When you are stretching after a training session, do you ever wish you were more flexible? Flexibility is a good thing, but as with many things in life, too much of a good thing can cause problems.
Joint hypermobility is what some people refer to as being “double-jointed”. Joint hypermobility means that some or all of a person’s joints have an unusually large range of movement. People with hypermobility are particularly flexible and able to move their limbs into the kinds of positions others would find impossible. This is fantastic if you are a member of the Royal Ballet or Cirque de Soleil, where it is of great benefit, but it can cause issues in those who don’t need to be so supple.
Those who have this excessive range of joint movement may have joint hypermobility syndrome if they also suffer painful symptoms. Symptoms of joint hypermobility syndrome include pains in the back or neck, clicking or crunching within the joint, pain and stiffness in the joint and surrounding muscles, especially in the evening or after exercise, joints that are easily dislocated, recurring injuries around the joint such as sprains. People may have poor co-ordination, which may increase the likelihood of injuries. Sleep can be disrupted as pain can be so severe that it wakes the person up.
Joint hypermobility is thought to be caused by a variety of issues. For example, if the socket that the bone moves around in, in your shoulder or hip, is shallow, you will have more mobility in that joint. Interestingly, those people with impaired proprioception – your sense of movement and where your body or limbs is in space – may be hypermobile. They have an abnormal sense of their joint’s movement and cannot recognise when it is overstretched and the range of movement is increased.
Tests carried out a physiotherapist for hypermobility include being able to put your hands flat on the floor whilst keeping your legs straight, being able to bend your elbows or knees ‘backwards’ or being able to bend your little finger backwards beyond 90 degrees.
Some people are symptom free, and as mentioned previously, may actually benefit from being hypermobile. Those who do suffer adverse effects can be treated by a physiotherapist to improve strength in the muscles, correct joint movement and improve a person’s proprioception through a variety of exercises.
If you have any questions, please contact G4 Physiotherapy and Fitness Didsbury, Manchester by emailing admin@g4physio.co.uk or call 0161 4455133.