Ehlers-Danlos

I've been having some foot and knee pain in the last year and as I have become more active at the gym with running and classes the pain has intensified. Since we have fully met our deductible with our insurance company and pay nothing out of pocket I decided to go to the most expensive best orthopedic surgeons around. After a couple of visits, XRays, an MRI, and ruling out problems, a conclusion was drawn. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In my case, it's basically extremely loose joints and hypermobility. So hypermobile that my toes bend back so far that when I run, the impact of my weight comes right down on the bone. Yeah.. no wonder it hurt! The Solution: Steel plated insoles in my shoes that prevent my foot from hyperextending.

I've always wondered why I could do this

And This

And this.

Mystery solved!
By the way, I was watching this great documentary on Netflix, called Stan Lee's superhumans. One episode they featured, "Rubberband Man". He had the stretchiest skin on earth. When they took him in for diagnostic testing it was determined he had this same thing. I think I'll start telling people that I'm just superhuman. :)