An article in the daily mail 20/12/16 told the happy (ending) story of Laura Wellington who was hit by an uninsured drunk driver as he ploughed in to her while she was crossing the road. Various scans and tests showed that she had a broken vertebra near the base of her spine, a fractured skull and an injured shoulder. Doctors feared she may never walk again. However 11 days after the crash she was on her feet again “thanks to my bendy body”. According to her neurosurgeon being hyper mobile saved her from paralysis. Instead of snapping on impact from the accident, her joints and ligaments stretched instead. That physical fact, coupled with her determination to walk again helped to avoid the initial and devastating prognosis.

At northlondonosteopaths we see many hyper mobile patients, most often children, who suffer from its negative effects. Hypermobility is a condition where the joints in the body are too ‘loose’ and as a result more movement is available at certain joints.

This in turn puts strain on the surrounding tissues that help give stability to the joint. They need to work harder as the joint needs more support.

Over time the joints and surrounding structures will get damaged due to the additional strain they are placed under.

In order to combat this one is advised to keep exercising in a correct and injury free manner which northlondonosteopaths are happy to show you including muscle strengthening and proprioception work to improve the health and strength of your joints.

Whilst Alan Nevies and his colleagues work hard to help minimize problems associated with hyper mobility, Laura Wellington’s case highlighted the plus side of this condition in a very dramatic way.