Emily Chan
Many people believe that those in their twenties and thirties don’t have to worry about experiencing health problems yet. However, disorders typically associated with older age can affect younger adults, too.
TikToker Liv (@chronicallyillandhot) is 25-years-old and has arthritis. She’s sharing a story that she hopes will raise awareness about how arthritis is not limited to older people.
So Liv was in the candle aisle of a store where another woman was also looking at candles. Liv pointed out a candle the other woman was inspecting and told her not to get it because it stunk.
The woman told Liv she was getting some candles for her massage therapy practice. They then struck up a conversation about massage.
Liv informed the massage therapist that massage was often too much for her because she has hypermobile joints due to having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of disorders that affects connective tissues supporting the skin, joints, and blood vessels. It can also lead to joint dislocations and early-onset arthritis.
As they were chatting, a woman in her late fifties to early sixties walked up, wanting to participate in the conversation since they were discussing massage.
The massage therapist brought up how she had hip pain, and Liv mentioned her arthritis was also particularly bad in her hip area.
The older lady looked at Liv and scoffed in disbelief at the fact that someone as young as Liv could have arthritis.
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