Joint Laxity and Pituitary issues

[KnifeGirl]

Current symptoms include extreme ligament laxity in every joint in my body causing dislocations and subluxations many times a day. Most commonly with both wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck and sacrum. Although occasionally a rib will pop out or my femurs and fibulae will also subluxate causing very painful nerve compressions, muscle fatigue and spasms, and inflammation. A couple times a month my entire nervous system will freak out sending me into excruciating pain with no specific source that can only be remedied with vicodin, nothing else helps.

History:
When I was 15 I had to go to physical therapy for 8 weeks because my middle back started hurting for no reason and with no accidents as an onset. I had muscle spasms and weakness that was mostly aleviated with the PT until I was 23 and not have the spasms again. At 19 I realized that pressure on my wrists caused the bones to spread out and not necessarily find their way back to the right position, causing soft tissue pinches and nerve impingement with pain and inflammation. At 21 I woke up one morning and my shoulder was out of socket. This started happening a couple times a month until my first rib on the right also started to subluxate and cause problems in my right arm. Now my first rib on the right and both shoulders need to be adjusted several times a day because they find their way out of socket. Somewhere between 21-23 putting my hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders and sacrum back into place became a several times a day occurance and at 23 I consulted doctors for muscle relaxers.

What I have done for it:
At 23 I started having massage and chiropractic once a week but that did not help my symptoms and could cause more problems than it helped. I take glucosamine and EFAs as well as vitamins and I drink lots of water. I have quit eating a lot of the "nightshade" foods and notice they do increase my joint pain. I get acupuncture and chiropractic and those help for a couple of days. I usually have 5 days where I don't have to take any muscle relaxers or pain killers (still in pain and spasm, but not enough to take my prescriptions) and then go for a couple of days with debilitating spasms and muscle tightness along with shooting nerve pain.

Possible causes: Ligament laxity caused by??? One doctor said it could be from a genetic disorder called Ethers Danlos, but I don't have any other symptoms from that disorder. An acupuncturist said it is my pituitary gland and that sort of fits, but I don't know how. Other symptoms that may be attributed to the pituitary glad malfunctioning in one way or another: For a year at 21 I had a persistent cough because I felt like there was fluid in my lungs. Doctors didn't know what to do about it but a homeopath told me it was my kidneys not draining properly. I took Kidney Factor and the cough was gone within a month. I also have pretty high muscle tone. I was going to the gym 5 days a week and doing martial arts 2xweek before 22 when I had to quit, but I still look toned even though I haven't been in the gym in 2 years.

HELP!
How can I tell what part of my pituitary might be affected or if that is it at all? I have some symptoms from a couple of the hormones it produces being off their normal levels, but not all from any one. I am now taking a pituitary supplement to see if that helps, it has been 2 weeks and no difference that I can tell. Should I get a CT to see if I have a tumor? Thanks!

[rumpled]

Just keep in mind this post is 4 years old - some may come back but some may not. Enzy is still around though.

There can also be genetic reasons for joint laxity - something to consider.

[magster222]

KnifeGirl, I realize my message to you is a few years after your post regarding your joint laxity. I was amazed reading this because I experience exactly the same symptoms where my joint subluxation is systemic (just about every joint) where I need to go to the chiropractor every single day for the past 4-5 years. May I ask, did you ever find the cause and ways to address? Would you please let me know?

[KnifeGirl]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the input. I don't really have hypermobility with my joint laxity. I am a bit hypermobile, but within normal limits as far as range of motion goes. Mostly the ligaments just don't hold my bones in place and when they "fall out of socket" it pinches stuff. The supplement I am taking is from Nutri-West called Pit-lyph-whole. The contents are: "whole pituitary 40mg, parotid 1mg of tissue concentrates (not extracts) of Bovine source."

Also, I have not had my hormone levels checked. This is a recent prognosis (2 weeks) and I want to give the "magic pill" treatment a try. I expect it from western medicine but usually their pills just mask the symptoms. When an Eastern doctor tells me to take a magic pill that will fix my condition, I'm more likely to believe him. I went to 6 doctors and not a one of them thought it could be hormonal (even when I thought it was), he's the only one that pointed out the obvious total systemic nature of my malady and that it could really only be hormonal (or genetic, but he didn't think so). I don't think I have a tumor, but if the condition does not get better within the time span my acupuncturist said, I'll get a head scan. Better to be safe, western medicine does have its place! I just hope and pray this magic pill will save the day!

Thanks again Enzy, I appreciate you sharing your sons story with me. I wish you both the very best health!
Knife Girl

[enzymelover]

     Your information reminded me of something I had completely forgotten. My son had unusual joint laxity for at least three years before his pituitary tumor\cyst was found on MRI. I never connected the two, never heard of this as a symptom of pituitary failure before. It was never anything as serious as yours. I think he enjoyed shocking the girls at school with his ability to bend his hands and arms in weird ways! ( he was 7, 8 years old).

After his more serious symptoms began, I forgot all about the joint laxity. If your acupuncturist said it's because of a pituitary problem, well, that might be correct, just going by what happened to my son. Perhaps you should consider getting an MRI to rule out a tumor, although, not all pituitary problems involve a tumor.

Are you taking a homeopathic pituitary supplement? Which one? I will be seeing my son's nutritionist next week. I will ask her about the joint laxity. One of the tests she ordered for him last year revealed a speckled ANA pattern, which she said can be a sign of connective tissue disease.

Which of your hormone levels are outside the normal ranges?

Enzy