Marfans Syndrome

[Fussy1]

Hello I am a 29 year old female and was dianogesed with marfans syndrome 5 years ago. I am 6'2" tall. I have 2 different questions. Thanks

My joints are very felxable and my ankles give me alot of problems. They will just give out on me when i am walking,no pain when they give out but it causes me to fall down. Also to do any physical activity (eg horse ridding) i have to strap my ankles every time, Is there anything that can be done to give my ankles some strength so they cant bend so much? They bend 90 degrees to the side inwards. On cold nights the pain i get in my ankles is unbearable, i have been told this is probably just arthritis.

My second question is I dislocated my elbow (badly) and fratuctured my arm (not bad) christmas eve. The doctor put my elbow back in place but was concerend that the bones in the joint were now too close together. My arm is in a cast and has been for 2 weeks, When the cast was off i still could not straighten my elbow or bend it compleatly, i am concerned that i have lost some movement permatly in my arm. Also am i still in alot of pain in my elbow so much that it keeps me awake at night and has not improved. I am on pain medication but it doesnt make a difference. Also because i have marfans will it take longer for me to heal from the dislocation and will it make my elbow weaker and more prone to dislocate again?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[JainMD]

Hi Fussy,
How are you feeling?
What is your name?
Marfan's syndrome is a dominantly inherited disorder of connective tissue (elastic fibers) affecting primarily the musculoskeletal system, the cardiovascular system and the eye.
Marfan’s syndrome is a familial disorder of elastic connective tissue that is characterized by aortic root dilatation and dissection, valvular insufficiency, lens dislocation, and arachnodactyly, among other findings.
Have you got long, slender fingers as compared to your palm?
What are the other associated problems you have to diagnose as Marfan's syndrome?
Have you got Echocardiography and MRI done to see for any associated cardiac disease?
You should be keeping yourself active, but should avoid high-impact or high-stress sports.
Healing for your fractures would be same as any other person with similar injury.
Have you got a repeat imaging done for your elbow to see for healing?
You need to plan for ankle surgery with help of orthopaedician.
Keep me informed.
Bye.

[treebranches]

My dude has Marfan, too.  If your ankles are giving you that much trouble, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see a doctor who could refer you to an orthopedist, if you haven't seen one already.  Arthritis does get worse with cold and rain, but have you had any x-rays or MRIs to prove to you have it?

I'm sorry you dislocated your elbow and fractured your arm!  Once you dislocate a joint, it is easier to get another dislocation there.  Normally they hurt until they are "put back in" and sometimes for a while afterwards, but in this case there might be cause to see an ortho, yet again, because there might be ligament damage or strain.

Get yourself to a doctor, girl!