| How to Know if You're Double Jointed Posted: 21 Apr 2019 01:00 AM PDT In medical terms, double-jointedness is referred to as hypermobility, and it simply means that you have a greater range of motion in some or all of your joints than most people. To determine if you have hypermobility, try the Beighton test. While hypermobility isn't a health problem in and of itself, it can lead to joint pain and puts you at an increased risk of injury. Exercises to stabilize your joints can reduce these risks.[1] EditUsing the Beighton Test - Lift your pinky back further than 90 degrees. Rest your palm and forearm on a flat surface, bending your elbow at a 90-degree angle. Reach over with your other hand and lift your pinky finger back towards your body. If it goes further than 90 degrees, you have hypermobile fingers in that hand.[2]
- Repeat the test with your other hand. Give yourself 1 point for each pinky that you are able to lift back further than 90 degrees – up to 2 points total for this part of the test.
- Push your thumb back to touch your forearm. Hold your arm out straight in front of you so that your palm is facing down. Press your thumb towards your inner forearm with your other hand. If you can push it all the way back so that it touches your forearm, you have hypermobile thumbs.[3]
- Repeat the test on your other thumb. You get 1 point for each thumb that can touch your inner forearm, up to 2 points total for this part of the test.
- Open your elbow upwards more than 10 degrees. Hold your arms outstretched, even with your shoulders. Your palms should be facing upwards. Lower your wrist and forearm to open your elbow further so that it appears to bend backward. If the bend seems greater than 10 degrees, give yourself a point for each elbow.[4]
- If you're doing this by yourself, stand in front of a mirror. You also may find it easier to do one arm at a time rather than trying to assess both at once.
- This level of hypermobility can be difficult to measure on your own. If a physical therapist were conducting this test, they would likely use an instrument called a goniometer to measure the angle of your joints.
- Extend your knees backward more than 10 degrees. Stand with your knees locked and extend them backward as far as you possibly can. If your knees extend further than 10 degrees backward, add 1 point for each side to your score.[5]
- If you're doing this by yourself, stand sideways in front of a full-length mirror and evaluate one side at a time.
- As with elbows, hypermobility in your knees can be difficult to assess on your own. Consider any extent to which you can bend your knees backward from the straight locked position to be an indication of hypermobility.
- Bend at the waist and place your palms on the floor. Stand with your feet together and your knees straight. If you can bend from the waist and place your palms flat against the floor in front of your feet without bending your knees, you have a hypermobile spine.[6]
- If you can do this with your knees locked straight, give yourself 1 point.
- Total your points to find your Beighton hypermobility score. Add up the points from each of the joints tested. A score of 4 or greater indicates you have generalized hypermobility. In basic terms, this means many of your joints have a greater range of motion than what is considered normal.[7]
- Even if you have a relatively low score, you may have hypermobility in other joints that aren't evaluated in the Beighton test, such as the jaw, neck, shoulders, hips, ankles, and feet.[8]
EditAssessing Other Symptoms - Evaluate the levels of pain and stiffness in your joints. If you have hypermobility, feeling pain or stiffness in your joints is extremely common. This is especially likely after physical exercise, and may also be more apparent in the evenings.[9]
- If you feel joint pain after exercising, you may want to change the type of exercise you do. High-impact exercises are particularly hard on hypermobile joints. For example, if you run, you may want to switch to a lower-impact exercise, such as biking, and see if you notice a difference.
- Review your medical history for joint dislocations. If you've frequently experienced joint dislocations, such as a dislocated shoulder, this may be a symptom of hypermobility syndrome. Recurring soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains or ligament tears, may also signal that you have hypermobility syndrome.[10]
- The types of injuries you've experienced also depend on the type of activities you've done. For example, if you play soccer, recurring knee injuries may not necessarily be a sign of hypermobility syndrome, because soccer is really hard on the knees.
- Determine if you have any digestive issues. Many digestive system problems, such as acid reflux, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are also present in people who have hypermobility syndrome. Although doctors aren't entirely sure why, it is believed to be caused by weakened muscles in your digestive tract.[11]
- Occasional digestive issues aren't typically considered a symptom of hypermobility syndrome, even if you also have hypermobile joints. A chronic condition for which you are under medical care, on the other hand, could be considered a symptom.
