Lax (hyperextendable) joints in babies and children
Some children have lax (hyperextendable joints). They may have been born with Downs Syndrome or have had a brain haemorrhage like Annie did. Or it may be just in their genes.
Before the doctor told me Annie had lax joints I had been worried. She hadn’t wanted to walk and her feet were curling inwards so she was standing on the inside edge of them rather than on the soles of her feet. I’d thought she had something more serious, perhaps a deformity. Anyway, he tested my joint flexibility by bending my wrists back and found out my joints were quite flexible. Then he showed me Annie’s range of movement which was massive, particularly on her right side where she had her brain haemorrhage. In her ankles she could bend them so they were at complete right angles to her leg!
In the short term he suggested I stopped using a baby walker as he did not think they helped at all, and if I wished I could buy some shoes that supported her ankles. I admit, I went mad and bought several pairs, all which turned out to be a complete waste of time because they were just not as good as the ones we eventually got from the NHS free of charge.
Pedro boots improved Annie’s posture immediately. She still sort of limps with her right leg and walks with the toes outwards, but the foot is virtually flat now rather than turning inwards. The physio thinks Annie may have to wear this kind of supportive footwear for at least a year, but I don’t care at all as long as they help her to walk. In winter, especially when she is wearing trousers, no one can tell anyway. When she is older I am going to try her at gymnastics since I may as well turn her natural flexibility into an advantage for her.