a poet’s notebook

Interesting & Mysterious

goldfish pond in sunlight

 

From Forbes, of all places (& be warned, popups!):

Flexible Joints a Curious Clue to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

SUNDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) — Chronic fatigue syndrome has
been accepted as a medical condition for almost 20 years. Once
passed off as a series of sometimes ambiguous complaints about pain
in the joints and a general malaise — primarily by females — the
condition was confirmed by medical researchers as  bona fide
in 1988. . .

What he and other researchers found was puzzling, to say the
least.

Sixty percent of the 60 children and teens they treated for
chronic fatigue syndrome also had hypermobility in at least four of
their joints. Only 20 percent of the general public has a single
hyperflexible joint, such as being able to bend a pinkie 90 degrees
backward, touch the thumb to the forearm, or bend at the waist and
rest both hands flat on the ground. . .

Their findings, which appeared in  The Journal of
Pediatrics
, added a vexing wrinkle to the current thinking on
chronic fatigue syndrome. . .

Rowe emphasized that having hyperflexible joints doesn’t
mean a person will have the syndrome. Just how the two are related
is little more than a guess, Rowe and Jason agreed. . .

I’m intrigued, partly because I have hyperflexible joints — always have. Even at my age and weight, I can still bend at the waist and put my hands flat on the floor, and nearly touch my thumbs to my forearms. The latter is less flexible than it used to be, though; a bit of arthritis, I think.

Odd, isn’t it?

3 responses to “Interesting & Mysterious”

  1. Sylvia Avatar

    Hmm, I have overly flexible joints too, and the injuries to prove it. Contrary to Dr. Rowe’s little theory, though, injuries did not cause me to avoid activity. Perhaps it was applying ice and heat packs to my injuries that brought on the CFS? Or maybe ankle sprains cause a lowering of seretonin in the brain? 😉

    The idea of hyperextension causing nerve stress or damage is interesting. Another piece to the huge puzzle of our dysfunctional bodies.

  2. endment Avatar

    this is fascinating. I have (as long as I can remember) been able to bend at the waist and put both hands flat on the floor. thanks for the information… The question is – now what?

  3. Sue Avatar

    I cringe every time I hear about flexible joints and CFIDS. Both I and my 12-year old son have CFIDS. My 8-year old son has begun showing signs of developing it, too, though he’s still well 80-90% of the time. He loves to show off his “double-joints”. My own theory on this connection is that maybe over-flexible joints are located on the same genes as the tendency for CFS (which has been identified). Who knows?

Leave a Reply

Discover more from WATERMARK

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading