This is a personal story but, nonetheless, is a fantastic example of ‘Never Say Never’.
My son recently completed the Bristol Half Marathon in aid of Parkinson’s UK. I’m, of course, a proud Mum! He hit his target time, ran on a day when the sun was a scorcher, got a huge buzz out of his experience and, to top it all, raised £600 for Parkinson’s UK (a charity close to our hearts as my father spent years with many challenges related to this).
However, the reason that I am writing this is because my son is an example of ‘never say never’.
He was born with a condition called ‘hypermobility’. A hypermobile joint can bend beyond the typical range of movement. In a nutshell, he’s very supple! Most of us would say, ‘Great’, however it brings some ‘less than great’ challenges.
His challenges have included hypermobility, sprains, strains, joint aches and pains, fatigue and symptoms such as being flat-footed.
There are many other symptoms and degrees of this condition. It was explained to us when he was young that, the more active that he was, the more beneficial this would be over time as it would develop his muscle tone. This, in turn, would compensate for his ‘loose’ ligaments and support his joints. The initial challenge was that he was young, gangly in stature and the muscle tone probably wouldn’t develop until his teens. This was, therefore, the ideal time for him to discover his love of sports, which sports appealed to him, and to develop the mindset that this doesn’t have to be a physical blocker if managed. However, he wasn’t a runner (short bursts in football, for example, were ok but even that took a lot of effort).
There is no cure for being hypermobile. The connective tissues of hypermobile people are weaker compared with non-hypermobile individuals and therefore their muscle needs to be twice as strong to stabilise their joints and to be able to function normally, otherwise they would use twice as much energy on simple tasks, which lead to fatigue and pain.
Exercise is important to everyone for many reasons, yet for those with a hypermobility syndrome (HMS), exercise can be key for condition management. From his late teens, he also added strength training to his routine, notably through his gym membership. In fact, he’s a proper ‘Sport Billy’ these days!
What I admire in him is that he never became a victim of this, never turned it into a ‘big deal’ and never allowed it to halt him in his tracks. For his half marathon, he incorporated regular strength training to manage the joint pain and sought the advice of a physio.
And here we are! This remarkable young man achieved something that he never thought possible.
His clear goal, having an achievable plan to get there, putting the right support in place, and having a positive mindset got him there. Amazing!!
If further support is required, visit Hypermobility Syndrome Association