- Urinary incontinence also may be a symptom of hypermobility syndrome.
- Note if your skin is fragile or bruises easily. Many people who have hypermobility syndrome also have thin, stretchy skin that is fragile and easily damaged. If you have a tendency to bruise easily, or frequently develop stretch marks, that could be a symptom of hypermobility syndrome.[12]
- Stretch marks and frequent bruising can also be symptomatic of other conditions, not necessarily hypermobility syndrome. For example, if you've recently lost a lot of weight or were recently pregnant, you may have stretch marks, but they wouldn't be considered a symptom of hypermobility syndrome.
- Discuss your symptoms with your doctor. If you have hypermobile joints as well as more than 1 of the symptoms of hypermobility syndrome, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Tell them that you believe you have hypermobility syndrome and list the various symptoms that have led you to believe this. Your doctor may prescribe medications to ease your joint pain and stiffness or other symptoms. They may also suggest activities you should avoid or lifestyle changes you should make.[13]
- Hypermobility syndrome can be difficult to diagnose, especially if your doctor doesn't have your full medical history. Your doctor will test the flexibility of your joints and may order blood tests or X-rays to rule out other conditions before making a diagnosis.
- If you have a history of recurring joint dislocations or soft-tissue injuries, tell your doctor the injuries you've experienced and the context in which you were injured. They will evaluate whether the injuries are a possible symptom of hypermobility syndrome.
- Your doctor also may refer you to a geneticist or a rheumatologist for more specialized evaluation.
EditStabilizing Your Joints - Monitor your body positioning to keep your joints neutral. Mentally check in with your joints and adjust as necessary to keep them in a neutral position. This may take conscious effort at first, but after a while, you'll get in the habit of keeping your joints in a neutral position (neither flexed nor fully extended.)[14]
- Joints that are hypermobile are often loose. Keeping them in a neutral position prevents further weakening of the surrounding muscles.
- If you spend long hours engaged in repetitive motions, such as typing, take breaks and allow your joints to rest.
- Make sure that you do not lock your knees while you are standing. Keep them slightly bent or soft.
- Correcting your posture can also help decrease back and neck pain, which are common if you have a hypermobile spine.
- Get a referral for a physical therapist from your doctor. A physical therapist or occupational therapist can prescribe specific stretches and exercises to help ease your joint pain and strengthen the muscles supporting your hypermobile joints. Getting a referral from your doctor may get you an appointment sooner than if you tried to book one on your own.[15]
- Some physical therapists will want to work with you themselves. However, typically they'll give you a range of exercises to perform by yourself at home each day.
- If any of the stretches or exercises prescribed by your physical therapist cause you pain, let them know as soon as possible so they can evaluate your joints and adjust your program.
- Strengthen and condition the muscles around the joints. The looser joints associated with hypermobility may cause the muscles around those joints to be weaker than they normally would. A basic strength training program can help build those muscles to reduce joint pain as well as decrease your risk of injury.[16]
- Start your strength training program slowly, using only your own body weight as resistance for the first 2 to 4 weeks – especially if you've never worked out with weights. When you feel comfortable, gradually increase the resistance, starting with very small weights at first and working your way up.
- Talk to your doctor or physical therapist before you start strength training. They may be able to suggest some exercises that would help you, as well as particular exercises and movements to avoid.
- Try doing isometric exercises to strengthen your joints without putting stress on them. For example, you could do straight leg raises while lying on your back.
- Engage in low-impact cardio exercise 3 to 5 times a week. Cardiovascular exercise improves your blood flow and the oxygenation of your muscles. This may decrease your joint pain and reduce stiffness in your joints. Low impact activities, such as swimming or cycling, won't cause further stress to your joints.[17]
- Avoid high-impact activities, such as running and jumping, that can put additional pressure on your joints.
