By D Chappell on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 03:28 pm:

I was told two years ago, after pushing for my son to have special shoes, (thinking there was something wrong with his feet becuase the turned so much) that he had hypermobility.

Recently he spent three weeks unable to walk in the mornings and after sitting long periods of time. I have now seen a othopeadic consultant who having looked at my son's legs, arms, back and in particular his wrists, eyes and mouth-has now referred my on to another consultant. The reason being he told my that he is exhibiting other symptoms of hypermobility. Can anyone please tell me what he means - because I left the hospital not asking any questions.

By Michelle Castle on Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 01:34 am:

Hi, sorry to hear that your son is having problems. His story sounds similar to my own. I had some joint-related problems, and my doctor told me it was because I was hypermobile. Searching the internet, I found out that what my doctor was talking about was a condition known by several different names - the Hypermobility Syndrome (HMS) and the hypermobility type of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) being the most common. To learn more about the condition, I'd suggest looking at the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation website. They have a brief explanation of what EDS is at http://www.ednf.org/whatiseds.html with links to more detailed info. There's also articles and related links to help you learn more about hypermobility and the problems it can cause. But to get the most help from the EDNF, you have to become a member so you can get access to the member-only area online. It's got a ton of message boards, with over 1600 members and 18,500 posts. Membership is required ($25 annually), but you can get a complimentary membership if you can't afford it. Membership is required because many members choose to share their personal medical and contact information. I didn't join for a quite some time because I thought it was strange to charge for access, but now I understand - someomne posted her phone number earlier for me to keep me from making a major health mistake. That kind of info just couldn't be shared if the boards were public. Anyways, give it a look. Email me if you have more questions! mcastle21@yahoo.com
Michelle