Why do I hurt?

Many people are hypermobile and never have any problems. In fact, for many people it is a very good thing. Many famous violinists were hypermobile and being able to stretch and bend their fingers into odd positions meant they could play the violin much better. Other people have used their hypermobility to become famous ballet dancers or gymnasts. For some people though, being hypermobile hurts! These people have the Hypermobility Syndrome.

There are lots of reasons why people with the Hypermobility Syndrome hurt and doctors and scientists are working hard to understand them all so that they can help you feel better. They know that:

• Hypermobile people have stretchy ligaments and so their muscles have to work harder to keep their joints in the right position. This can make their muscles hurt and can sometimes cause painful muscle spasm.

• Hypermobile people can injure themselves more easily and it can take longer for their injuries to heal.

• Recent research has shown that many hypermobile people are not very good at knowing precisely where their arms and legs are when their eyes are closed. This means they are less co-ordinated and are more likely to fall or injure themselves.

• For girls, certain female hormones soften ligaments making them even more stretchy than usual. This means you may feel worse in the week before your period is due.

Scientists have also discovered that some hypermobile people may have a fault in the way pain messages are sent to their brain.