A Guide to hEDS and Collarbone Instability

By someone whose neck often feels like it’s propping up a bowling ball with matchsticks.

Ah, the clavicle—the unsung hero of elegant bone structure, the foundation of fashionable off-shoulder dresses, and the favored aesthetic of Instagram influencers who claim they “just woke up like this” (but we all know better).

That is, of course, until your clavicle decides to stage a full-scale rebellion, turning your upper body into an unstable mess of clicking, shifting, and shooting pain.

When people think about joint instability, they picture knees buckling, shoulders dislocating, or ankles twisting like they’re auditioning for a horror movie. But the clavicle? Oh, it’s an underrated troublemaker. This delicate little bone connects your chest to your shoulder, plays a key role in upper-body movement, and—if you have a connective tissue disorder—moves around like it’s trying to escape.

Welcome to clavicle instability, where your body’s infrastructure is as reliable as a Windows XP update and every minor movement feels like a test of structural integrity.

The "Clavicle Chaos Club" Checklist

If you’re reading this, chances are:

• Your clavicle clicks, pops, or shifts at the slightest provocation.

• Your neck and shoulders are in a permanent state of "Please, make it stop."

• You’ve been told to “just strengthen the muscles” by people who clearly don’t understand Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

• You’re desperately trying to figure out whether to ice it, brace it, or file a strongly worded complaint to your genetic code.

So let’s break it down—why this happens, what to do about it, and how to keep your collarbone from acting like an unsupervised toddler in a shopping mall.

What the Heck Is Clavicle Instability?

Picture your clavicle as a tightrope walker balancing between two poles:

• Your sternum (the chest’s central control tower, supposedly keeping things steady).

• Your scapula (that wing-like thing behind your shoulder, which is supposed to provide backup support but might also be a structural disaster).

  
  

In a normal, structurally sound human, ligaments and muscles hold the clavicle securely in place, preventing it from sliding around like a rogue shopping cart.

Now, if you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or another connective tissue disorder, your ligaments are about as effective as wet spaghetti, meaning your clavicle is free to shift, pop, or—on particularly bad days—dislocate entirely.

In short: your body said, “We’re here for a good time, not a structurally sound time.”

(Sources: National Library of Medicine - EDS & Joint Instability)

How Do You Know You’re in the "Clavicle Chaos Club"?

1. Your Clavicle Provides Its Own Sound Effects

Clicking, popping, shifting—your collarbone is basically its own percussion section. Bonus points if people around you can hear it, freak out, and ask, “Oh my god, was that your BONE?”

2. Your Shoulder and Neck Feel Like a Failed Engineering Project

Pain, weakness, instability—your entire upper body is an exercise in biomechanical betrayal.

3. Your Collarbone Sticks Out Like It’s Trying to Signal Aliens

One clavicle is dramatically more prominent than the other, like it’s trying to pick up a Wi-Fi signal.

4. Bonus Symptoms for Overachievers!

• Numbness or tingling in your arms? Your clavicle might be compressing a nerve.

• Neck pain that refuses to quit? The instability might be throwing your whole upper-body alignment off.

(Sources: Ehlers-Danlos Society - Joint Hypermobility & EDS)

Why Is This Happening to Me?!

Because life isn’t fair. But if you want actual reasons, here are the usual suspects:

1. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

• Your collagen is defective, making your joints, ligaments, and soft tissues about as stable as a Jenga tower in an earthquake.

• Your clavicle, already a highly mobile joint, now moves WAY more than it’s supposed to—leading to chronic pain, shifting, and instability.

2. Chiari Malformation (Indirectly)

• If you have Chiari Malformation, pressure on your brainstem and nerves can mess with the muscles that are supposed to stabilize your clavicle and shoulders.

• The result? Your already unstable collarbone becomes even wobblier—because why have one problem when you can have three?

(Sources: National Institute of Neurological Disorders - Chiari Malformation & Neuromuscular Effects)

What Can You Do About It? (A Survival Guide)

1. Support Your Clavicle (Before It Stages a Full Revolt)

• Soft cervical collar = Great for days when your head feels like a bowling ball on matchsticks.

• Clavicle brace = Might help keep things in place, but use sparingly (otherwise, muscles get even weaker).

2. Strengthen, But Carefully

• Deep neck flexor exercises to stabilize your spine.

• Targeted shoulder work (gentle resistance bands, not heavy lifting—this isn’t CrossFit).

3. Fix Your Posture (Yes, You Have to Do This)

• Stop craning your neck over your phone like a pigeon pecking at breadcrumbs.

• Raise your screen to eye level and support your upper back.

(Sources: Harvard Health - Posture & Joint Health)

When to Freak Out (And Call a Doctor, STAT)

• Go to A&E if: Your clavicle fully dislocates. (This is not a party trick—get help.)

• You develop severe numbness, weakness, or dizziness.

• Your pain is unbearable, even at rest.

Final Thoughts: Love Your Wobbly Clavicle

Living with clavicle instability is like having a diva roommate—temperamental, unpredictable, and prone to dramatic outbursts.

But with the right care, posture adjustments, and strengthening exercises, you CAN make life easier.

And the next time someone compliments your “elegant collarbones,” just smile and think, Yeah, they look great, but they’re also an absolute nightmare.

Now, go forth, support that bowling ball, and remember: Even matchsticks can be strong—if reinforced properly.