- Drink plenty of water, especially after exercising. Staying hydrated is an important part of joint health and can help keep your joints from becoming stiff or painful. Have a full glass of water before and after any activity, with additional water available to sip during the activity.[18]
- Generally, a healthy adult male should drink at least 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of water a day. A healthy adult female should drink at least 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of water a day. You may need more than this, depending on your weight, the climate where you live, and your overall activity level.[19]
- Keep your joints active throughout the day. Stay at one task or in one position for at most 30 minutes at a time. If you are doing something that requires you to sit or stand in the same position for longer, fidget or shift your weight so that your joints stay active.[20]
- Continually correct your posture as you sit or stand so that you don't put too much stress on your joints.
- It isn't uncommon to be hypermobile on one side of your body but not the other, or to have hypermobility in some joints but not in others.
- Women are often more likely to be hypermobile than men.
- When attempting the Beighton test yourself, be careful not to cause an injury. If you feel pain when trying to flex or extend your joints, stop.
- A high score on the Beighton test indicates hypermobility. However, it doesn't mean you automatically have hypermobility syndrome. Other symptoms must be present to reach a diagnosis of hypermobility syndrome.[21]
- If you are hyper-flexible, don't overextend your joints just because you can, whether to show off or as a party trick. You not only risk injury but also can further destabilize your joints.[22]
- Rarely, hypermobility is a symptom of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disorder that affects your connective tissues, such as your joints and ligaments.[23]
EditReferences
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| How to Decorate Easter Eggs Posted: 20 Apr 2019 05:00 PM PDT Decorating Easter eggs is a fun activity that you can do with kids. There are a lot of ways to make the eggs colorful without sticking to a traditional kit. When working with art supplies, always work with hard-boiled eggs. After ten minutes on the stove and some cool-down time, you're ready! Assemble your materials and get started. EditDyeing Easter Eggs - Boil the eggs. Put the eggs in a pan of water. Turn the heat to medium. Allow the eggs to boil for about fifteen minutes. Then, remove the eggs and allow them to cool.[1]
- While the eggs are boiling, use that time to cover the area where you will be dyeing the eggs with newspaper or paper towels.
- Fill a container. If you're only dyeing one egg, you can use a cup (236.6 ml). For several eggs, you should use a larger, plastic container. Fill the container with a ½ cup of water, one teaspoon of white vinegar, and about twenty drops of any food color. You will know that you've used liquid if the egg completely submerges in the water.[2]
- Fill several containers if you will be using different colors. Each color should have its own container.
- Soak the egg for 5 minutes. Place the egg on a spoon and dunk the egg into the liquid. Turn the egg around so that both sides get color. Allow the egg to soak for five minutes. Leave the egg longer if you'd like a darker color.[3]
- Dye the egg multiple colors. You can dye the egg at least two colors by dipping only one section of the egg in at a time. This works best if you start with a fresh, boiled egg that has not been dyed yet. Hold one half of the egg so that only half of it is submerged in the dye. After about five minutes, submerge the other half of the egg in another color.
- You will probably have to hold the egg as it soaks to submerge only half of it.
- Remove the egg. You can use tongs to gently remove the egg. Put the egg(s) in an egg carton to dry. The egg is now ready to be used for decoration.[4]
EditMaking Glitter Eggs - Use a plastic egg. Real eggs are difficult to use with this method because they break easily. A plastic or paper mache egg is best to use. You can use any color egg you'd like.[5]
- Paint the egg. You don't have to paint the egg if it's already the same color as the glitter you will be using. If it isn't, choose a color of acrylic paint that is the same color as your glitter. Use a paint or sponge brush to coat the egg in two or three layers of paint. Wait until the egg completely dries to move on.[6]
- Apply Mod Podge. Use a separate sponge brush to apply a thick coat of mod podge to the egg. Make sure all of the egg gets covered with the Mod Podge. This part will be messy, and your fingers will likely get covered with glue.[7]
- You can use baby wipes to get the glue off of your fingers.
- Pour glitter over the egg. Put the egg into a plastic cup. The narrowest part of the egg should be facing upward. Pour glitter over the egg. Gently shake the cup so that the glitter covers the egg. You can add more glitter if necessary.
