Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Causes Hyper Flexibility

ABC featured Olivia Court who was born with a severe form of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic disorder that causes her joints to be hyper-flexible — so flexible that her hips and knees would regularly, painfully dislocate when she tried to walk.

EDS affects the body’s ability to build collagen. While most people associate collagen with youthful-looking skin, these naturally occurring proteins are also essential for building ligaments, arteries, and other body structures.

Collagen is the mortar that holds your cells together, and when it is lacking, those with Ehlers-Danlos suffer from overly-mobile joints, super stretchy, paper-thin skin, easy ligament tears and ruptures in their internal organs and blood vessels.

Story on ABC.