppy and then I'm in real trouble). In addition, for a few days to a week after dislocation I tape my Toe to the rest of my foot. It takes about nine inches of 1/2" cloth tape, cross over the joint from behind and secure to the top of the foot. Make sure the cross is directly over the middle of the joint, and pull firm on the tape to take the play out of the joint.

By sharon on Sunday, September 02, 2001 - 12:32 am:

Hi rosemary,
i am one of the unlucky few who are allergic to ALL Strapping tapes and therefore cannot tape myself at all.

Sharon

By LettyMiller on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 07:17 am:

Hi, I've only just discovered that I have EDS and it makes everything make sooo much sense. My ankles have always dislocated easily. Sometimes I could get them back by rolling them or writing the cursive alphabet in the air with my foot. Other times I would go to my chiropractor and he could put them back but that wouldn't last long. 4 years ago I started ballet on pointe (I'm 40+). YEAH!! I NEVER dislocate anymore. It took almost 2 years before I could let go of the barr but now I can dance in them and the muscles in my ankles are now so strong they hold everything in place. If I don't go on pointe for 2 weeks my ankles start to move again so I take my pointe shoes everywhere.
My ribs also dislocate from my spine regularly. I hang from a chin up bar 5 - 10 min. a day and that has helped greatly with that. I've also taught my husband how to put them back if all else fails. I straddle a bench with him sitting behind me. if the dislocation is on the left side I twist to my right as far as I can, then he puts the heel of his hand over the ribhead thats out and gives a shrp hard push. Works every time. hope this helps anyone.

By Ian on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 02:49 am:

Letty,

With respect, it seems to me that you have very hyper mobile joints but you have not given reasons why you have EDS! I have studied hyper mobility for 40+ years and give you the following:

Joints are created whenever two adjacent bones meet. They have fibrous bands of connective tissue called ligaments that stabilize the joint. Connective tissues also form the tendons that join the bones to the muscles. Ligaments and tendons usually restrict the movement of the joint, but in some people, these normally restrictive tissues can be quite flexible and allow a wider range of motion than is usual. Such a person is hyper mobile and may be called “double jointed” by friends.

There are many people with hyper mobile joints and they go through life like this without any problems and without pain. Practice can increase a joint's natural flexibility just the way stretching can increase your muscles' flexibility so a person who regularly demonstrates party tricks to “freak out” friends will become more and more flexible and more and more amazing with these party tricks.

But if the hyper mobile joints cause problems such as frequent pain or joint dislocation the person may have Hyper Mobility Syndrome (HMS). Living with HMS can be a major problem in terms of pain and mobility problems. However, if the hyper mobile person has more than joint problems they may have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Various forms of EDS have hyper mobility as a characteristic but will also have skin stretch or other major problems that can even be life threatening.

You are totally correct about maintaining good muscle tone. That holds joints better together and you have solved the problem of ribs coming away. In all cases of dislocation, if you are able to relax - and you can train for this, you should be able to get joints back that have dislocated. Of course, most folk with an uncontrolled dislocation go into muscle spasm making it hard to get the joint properly seated. Your posting is very interesting.
(mercedes_nz@yahoo.com)