The Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is the name by which an heterogeneous group of hereditary illnesses of the connective tissue are known. This illness is described by joint Hypermobility , skin hyperextensibility and tissue fragility.
People suffering from EDS, have a defect in their connective tissue, which is the tissue that keeps together the other tissues in the organism, and which acts as a support to many other parts of the body, such as the skin, joints, blood vessels and internal organs. The more often abnormalities found in the EDS people update are due to the effects of the enzimes involved in the collagen synthesis. Collagen is a protein that acts as the “elastic” of the body, giving strength and elasticity to the connective tissue.
The EDS is an illness which is often ignored, and the patients are treated of the illness related problems, without baring in mind that there is an underlying pathology. This is the reason why specialists believe that EDS is today an infradiagnosed entity.
Besides, until 1997, chronic pain and tiredness (chronic fatigue) which frequently come along with EDS, were not considered, and many patients were said to have mental problems and/or they had to get used to living with it. Unfortunately, this attitude is still present in many members of the medical class. Therefore it was used to be thought (and still is) that the frequent and continuous luxations and subluxations, sprains and tendon ruptures, ligaments, etc., and other direct consequences of joint Hypermobility , were caused by the awkwardness of the person who suffered from them.
The excessive skin fragility, which leads to injuries and frequent contusions (mostly in young people), was (and still is) thought to be the result of child abuse.
EDS is the base for the enormous mobility of the known as “elastic men” and of contorsionists, and is probably the reason why the violinist Paganini was exceptionally agil and flexible.
To read the complete essay in the Association for Ehler-Danlos and Hypermobility Syndrome website:
http://asedh.org/queessed.php©www.ePhysiotherapy.net