Girl, 12, whose joints dislocate up to TEN times a day Kitty Richardson, 12, from Oakham, Rutland, has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome The condition affects collagen, the building block of bones, skin and tendons She frequently breaks bones and dislocates joints and struggles to walk Despite the painful disorder she wants to be a professional musician A schoolgirl has been dubbed a 'human rag doll' because she suffers from a debilitating condition that sees her joints dislocate up to ten times a day. Kitty Richardson, 12, has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the collagen proteins - building blocks that support tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, bones and blood vessels - in her body meaning that her bones and joints are weak. The budding musician started breaking bones when she was six-years-old, and by October 2011 her knees were giving way on a daily basis causing her to keep collapsing and falling over. Kitty is a descendant of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, and has always dreamt of performing on stage The budding musician started breaking bones when she was six-years-old In October 2012 she was finally diagnosed with EDS, which only affects one in 15,000 people. Talking about the condition, her mother Abigail Richardson, 42, said: "We were in casualty nearly every week. "It was a family joke - "there's Kitty's school photo with her in a cast." But in October 2011 her knees started giving out on a daily basis and she was collapsing and falling over at school all the time and the way her legs go she just falls like a human rag doll. She tried to make light of the falls and the pain because we had spent so much time in casualty and I was at the end of my tether with it. However, as time went on the condition has become so bad that Kitty struggles to walk without a stick. Kitty Richardson, 12, has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the collagen proteins in the body "The other kids at school had to carry her around from class to class, and she would even crawl sometimes," Ms Richardson said. She was so exhausted when she got home from school from just walking around and getting from class to class. At one point she actually couldn't walk but that was only short-term, fortunately. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders that affect the connective tissues. Most types of the genetic condition affect the production of collagen, which gives tissue strength and allows it to stretch. Collagen is found in tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, bone, blood vessels, the gut and the spine. It means joints are loose and unstable and prone to dislocating. Swelling, sprains and hyperextension are also common. Skin is soft and fragile and bruises easily. This leads to slow and poor wound healing. There is no known cure for EDS. Treatment may help to manage symptoms, such as surgery to repair muscle damage and medication for pain. Sufferers can wear joint braces, do physical therapy to strengthen joints, avoid very physical activities and wear sunscreen to reduce the risk of harm. Kitty then got a walking stick just so that she could help support herself. However, the condition has not stopped the talented youngster from working towards her dream of becoming a professional piano player. Kitty, from Oakham, Rutland, is a descendant of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, and has always dreamt of performing on stage. Ms Richardson, a magazine editor, said: "She has always been a keen musician and a natural talent. She has always tinkered on the piano and when she was just five-years-old she wrote a short song on the piano about summer holidays. But she decided to teach herself properly six months ago, and we got her signed up for lessons. She downloads things like Mozart and just learns it all self-taught. At seven she started violin lessons, and was very good, but she had to give that up when she was 11 because she was in so much pain. It was a real shame, and no-one really believed Kitty that she was in that much pain and thought she was just giving up and being lazy. Kitty said: "I really didn't want to give up the violin, but I was in so much pain. It was either give it up or suffer with the agony. Soon after being forced to give up the violin, she set her sights on learning the piano but has to contend with her knuckles frequently dislocating as she plays. Kitty said: "I love the piano more than the violin and it is frustrating that my EDS halts my progress, but in the times I can't actually play I am learning theory so that I keep learning." Kitty's mother, Abigail Richardson (pictured), says her daughter ended up in A&E almost once a week Kitty, who lives with her mother, her father Peter, 46, and younger brother, Luc, seven, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Edvard Greig, and plans to compose her own pieces. She said: "It's something I want to do because I can't perform properly all the time. My EDS is a part of me, but it isn't the biggest part of me. This isn't what I thought everything would be like, but it means that I have to work that extra bit harder to get what I want in life.