By Debbie Lane on Saturday, July 05, 2003 - 09:05 am:

I have been hypermobile in almost every joint imaginable all my life.

In 92 I was in a serious mva. At the time all I thought I had wrong with me was fractured ribs from the seatbelt. However, after two years of not being able to turn my head and having pain in my back and legs I was sent to physical therapy. At that time I found I was sacroiliac joint dysfunction and herniated cervical discs. Also, was diagnosed with thoracic scoliosis. I am still having problems with my sacroiliac and neck but I know what the problem is.

Approximately 4 years ago I was in another mva which resulted in lumbar herniated discs.

Recently, I have been having difficulty with a pain in my left side and my left jaw popping. The jaw popping doesn't hurt but my side does. It appears to be under my ribs and at my hip. I have had sacroiliac dysfunction for over 10 years now, but this pain is different from the sacroiliac. My orthopedic massage therapist and a friend that is a physical therapist said my rib was slipping out of place. They put it back in, but it has happened numerous times within the last month. I recently had a CT scan and was advised my ribs were normal. The doctor laughed and advised me that ribs do not slip. I know that if a sacroiliac is out of place it doesn't show up in the x-rays and etc that are done. Is this the same with ribs?

Also, even though it has stopped now, I had problems with my legs jumping which may be restless leg syndrome. Would this have anything to do with being hypermobile?

In reading this site I noticed some similiarities. I am double jointed and have mitral valve prolapse which was diagnosed after my mva. As a child I had bad leg aches and at 3 was diagnosed with a lazy eye. My mother at age 78 can touch the floor with the palms of her hands without bending her legs.

I read the sites for Marfan and EDS. I know I bruise easily but I do not have the skin problems. Could a combination of my symptoms be related to one of these syndromes and if so which one? Does anyone know of a doctor in the Dallas, TX area that will believe me? I would appreciate any help anyone can give me.

Thanks.

Debbie Lane

By Hamfist on Saturday, July 05, 2003 - 02:28 pm:

Hi Debbie

The doctor is wrong. You know that ribs hurt like anything when they come out. Hyper mobile folk most definitely CAN suffer dislocate ribs.
Ribs are "held in" with cartilage, which is of course made of collagen and they can dislocate.

In hyper mobiles it can occur from coughing, sneezing, moving wrong, sleeping and many more ways (even just lifting your arms up.

When your ribs are out they need to be put back in as you can puncture a lung from the rubbing on your lungs of the dislocated rib. A doctor may manipulate the dislocated rib to return it to its normal position and should be done within a few hours of the dislocation because tissues lose their elasticity and become difficult to return to a normal position.

Rib dislocations that you can "pop" back into normal position by yourself occur repeatedly. Some say that if ribs can dislocate, it is still impossible to diagnosis. But just run your finger down along the spine until you come to one that's protruding and you have now made the dx!!

They can become so loose all you need to do is put slight pressure on them and arch the head, neck, and back and they fall into place until the next time.

Regards, Ian

By Heather on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 02:57 pm:

Would this include the breast bone? Just wondering - sometimes when I sneeze, I kid you not, it feels like my breast bone has snapped and does in fact pop. I am so worried I won't find a good doctor where I live. I haven't been diagnosed yet, but fear I have all the tell-tale signs. Thanks for any information given.
Heather