Medical Centric

HYPERMOBILITY

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

HYPERMOBILITY

Hypermobility describes joints that easily move and stretch farther than their normal range of movement.

  • People with hypermobility are usually flexible than other people and are able to move into positions others find quite impossible
  • For example, some hypermobile people can bend their thumbs backward to their wrists, put their legs behind their heads, or bend their knee joints backward
  • Hypermobility can affect one or more joints throughout the body, and occur in about 10-15% of the population
  • Many people with hypermobility don’t have symptoms or problems, and some people, such as musicians, gymnasts, and ballet dancer may benefit from the increased flexibility
  • However, if hypermobility occurs alongside certain symptoms, this disorder is known as hypermobility joint syndrome
  • Hypermobile joints are sometimes referred to as loose joints.

CAUSES

Hypermobility is often hereditary, it tends to be inherited in specific genes passed on by parents to their children. The belief is that these genes predispose to the development of hypermobile joints.

One of the main genes which play a role in the development of the condition are the genes responsible for the production of collagen, an important protein that helps glue tissues together, in the body.

Abnormally shaped ends of one or more bones at the end of the joint may also cause hypermobility

Hypermobility may be a symptom of some serious medical conditions. This may include:

  • Stickler syndrome
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Lupus
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • Polio
  • Marfan syndrome
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta
  • Down syndrome
  • Morquio syndrome
  • Cleidocranial dysostosis
  • Myotonia congenita
  • Loeys-Dietz syndrome

SYMPTOMS

  • Joints that dislocate easily especially in the shoulder
  • Pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles
  • The ability of finger locking
  • Joints that make clicking noises
  • Knee pain
  • Recurrent injuries, frequent tendinitis, or bursitis when doing normal activities that won’t affect others
  • Early-onset osteoarthritis
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Poor response to pain medication
  • Thin or stretchy skin
  • Back pain
  • Digestive problems, such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

To make a diagnosis, the doctor will use the Beighton score to test the flexibility of your muscles. The Beighton score uses a standard set of movements at the fifth/little finger, thumb/wrist, elbows, lower back, and knees to measure flexibility.

A high Beighton score indicates hypermobility but not hypermobility joint syndrome (HJS)

To make a diagnosis of hypermobility joint syndrome, the doctor will use the Beighton criteria. The Beighton criteria take into account the Beighton score in conjunction with certain symptoms. Hypermobility syndrome is diagnosed in the presence of two major criteria, four minor criteria, or one major and two minor criteria.

TREATMENT

Hypermobility itself isn’t something that can be cured or changed, it is just the way your body is built.

However, a combination of treatment options can help control hypermobility that occur along with with certain symptoms (hypermobility joint syndrome).

Treatment options may include:

  • Physical therapy
  • Medications, such as the NSAIDs
  • Lifestyle modifications, including a healthy, balanced diet