- Allow time to dry. Once the egg is coated in glitter, give it thirty to sixty minutes to dry. You can leave the egg in the cup as it dries, or place it in an egg carton.[8]
EditPainting the Eggs - Boil the eggs. Hard boil the eggs for fifteen minutes. Allow the eggs to cool completely. Set them in the fridge if you'd like to speed up the process.[9]
- Use acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is ideal for eggs because it covers them well and adheres nicely. You can use any brand and color of acrylic paint that you'd like. Use a paintbrush to create fun designs. Since eggs are pretty small, get some fine-pointed paint brushes for more intricate designs.[10]
- You may want to cover the area where you will be painting with newspaper.
- Paint one half of the egg at a time. You can paint any design you want. You can leave it one color, paint geometrical patterns and shapes, or turn the egg into a cute animal—like a bird. Let it dry before painting the other half to avoid smearing the paint.[11]
- Create a sponged effect. You can use this technique if the egg has been painted one, solid color. Wait until the first layer of paint dried. Then, use a dry sponge to apply white paint on the eggs after the other paint dries. Don't use a lot of paint. Use a thin layer of white paint and dab the sponge all over the eggs.[12]
- Allow the eggs to dry. Wait ten or fifteen minutes for the eggs to dry. Handle them carefully when you move them. Display your Easter eggs as you wish.[13]
EditUsing Old Ties - Find a silk tie. Use a tie that you won't be wearing anymore. The tie should be 100% silk. A tie made of any other material won't work. Choose a tie that has an interesting pattern. Dark purple, blue, and red ties work the best.[14]
- It doesn't necessarily have to be a beautiful tie. "Uglier" ties sometimes make the most beautiful eggs.
- If you don't have any ties laying around, silk ties can be found cheap at most thrift shops.
- Cut up the seam. This should double the size of your tie, which will give you a piece large enough to work with. Cut out a section that can easily wrap around your egg. You'll need a section of the material that wraps around the egg and can be held together. Leave about five centimeters of excess fabric.[15]
- Wrap your egg. Wrap the egg in the tie. The right side of the tie material (the side you would see if you were wearing it) should directly touch the egg. Wrap the egg as tightly as possible without breaking the egg.[16]
- The folds in the fabric will form a swirly pattern.
- Secure with a tie. Use a twisty tie to secure the fabric at the top of the egg. A string works, too, but a twisty tie is much easier to work with. Secure on the long side of the egg if you want the opposite end of the egg to show the pattern the best. Tie the egg horizontally if you want the wide side of the egg to show the design.[17]
- Wrap the egg with a second layer. Use a lightweight and lightly colored fabric. You can use a pillowcase, thin dishcloth, or sheet. Wrap the fabric tightly around the egg, and secure it with another twisty tie.[18]
- Boil the egg. Put the egg in a pot. Cover it with water. Add 1/4 cup (50 g) of vinegar. Boil for about 20 minutes. Then, take them off the heat and put them in a colander or on a towel to dry.[19]
- Allow them to cool. Give them about ten minutes to cool down before you touch them. Then, remove the fabric. Be careful when handling the freshly dyed eggs.[20]
- That's it! Be creative and give free rein to your imagination as you make more eggs.
- Use an old sheet or newspaper on the work area to keep it from getting messy with the supplies.
- Wear old clothes or an apron to cover your clothes.
- Do not plan on eating the eggs you decorate unless you can confirm that you did not use toxic materials to decorate your eggs.
EditThings You'll Need - Eggs
- Pan of water
- Glue
- Crayons
- Dye
- Acrylic paint
- Brush and sponge
- Scissors
- Food coloring
- Old ties
- Light material
- Pot
- Vinegar
- Twisty ties
- Towel or colander
- Scissors
- Glitter
- Mod Podge
- Plastic cup
EditRelated wikiHows EditReferences EditQuick Summary
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| How to Do Content Marketing Posted: 20 Apr 2019 09:00 AM PDT Content marketing is different from traditional advertising because it does not directly promote the products or services your business offers. Instead, it involves developing and distributing informative content—such as blog posts, articles, and infographics—that is relevant to the needs of your customers. If you want to incorporate content marketing into your business strategy, start by creating a plan for building and distributing your content. Identify the needs of your clients so that you can target your content directly to them. Once you create some high-quality content, you'll need to distribute and promote it so that it reaches your audience effectively. EditDeveloping Your Marketing Strategy - Create a business plan for content marketing. Doing content marketing effectively requires time, money, and skill. Spend some time thinking about factors like how much of a budget you have for content marketing and how many people you may need to hire or train to create and distribute your content. If you are not the sole proprietor or manager of your business, work with other members of your team to develop a strategy.[1]
- Your plan should focus on factors such as what you hope to accomplish with content marketing, how you plan to achieve your goals, and what your projected budget will be.
