Is there a condition where your joints and limbs need to be weighted down?

October 4, 2006 5:50 PM

My friend has a strange condition where he feels a need to have weight placed on his body. Is there a definition and reason for this?

Here is his explanation:

I'm in need of a medical diagnosis.

Symptoms:
All my life, I've had this need to have pressure and friction placed on my limbs. It's mostly confined to my feet and hands, but it also involves my whole arm and legs. I have a need, usually at night, to have someone sit on my hands, feet or knees. I would then move those limbs around to create friction with the clothes.

Contrary to some suggestion, it is not a sexual fetish for I get no sexual pleasure from the sensation. It is simply a deep seeded desire. At times, I think my joints hurt if they haven't had weight on them in a long time. It is not Restless Leg Syndrome.

I've had this condition ever since I can remember. Is there someone who has this also and is this a named condition?

posted by pinksoftsoap to Health & Fitness (26 answers total)

Best answer: sensory integration dysfunction.
posted by maloon at 5:53 PM on October 4, 2006

Some autistic people like this, according to Temple Grandin.
posted by orthogonality at 5:54 PM on October 4, 2006

can't help you with a name, but I met another guy with a similar condition. "Met" may be glorifying the situation - he asked me to stand on his hands in a Borders bookstore, explaining the conundrum much the way your friend has. (Unless this was your friend; this was in either Boston or Minneapolis area).
posted by whatzit at 5:57 PM on October 4, 2006

Ditto what orthogonality said- autistic people often like the pressure on their body to calm the chaos in their mind (in summary, I think; please correct me if I'm wrong).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:06 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]

What maloon said, specifically the under-processing type of SID. This condition is also what those with autism spectrum disordesr, Down Syndrome, dyspraxia and other trisomy and developmental disorders display.

the SI Network and also a Yahoo Group called adultsid may be of help to you and your friend.
posted by m@ at 6:17 PM on October 4, 2006

Best answer: Another seconding for maloon. If you're really interested, there are places that sell weighted blankets or vests for people who like that kind of pressure.
posted by christinetheslp at 6:19 PM on October 4, 2006

All three of my boys are autistic, my oldest one (12) most severely so. He often asks to play a game we call "squish". He lays on his back, and I "squish" him with all of my weight. He really needs that deep-joint pressure, especially when he is agitated.

My middle son (8) doesn't hardly like to be touched at all, so SID doesn't affect all autistic people.
posted by SteveTheRed at 6:29 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]

A character in this book builds a squishing machine for what sounds like a similar condition.
posted by flickroad at 6:41 PM on October 4, 2006

How interesting--I have a similar issue, though I don't crave friction, just pressure. For me it also happens mainly at night when I'm trying to fall asleep and mainly in my limbs. I actually sleep lying on my hands/arms frequently.

When I saw a neurologist (to get checked out for a migraine), I asked her about it and she didn't think it was problematic. (She said that unless sleeping on my hands or whatever caused problems--like numbness--it was OK.) She didn't have a term for it, though, and didn't seem familiar with the condition.

I've noticed that it's worse when I'm stressed or anxious. It went away entirely when I had a very physically active/tiring job (which meant that I was entirely exhausted physically by the time I was ready to go to sleep.)

Temple Grandin describes a similar problem (and has an article on her website about the "squeeze machine" she constructed.) This sort of thing does seem to be seen in people with autism sometimes. (Temple Grandin is autistic). For what it's worth, a psychiatrist who's worked with autistic people told me that I am definitely not autistic, so apparently it happens to "neurotypical" people, too.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:41 PM on October 4, 2006 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: My friend is definitely not autistic. He is perfectly functional and currently in law school. Could a person have Sensory Integration Dysfunction without autism? And are there any other conditions besides SID?
posted by pinksoftsoap at 6:41 PM on October 4, 2006

Yeah, it is possible. According to this wikipedia article on sensory defensiveness:

"Sensory Integration Dysfunction is considered to be part of the autism spectrum, but a person does not have to display any other autistic traits in order to have Sensory Defensiveness or Sensory Integration Dysfunction."

Does your friend also have an intolerance to certain noises, textures, lighting conditions, etc?
posted by flod logic at 7:09 PM on October 4, 2006

According to the autistic presenter of a talk on autism I attended last year, autism is not a monolithic condition; it's more like a bowl of fruit salad, and if a person has enough different kinds of fruit, they will get a diagnosis of autism.

SID is probably plain pineapple.
posted by flabdablet at 7:50 PM on October 4, 2006 [2 favorites]

pinksoftsoap

Autism is not a simple condition with a uniform presentation of symptoms; high-functioning autistics often find ways to cope with those symptoms that do manifest or even use them to their advantage.

Put simply, autism is not always equal to non-functional. [see Asperger Syndrome]

I can say this because I am almost certainly mildly autistic... though I've never bothered with an official diagnosis. I'm poorly socialized, excessively sensitive to physical and auditory stimuli, mildly dependent on a scheduled routine, and kind of obsessive over minutiae.

