Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: paul.fr on 28/03/2007 04:57:51

Title: Double jointed
Post by: paul.fr on 28/03/2007 04:57:51
What exactly is the "condition" double jointed? Surely people do not have duplicate joints!

Also, when you see double jointed people do strange things with their limbs, does it hurt?
Title: Double jointed
Post by: Karen W. on 28/03/2007 05:27:42
My sister is double jointed at the elbows finger tips above the highest knuckle at the spot where your nail starts also her lgsdo this weird bacwards thing at the kneecaps. she said it does not hurt. people ask her that all the time!!! I am assuming at least on her fingers there may be another joint as it feels like additional joints when I touch them. I reall don't know for sure just assumed they wre joints!
Title: Double jointed
Post by: iko on 28/03/2007 18:57:35
Hi friends,

I thought to cite Ehlers-Danlos syndrome as one of the causes of ligament-loosening from a previous post...but I couldn't resist to search through Google Images, and I found this:

Joints

If you are "double-jointed", it just means that you have extra long ligaments in your joints and can bend them farther than usual.
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flibrary.thinkquest.org%2F5777%2Fimages%2Fjointed.gif&hash=b43f7fb6d57316b0e5ba3586cab2240d)
http://library.thinkquest.org/5777/images/jointed.gif

from:   http://library.thinkquest.org/5777/ske7.htm

Title: Double jointed
Post by: paul.fr on 28/03/2007 19:00:01
Thanks for your wisdom, Iko. and that lovely picture, looks like an old girlfriend!
Title: Double jointed
Post by: Karen W. on 29/03/2007 18:29:58
LOL!!
Title: Double jointed
Post by: iko on 30/03/2007 23:26:07
Actually Neil started a topic like this one:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6446.msg66762;topicseen#msg66762

Me replied cutting & pasting as usual (how cleverrr!)

One of many different possibilities is:

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.orthop.washington.edu%2F_Rainbow%2FAlbum%2F10357me1e83e78-d83d-427d-96ef-9ef74ac91332.gif&hash=7dc4ac58b67c71cc78b3e279ab017485)
http://www.orthop.washington.edu/_Rainbow/Album/10357me1e83e78-d83d-427d-96ef-9ef74ac91332.gif

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.


At least 9 different types of EDS have been identified; symptoms vary depending on which type of EDS a person has.
Symptoms vary depending on which type of EDS a person has.
The most common forms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS Type I and II) are characterized by one or more of the following features:

skin problems
soft velvet-like skin
fragile skin that bruises or tears easily
stretchy rubber band-like skin
easy or severe bruising
poor and slow wound healing (usually taking weeks to months to heal)
small harmless bumps under the skin
joint problems
loose unstable joints causing frequent dislocations usually occurring in the shoulders, knees, hips, collar bone or jaw (see figure 1)
double jointedness (hyper extensible joints), extreme in some cases
joint pain from frequent dislocation
eye problems
nearsightedness, occasionally extreme
Less common symptoms that may occur in the more rare forms of EDS include:

gum disease (EDS) VIII)
curvature of the spine (EDS VI)
problems with blood clotting (EDS X)
more serious eye conditions (EDS VI)
pulmonary (lung) problems (EDS IV)
weak blood vessels, intestines or uterus that may lead to more serious complications (EDS IV)

from:    http://www.orthop.washington.edu/uw/ehlersdanlos/tabID__3376/ItemID__32/PageID__4/Articles/Default.aspx
Title: Double jointed
Post by: Karen W. on 31/03/2007 05:20:09
That all looks familiar except the finger joints! At the base of the fingernails!