- Identify the needs of your audience. Content marketing is only effective if it is directly relevant to the people most likely to use your products and services.[2] Do some research to determine what kinds of content would be most helpful to your primary user base.
- For example, if your company sells children's toothpaste, your audience is probably mostly parents who are looking for content related to their kids' dental health and hygiene.
- Read industry reports about the people most likely to use your product or service and what kinds of information and content they tend to seek.
- Decide what story you want to tell with your content. The content you create should be relevant not only to your users, but also to the mission of your business. Think about what kinds of values and messages you want your content to embody, and choose a few themes that you'd like to focus on.[3]
- For example, if you sell products that are eco-friendly, you might focus on creating content about how customers can go green and reduce their carbon footprints.
- Determine the best channels for distributing your content. You'll need to ensure that your content actually reaches your audience in order for it to be effective. Do some research on your target demographic and the types of media they tend to consume.[4]
- For example, younger consumers are more likely to use social media or browse informative blogs, while you might reach an older audience more effectively through email lists or even a print magazine or newsletter.
- Document your marketing strategy. Writing down your strategy can help you stay focused. If there are multiple employees in your organization, having formal documentation of your content marketing approach is also a good way to keep everyone on the same page.[5] You might include specifics such as:
- The target audience for your content
- The key themes or stories you want your content to focus on
- Your strategy for developing the content (e.g., hiring writers or designers or working with a content marketing firm)
- How you intend to distribute the content
EditCreating Quality Content - Build content that is useful and relevant to your clients. A funny listicle about celebrity facial hair or a series of cute cat videos might get plenty of views and likes, but they won't do you much good unless they're relevant to your business and to your clients' needs. Instead, focus on content that reflects your core values and directly helps your target audience.[6]
- For example, if you own a landscaping business, you might do a series of blog posts about how to stock a garden fish pond, or you could create an infographic about preventing soil erosion.
- Don't just promote your product or service—that's what traditional advertising is for. Instead, focus on providing something of true value to your current and potential customers.
- Make your content engaging. Content that is fun and interesting is more likely to attract and hold your audience's interest than basic, stripped-down information. To make your content compelling, you might incorporate humor or find ways to appeal to your audience's emotions. Content that is visually interesting can also grab your audience's attention.[7]
- For example, if you sell photography equipment, consider doing a video that offers nature photography tips and shows a professional photographer in action. Pick a breathtaking landscape and get some beautiful shots of your guest star at work.
- You could also add a human-interest element and connect with your audience on a personal level by having your pro photographer tell a story about what photography means to them.
- Keep your content substantive but streamlined. Consumers love content that's rich in information, but concise enough that they can consume it quickly and easily. Look at your content and consider how you can condense it by using words economically, sticking to simple formats like bulleted lists, and using informative headings.[8]
- Choosing the best length for your content depends on a lot of factors. For example, lengthier written content tends to show up higher in Google search results. On the other hand, mobile users tend to be looking for content that's shorter and easier to digest quickly.
- Edit your content carefully. Content that's poorly edited and full of mistakes will seem less credible to your audience. Go over your content and make sure that it's coherent, well-sourced, accurate, and free of grammatical and spelling errors.[9]
- Additionally, double check to make sure your content is formatted correctly and easy to read or view. Even if the content itself is great, bad formatting can frustrate and alienate your audience.
- Work with experienced content creators. If you don't have a lot of experience with building your own content, consider hiring someone who does. Reach out to people in your professional network and see if they can recommend excellent writers, graphic designers, or publishing experts who are familiar with the type of work your business does.[10]
- If you don't have the budget to hire content creators full-time, consider working with freelancers or a content marketing firm.
