In a recent interview with Vogue US magazine, singer Billie Eilish said she suffered from joint hypermobility. But what are the symptoms of this pathology? We take stock.
- Generalized joint hypermobility is relatively common.
- Currently, this disease is detected using two tools: the Beighton score and the 5-part questionnaire (5QP).
13 years. This is the age at which singer-songwriter Billie Eilish learned that she was affected by joint hypermobility. “During my teenage years, I hated myself. A lot of it came from the anger I felt towards my body. The pain it caused me was driving me crazy,” told the singer, 21 years old today, to the magazine US Vogue.
“I felt like my body hurt me for years”
During her childhood, she had the ambition to become a dancer. At puberty, she sees her dream fly away due to a fracture of the growth plate located at the level of one of her hips. “I hurt myself”, she clarified. After this lesion, she is regularly monitored by doctors. Several misdiagnoses were made. A few months later, the practitioners told her that she was suffering from joint hypermobility. “I felt like my body was hurting me for years. I had to go through a process where I was like, ‘my body is mine and it doesn’t want to hurt me’ “explained the American artist.
Joint hypermobility: repeated joint dislocations
This condition, also called “joint hypermobility syndrome”, corresponds to the ability of the joints to move beyond normal limits. According to the association SED’in Francehypermobility can be local, ie affecting one or two joints, peripheral, ie affecting the fingers and toes, or generalized.
According to the Orphanet, people with joint hypermobility may experience repeated dislocations in large joints, such as the hip, shoulder, elbow or kneecap. “Patients often present with muscle and joint pain and may develop degenerative joint damage at a relatively young age,” can we read on his website.
