Do you know someone who can bend their thumb to their forearm? It’s very likely they are hypermobile.
While that makes for a cool party trick, there are some side effects to be aware of.
But first, how do you recognize hypermobility?
People who have hypermobility traditionally exhibit super flexibility. Another very common indicator is when an individual does the same “normal” activity that 10 other people do, but they walk away with an injury. Picture everyone doing the potato sack race, but this person feels like they’ve sprained their ankles the next day, while everyone else feels fine. Finally, surgical procedures, especially relating to the joint space, often either go poorly or the recovery doesn’t match what doctors anticipate.
What is hypermobility?
Hypermobility ultimately has to do with how the ligament is holding and protecting the joint space. The joint should naturally stop you from going too far into a motion before it causes an injury. Someone with hypermobility can move faster and further into a motion without any pull or resistance. Often that means they have a better range of motion in an activity, but easily have injuries occur in those spots.
If you have hypermobility, remember:
- Physical activities and contact sports require an extra measure of caution.
- Surgical procedures, especially involving joint spaces, require an extra measure of caution.
In terms of chiropractic care, is it possible for hyper mobile individuals to have subluxations?
A subluxation has to do with your spine where the bone gets jammed up tight where the joint space isn’t moving to its full potential. So is it possible for someone who is hyper mobile, whose joints move too much, to also be subluxated or ‘stuck’?
Yes!
Our bodies are dynamic. You can have one joint move too much and another that’s essentially stuck, especially along the spine.
At Tiger Family Chiropractic, we notice that hypermobile individuals are more aware of their subluxations. Often, they resort to stretching constantly. Their lost area of movement is especially noticeable.
If you have hypermobility, be wise with your choice of chiropractors. You want an office that’s familiar with the condition. If one spot is stuck, while other areas of the spine are hypermobile, you want a very refined, specific adjustment in order to recover and respond to your chiropractic care.