- Look at samples of any potential content creator's work to determine if they're a good fit for your business and the kind of image you'd like to build for your company.
- Improve your content based on how it performs. Creating good content is an ongoing process. You'll need to keep an eye on how your content is performing and make adjustments based on what you see. In addition to looking at basic metrics like how many visits, shares, and likes your content gets, it's also important to consider what your audience is actually saying about it. If your content isn't performing the way you want it to, make changes based on the feedback you get and keep checking for signs of improvement.[11]
- If audiences seem to think your content is stale or boring, mix it up and try something new. Look at popular content from other successful businesses for inspiration.
EditGetting Your Content Out There - Make use of social media promotion tools. Simply creating good content is not enough—you need to make sure it gets seen. Social media marketing is a great way to get your content out into the world. In addition to using paid services like Facebook's "Boost Post" tool, you can also promote your content by:[12]
- Sharing it in relevant spaces. For example, if you're a wedding planner, share your blog posts in discussion groups for brides-to-be.
- Tagging it appropriately. Proper use of hashtags can make your content easier to find and help it show up more prominently in web searches and on social media sites. In addition to using general tags (like #weddingideas), choose more specific ones as well (such as #cakeinspiration).
- Promoting your content on multiple platforms. Don't just stick to Facebook and Twitter—share it in as many places as possible. Depending on your clientele, you might also make use of sites like Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Reddit.
- Use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to bring in visitors. When people do web searches for terms related to your content, you want your work to appear as close to the top of the results as possible. You can hire an SEO agency to optimize your website for you, but there are also things you can on your own do to improve search engine results. For example, you can:[13]
- Get links to your content from other relevant, popular, and authoritative websites.
- Give your content pages unique, specific titles (e.g., "FishWorld Inc.'s Ultimate Guide to Keeping Loaches").
- Provide clear descriptions of your content in the meta tags, link text, alternative image descriptions, and headers.
- Incorporate structured data code to improve the way your content appears in search engine results.
- Keep your URLs simple and descriptive.
- Engage directly with your audience to build meaningful connections. Your customers (and potential customers) will feel a more genuine connection with your business if you interact with them directly. Instead of just throwing your content out there into the void and waiting for shares and likes, take time to respond to people's questions and comments. You can even invite comments on your posts or offer prompts to get a conversation going.[14]
- For example, if you've made a video on how to bake vegan cookies using your line of organic ingredients, end the video by inviting your viewers to share their favorite recipes in the comments.
- If your customers use your comment section as a place to complain or vent about their dissatisfaction with your product or service, offer a sincere apology and invite them to work with you to find a satisfactory solution.
- Tap into your business network to promote each other's content. Connecting with other professionals in businesses adjacent to yours can help you tap into each other's client bases and mutually increase the visibility of your content. You could tag a fellow expert in your field in an article, share their work with your own audience (if you think it's relevant), invite them to be a guest poster on your blog, or volunteer to write a guest post for them.[15] If you engage in this way, others in your network are more likely to reciprocate and help you promote your own content!
- Other ways to engage with fellow professionals in your network include commenting on their content and honestly reviewing their products.
- Keep your content feed active, even if you don't have new material. If you go for a long time without producing new content, your audience may lose interest and stop paying attention to what you're doing. Keep things going by interspersing new content with older work and even relevant content shared from other sources. That way, your customers will always have something to look at.[16]
- Reposting some of your best work can help revive interest in it and bring in more views. This can be especially helpful if your audience or client base has grown a lot since you initially posted the content, since newer readers or viewers may not have seen it before.
- Create links between your content pieces. Using internal links is a great way to draw additional attention to your content. If you have a particularly popular piece of content, sprinkle it liberally with relevant links to your other work. This will encourage visitors to explore and discover more of your content.[17]
- For example, if you own a pet store and you have a popular article on caring for goldfish, try linking it to a video you just did about setting up a coldwater fish tank.
- It takes time and commitment to see results from content marketing. If your content doesn't get a lot of attention right away, don't give up. You may need to devote a lot of time to creating and distributing quality content before it starts to catch on.
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