If you’re double jointed, it means you have a joint that can bend a lot more than in the average person. This has its upsides and downsides: apart from being a great party trick to show to friends, it might also mean you get injured more easily.
Hyperextending a limb may feel normal to you and most of the time, if you’re so-called double-jointed, it’s not harmful to your body.
People with double-jointedness actually have hypermobility syndrome, a condition that allows them to move a bone within a joint to its fullest capability, but without experiencing the pain and discomfort that the average person experiences when extending a joint beyond its normal range.
Symptoms of joint hypermobility syndrome
- pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles particularly towards the end of the day and after physical activity.
- clicking joints.
- back and neck pain.
- fatigue (extreme tiredness)
- night pains which can disrupt your sleep.
- poor co-ordination.
Can I Get Disability For Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)? The answer is that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) can be a disabling condition, depending on how it presents. EDS is a genetic disorder affecting connective tissues and causing an array of serious physical problems, ranging from joint pain to cardiovascular issues.
Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is an inherited connective tissue disorder that is caused by defects in a protein called collagen. It is generally considered the least severe form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) although significant complications can occur.
ADHD is also associated with generalised joint hypermobility: One study reported generalised hypermobility in 32% of 54 ADHD patients, compared to 14% of controls. (Doan et al. (2011).
An evolving body of scientific work links joint hypermobility to symptoms in the brain, notably anxiety and panic. If you suffer with anxiety or have a panic attack you are considerably more likely than chance to also have hypermobile joints.
Joint hypermobility is the ability to move joints especially the elbows, wrists, fingers, and knees beyond the normal range. Some people call this being double-jointed. Joint hypermobility is common in children but usually decreases as people age.
Hypermobility, also known as double-jointedness, describes joints that stretch farther than normal.
It’s typically referred to as being double jointed. It is a common joint or muscle problem in children and young adults, and is one of many connective tissue disorders. Formerly known as benign hypermobility joint syndrome (BHJS), the condition can cause pain or discomfort after exercise.
Hypermobility often masquerades as flexibility. A hypermobile individual can often perform stretching activities with apparent ease. However, on examination, their muscles will be very tight.
There’s no cure for joint hypermobility syndrome. The main treatment is improving muscle strength and fitness so your joints are better protected. A GP may refer you to a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or podiatrist for specialist advice. You can also pay for these services privately.
In common with people who have other long-term conditions, many people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) experience chronic fatigue.
Everyone’s bones become weaker with age. In EDS patients with hypermobile joints, weakening bones can make the symptoms of the disease more severe as it progresses. Bones and joints that were previously dislocated may also break more often.
Frequently, there are no long-term consequences of joint hypermobility syndrome. However, hypermobile joints can lead to joint pain. Over time, joint hypermobility can lead to degenerative cartilage and arthritis. Certain hypermobile joints can be at risk for injury, such sprained ligaments.
Some patients with EDS may require specialized mobility devices, such as a wheelchair or a scooter, and a walker, crutches or a cane for mobility. However, care should be taken so that joints and other areas of the body affected by the disease are not injured by shifting weight when, say, walking with a cane or crutch.
What foods should I avoid? Decrease your intake of foods and beverages containing processed sugar such as pastries, bread, and soda or cola drinks. It’s also important to decrease the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat that you take in, by reducing eggs, whole milk, cheese, and fried foods.
Some of the best things to do if you are hypermobile are to go swimming and/or cycling. These two sports avoid lots of impact through your joints, strengthen your muscles and help your heart and lungs stay healthy. As you get stronger and fitter, start introducing other sports like netball, football, dancing, etc.
The Beighton score is a popular screening technique for hypermobility. This is a nine point scale and requires the performance of 5 maneuvers, four passive bilateral and one active unilateral performance.
Many hypermobile patients, though not all, noticed a worsening in symptoms, more pain in the joints, clumsiness or a greater tendency to dislocate in the five days leading up to menstruation and in the few days after menstruation.
In this study they found good evidence to suggest that stretching reduces inflammation in connective tissue. This could be very important for those with hypermobility and who are prone to excessive microtrauma from recurrent subluxations.
Unlike the diseases noted above, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is not an autoimmune condition, it’s an inherited disorder.
At the severe end of the spectrum, people with hypermobile joints can have extremely debilitating symptoms and severe, potentially life-threatening associated abnormalities due to one of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS).
Brain lesions are also common in patients with hypermobility EDS. MRI can help detect lesions in the brain containing collagen fibers, which are often seen in EDS patients who previously experienced trauma.
Changes in the cornea can cause dry eyes and light sensitivity, as well as a blurry vision symptoms that many EDS patients report. In rare cases, the sclera (the white part of the eye) may turn slightly blue in EDS patients.
Joint hypermobility, which affects approximately 20 percent of the population, confers an unusually large range of motion. Hypermobile people can often, for instance, touch their thumb to their inner forearm or place their hands flat on the floor without bending their knees.
When you have joint hypermobility, it means your joints are more flexible than in other people. It is sometimes referred to as being double jointed and is quite common about 1 in 10 people are hypermobile. Joint hypermobility in babies and children is even more common and usually causes no problems.
Your elbow is hyperextended when your humeroulnar joint bends backward and out of its natural range of motion. You’re most likely to experience this when you’re playing contact sports, such as football, or performing other vigorous physical activity, such as gymnastics or weightlifting.