Conclusion?

Tell your friend to research the Autistic spectrum; he may recognize some of his own traits and foibles or he may not. If he doesn't, he has lost only the time necessary to look up the information. If he does, he is one step closer to gaining a better understanding of himself... and that is never a bad thing.
posted by The Confessor at 8:02 PM on October 4, 2006

Autistic spectrum is likely, but this doesn't have to be in any sort of bad way. I also feel calmer when I'm under a lot of blankets, or like that weird dental bib they give you. Very calming. I sleep on my hands/arms like needs more cowbell does. While it's strange in that it's unusual, it's not unheard of. If it's your friend's only manifestation he can just get some heavy blankets, or a squeeze machine or whatever, to make that work for him.
posted by jessamyn at 8:41 PM on October 4, 2006

There are so many variations of autism these days, and most are far away from the traditional Lifetime version of a kid rocking away in a room, shut off from the world.

My nephew ( age 3.5) is amazed by words, patterns, and repetitive sounds. But he can't look you in the eye. Part of his therapy is increased physical stimulation, involving physical pressure (laying with him, or on him, rubbing his head, and yes, funny ladybug vibrators, though the frog is his favorite.) He owns a teddybear that weighs a good 8 pounds, and sleeps with it.

As an adult, one might look into (obviously nonsexual) licensed massage therapists to work those bones and muscles, acupuncture, and perhaps a licensed therapist to help deal with the social issues often accompanying functional autism. Be honest with all with your concerns; hopefully, you'll be suprised by their positive resposne.

BTW, I sleep with heavy blankets year round (yes, with the a/c) Makes me feel safer.

And when my 60 lb dog flops on me in the morning I sigh and sleep harder. Don't wake up at all. Is it the weight, or the love?

I kind or think its the comfort of the weight, but don't tell my dog that.
posted by verytres at 10:11 PM on October 4, 2006

As a kid, I loved to crawl between the mattress and foundation of the bed. Weee! No machine required. Funny enough, I also can't tolerate tightly tucked bed covers, but love heavy covers. (I seem to recall this is associated with restless leg syndrome, which fits me).

Be careful how you lay on your limbs. Certain habits I've aquired in that area have seriously aggravated problems with my neck and shoulders.
posted by Goofyy at 10:50 PM on October 4, 2006

I'm not saying this is the same thing, but I've always enjoyed the lead blanket at the dentist's office.
posted by Alt F4 at 4:25 AM on October 5, 2006

I think this is more normal than not, and only when the need affects functionality is it closer to a disorder. Most mammals respond positively to deep pressure - that is actually Dr. Grandin's research and claim to agricultural fame, the cow-huggers that allow livestock to be vaccinated with less stress and trauma, the design for which was inspired by the "hugging machine" she built for her own use. Enjoying the same sensation does not make one autistic, though some autistic people who have a lessened ability to calm themselves do find it particularly comforting, OR possibly they like it as much as most people but don't care if anyone thinks they are weird for it. The ones who do care get massages instead, because that's totally not at all weird.

I think the world would be a much better place with more hugging machines, frankly.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:51 AM on October 5, 2006

A lot of good answers, great to hear what another family calls this, "squishing" StevetheRed!
My Asperger's son 9 loves to be squished but a lot of people like pressure applied in some way to sleep, so it is not necessarily on the Autistic spectrum. Having said that it is a very wide spectrum and we keep on learning new things about it.
My grandmother used to say that people got used to being "squished" in the womb and if you kept the infant swaddled, they would relate this in later life to being safe and comfortable.
posted by Wilder at 6:18 AM on October 5, 2006

Your friend may want to read Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World - it describes different ways to get deep pressure on the body, including the use of weighted blankets.
posted by xsquared-1 at 6:44 AM on October 5, 2006

Can he wear weighted gloves or ankle weights designed for working out to fulfill this need?
posted by agregoli at 8:43 AM on October 5, 2006

I'm not saying this is the same thing, but I've always enjoyed the lead blanket at the dentist's office.

Me too. Very comforting.
posted by marsha56 at 11:11 AM on October 5, 2006

Or probably 'relaxing' would be a better description.
posted by marsha56 at 11:11 AM on October 5, 2006

Response by poster: agregoli

my friend responds:

I need HEAVY weights such as someone sitting directly on my feet or hands or knees. Weights simply on my wrist or ankles is not enough. And certainly a weighted blanket is not enough weight. I need heavy deep pressure preferably in a small area.

he's finding all your answers quite fascinating and thinks he may have SID after all (still not on the autistic spectrum though).
posted by pinksoftsoap at 11:59 AM on October 5, 2006

Hmmm, that is troubling - must be hard to get that feeling.
posted by agregoli at 2:15 PM on October 5, 2006

Response by poster: thank you hive for your answers! my friend is looking into buying a weighted blanket as we speak.. and i guess he doesn't feel so strange anymore. :)
posted by pinksoftsoap at 7:32 PM on October 5, 2006