Can you touch your thumb to your inner arm?

[FreyaGl]

Like this? I've just realised I can do this 😂 no one else in the house can. Haha.

Just tried the prayer hands behind the back and I can do that too.

I think it means you have hypermobility @Luckystar1 but I'm not sure. Doing some research now.

I also bruise very easily and have terrible eyesight. Not sure if they're linked 🤪

Yes

I can, in fact I can bend one of my thumbs back to my wrist the other way (ie. Bend it up, not down) as well, which really freaks people out. I have some other hyper mobile joints. A midwife once told me it’s probably the reason my episiotomy stitches broke down too- something to do with the skin being more prone to tearing or something. Which I guess makes some kind of sense except in all other ways I heal pretty well- had no issues with c section scar or anything🤷‍♀️

Yep. Again strong family history of hypermobility. Can also put my hands flat the floor without bending my knees and not being slim by any measure if the word or fit. Made bending over to tie my laces when 9 months pregnant a doddle .

Not sure, is the thumb the big one at the side of the hand?
(I never completed my medical training)

@Numnumcookie

Yep. Again strong family history of hypermobility. Can also put my hands flat the floor without bending my knees and not being slim by any measure if the word or fit. Made bending over to tie my laces when 9 months pregnant a doddle .

I love that! I'm also not slim, or fit by any stretch of the imagination!

Yes and I have hEDS. I also have swans neck deformity in my hands

@MissSmiley

Being hyper mobile is fairly common, having a connective tissue disorder like EDS is a lot less common

I can do the finger thing and the thumb thing but I don't have a connective tissue disorder, one of my daughters has a diagnosed one though and being bendy is the least of her problems

Sorry to hear about your daughter.

Easily.

I can also bend my thumb back the other way and I used to be able to bend my index finger back to touch my upper wrist.

Yes, it's a sign of hypermobility. Worth checking yourself on the Beighton score and seeing a physio to see if you need to do anything to counteract the extra flexible bits! It can also be linked to things like stretch marks, digestive issues and anxiety.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie

Yes but I have fat arms.

I don’t think that would make much of a difference😂 I tried it, and am a good couple of incgrs away from wrist But i have arthritis :(

Inches

Common in our family. I have hyper mobility in my elbows but not so much in my hands. DH ‘s family are prone to dislocation.
DS17 has swan neck deformity which has its advantages when he plays rugby because his fingered bend easily and rather than break or dislocate they spring back.

I've never had the Beighton score done, but I can easily score a 10. I'll talk to my physio.

Funnily enough, not a single stretch mark.

Yes I hit a high number of the tests fit hyper mobility. Can also turn my elbows and knees “inside out” but as I’ve got older I don’t because it aches the next day.

If you can do these things, you shouldn’t really. Just more stress in a joint that isn’t supposed to bend that way!

Yes, it's how I was diagnosed with hyper mobility

Yes, I can bend my arms round further than they should go too. Don't think my other joints are as flexible though

I'm quite glad I can't...

No I can't but my brother can .

Dd can and yes she has EDS.

Oh and yes, bruising easily is definitely linked, and I do have terrible eyesight so I'm off to Google that now!

Google 'hypermobility proprioception' - I'm the same. I drive with shoes off because I can feel what's happening better. Took me ages to learn. The car I have now is small and provides a lot of physical feedback (it's not fancy, basic suspension, no cushiony rides round here) which also helps a lot. Never heard anyone mention driving in relation to it before :) I weirdly have great visuo spatial skills on paper, can accurately draw in 3d, do IQ tests relating to rotated objects, etc. If I was anywhere other than upright I used to completely lose sense of where my arms and legs were which was a nightmare for things like trampolining. Later in life I became more active - it's trainable OP, the more you do stuff that gives you proprioceptive input the better it gets. Strength training will guard against future joint issues too.

Yes....my partner and 3 children cannot.....however they can all roll their tongues....which I cannot

I don’t think that would make much of a difference 😂

You haven't seen how fat my arms are

To be fair, I have some very bendy family members with serious internal complications of connective tissue disorders, one diagnosed with EDS, others not, and I have various other hypermobility-related issues.

But when I'm thinner than I am now, I can't quiiiiiite touch my thumb against my arm.

@Ikeabag

Google 'hypermobility proprioception' - I'm the same. I drive with shoes off because I can feel what's happening better. Took me ages to learn. The car I have now is small and provides a lot of physical feedback (it's not fancy, basic suspension, no cushiony rides round here) which also helps a lot. Never heard anyone mention driving in relation to it before :) I weirdly have great visuo spatial skills on paper, can accurately draw in 3d, do IQ tests relating to rotated objects, etc. If I was anywhere other than upright I used to completely lose sense of where my arms and legs were which was a nightmare for things like trampolining. Later in life I became more active - it's trainable OP, the more you do stuff that gives you proprioceptive input the better it gets. Strength training will guard against future joint issues too.

Very informative, thanks!

I used to horse ride when I was younger. All my instructors used to tell me to straighten my back and not push my shoulders back/ bum out. I never understood what they meant because that was just my natural posture.

Having done some online research I realise I have a lot of the symptoms. My joints hurt a lot, my skin is broken or injured very easily; I feel very dizzy standing up and I have a higher heart rate than normal.

How strange!