Ligament Laxity - Blog Posts

Anyone else with hypermobility/ligament laxity/tmj ever just be consuming food n then ur jaw/ear decides to pull a Very Concerning Noise alla the sudden

Anyway I’m like 57% certain my ear/jaw is fine. . .

It’s not usually that loud

Usually it just crackles when I open my jaw

… but it’s fine.

Random tip for the unwell:

If your knees hurt a lot when you stand all day for a job, check how you turn.

I do not know how people are supposed to turn, but given that the way I do it has been an unrealized source of pain, you can do it wrong.

I tend to let my leg stay on the ground for too long upon pivoting, leading to my femur twisting on top of my knee.

The solution I have found is spinning.

You spin on your heel, letting gravity carry you in the proper direction

It makes you look kinda like a weirdo and wears down your shoes faster but at least it doesn’t wear down your knee joint?

Joint pain tips from someone “too young to have chronic pain”:

[I’m not a doc or a medical professional, take with a grain of salt]

- NSAIDs like ibuprofen/aleve are hard on the stomach and liver. If u take it consistently, consider lidocaine pain patches, tiger balm, or topical NSAIDs. (Still bad for liver with consistent use, but not on the stomach obv)

-foam rollers are real nice for thigh or back/neck pain. If you need it for shoulder stretching, make sure to get one long enough to lay ur whole spine and head on.

-rly good shoe inserts are stupid expensive but getting properly sized for one at a place like REI can rly save you a lot of foot, ankle, and knee pain.

-speaking of shoes plz find ones that have enough room for the tootsies. We’re talking abt bone health here.

-you can use KT or other athletic tape to give minor support, compression for medium, and splints/braces for more serious support. Don’t let braces take over keeping ur body in shape tho.

-in my experience, tube/sock-like braces stay in place the best. I’ve tried the kind that Velcro and they slipped constantly.

-if u overwork a tendon, muscle, or joint, it can take a lot longer for it to heal then when it just stops hurting. Be careful to reintegrate activities slowly after an injury.

-while it kinda makes ya feel silly, walking “like a robot” can help hypermobile/ligament laxity folks to keep proper motion in mind

-upside down criss-cross and w-sitting are horrendous for your knees and make your PTs sad

-if you are doing arm exercises, try not to extend your arms back beyond the line of your shoulder

-to my ND folks: try to rest your arms sometimes, Trex arms are comfy but bad for circulation and joints

-if it feels like your eyes are trying to burst outta ur skull sometimes it means you need to lower inflammation in your sinus.

-for my bra-wearing folks: racer-backed bras hurt the upper traps less and distribute weight better

-drink water my dudes. Ur body hates life w/o it

Ode to my week

Yesterday I bought some fruit

I pulled some plants up by the root

The day before I washed my clothes

And ruined the entire load

My ancient shelf fell off the wall

It launched my file box with its fall

And took my yarn and picture frame

The glass has broken, not my games

I need to do some gardening

My knees say that’s not happening

But still I got to pet my cat

And give her a cute little hat

My job does not appreciate

My physical restrictive trait

There’s so much paperwork of late

It’s something that my doctor hates

Today I tried to drink root beer

It fell and my whole room is smeared

I swear hekkin everywhere

My outlet, art book, printer, chair

This week is a chaotic mess

There’s been some good I must confess

I’m still sending an SOS

Ridiculous- just let me rest

So anyway a nurse made me cry today

I am built for digging in moss and making art and exploring rivers and befriending friendly wildlife and giving out daisy chains and origami

Not like. Standing for half the day and trying to read minds and make repetitive motions while over 50 feet from windows.