In other news… First, apologies in advance for the long post! Something interesting happened. It has been brought to my attention that I almost certainly have Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (but probably not Ehlers-Danlos).
I have family coming for Christmas, including my nephew who I unfortunately haven’t been able to spend much time with because he’s lived across the country from me and had been off doing busy teenage things. Another relative will be bringing their large dog who loves to play with my large dog. Anyway, my sister mentioned that we’ll have to be careful with the dogs playing around my nephew because if they bump into his knees he could subluxate. When I asked her what she meant she said he has Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder. She started describing the health issues it causes him and it was as if she was describing me!
I remembered that the PT at the hospital who had worked with me after my PKR had told me that my knees were hypermobile. My extension right after the surgery on my left knee was -5. He measured my other knee and it was -10! I told her, hmm, maybe I have it too. Many times over the years, my dogs have run into my knee causing it to be incredibly painful. The pain would be severe and last anywhere from a few hours to a few days where I could barely walk. Then it would suddenly resolve on its own. It has happened in other situations too, stepping in a divot in the grass, slipping on mud or ice, or sometimes out of the blue just taking a funny step. I always thought of it as my ‘trick’’ knee. It has happened with my other knee too a couple times, but it was most often the left knee. I never had a doctor be able to explain it to me. They just said I had Chondramalacia but seemed a little puzzled.
I have also had my elbows lock painfully while carrying heavy things with my arms straight down, like buckets of water, where I’d have to stop, put the load down, and sort of ‘pop’ my elbows back in. I’m careful to keep a slight bend in my elbows now. Nearly all my joints pop, clunk, and crack. Even my sternum feels a little funny sometimes and I have to stretch and pop it back in. I just thought that’s how my body is.
I read up on Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder and I fit the profile. There is a scoring system called the Beighton score. If you have a score of 4 or more plus some of the ‘minor criteria’, you’re considered to have it. I scored a 5 plus several of the other criteria. Since it is a connective tissue disorder, it also causes a whole array of symptoms unrelated to the joints and I have a bunch of them. This explains so much! I am going to see my pcp and see if she concurs and will give me a formal diagnosis.
I have 4 questions for the forum:
1) I think my knee was subluxating. Will my patellofemoral replacement prevent that in the future? (I suspect no because I think it’s happened once already since the surgery but not sure)
2) If not, will it at least limit some of the severe pain it used to cause me?
3) Also if not, will the subluxation damage my implant?
4) Is there anything else I should know about Hypermobility and joint replacement?
Thanks for any information anyone can offer!
Edited to say: I looked back at my surgery notes and pt measured -5 and -10 extension
United States
The reflection of the moon on the dark water must have been beautiful. Good for you, JR....you're back!
