Ligament laxity refers to ligaments that can move more than usual. Hypermobile ligaments can cause chronic joint pain or sprains. Most people have regular tension ligaments, but some are hypermobile. Hypermobile joints can lead to joint problems and arthritis. Chiropractors consider ligament laxity to be a condition that can cause general pain in the body. Conventional medical treatments include physical therapy, pain medication, and muscle strength training.
Ligament laxity is a term that refers to ligaments in the body that can move more than usual. Doctors may also call these looser than normal ligaments hypermobile and do not generally refer to lax ligaments as a condition. Chiropractors tend to use the term to describe a potential cause of chronic joint pain or sprains.
The bones of the body are held together by ligaments, strong bands of connective cells. They are flexible to allow bones to move relative to each other, but they are not elastic. Most people have many ligaments that are of regular tension, and some have a number of ligaments that allow the joints more range of motion than normal. These people are called hypermobile, and hypermobility is more likely in children than in older people. Many people have some hypermobile joints.
Signs that a person has hypermobile joints, and therefore ligamentous laxity, include the ability to bend the arms back beyond the elbow joint and the legs beyond the normal limits at the knee. If someone can lean forward, without bending the knees, and plant their hands on the ground, it is likely hypermobility. The top finger of each hand may also be bent back from vertical, and the thumb may be able to touch the arm.
A condition called benign hypermobility syndrome can occur when a person is prone to joint problems such as sprains or dislocations due to their hypermobile ligament. Arthritis can also result from the condition. Most people, however, have no problems with loose ligaments.
While ligament laxity isn’t a common term in conventional medicine, some types of health professionals use the term. Many chiropractors, for example, consider ligament laxity to be a condition. They often believe that several conditions can result from loose ligaments, including general pain in the body.
The injuries, as well as the nature, are the cause of ligament laxity in the chiropractic sense. Sports injuries that damage ligaments can loosen ligaments permanently. The theory is that loose ligaments can impair the movement of bones and joints such that the affected person feels pain in that area of the body, which in turn affects other areas of the body. Conventional medical treatments for hypermobility problems include physical therapy and pain medication. Muscle strength training is also a possible treatment that other health professionals can prescribe.
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