Everything You Need to Know About Hypermobility
Posted on 31st August 2022 at 11:15
Hypermobility, sometimes known as being "double jointed", occurs when the tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia) around a joint become more relaxed, allowing for a greater range of motion. Despite it appearing to be a cool party trick, having too much range of movement, like having too little, isn’t always ideal and can lead to pain and discomfort.
How to tell if you’re hypermobile
A quick scale that I often use to assess joint hypermobility is the Beighton Score; a 9 point scale to assess hypermobility at specific joints:
Each hand or leg is worth one point toward your total while performing tasks that require evaluation of both. You may get a sense of how hypermobility affects different people by seeing them, however there is no scoring system to measure hypermobility.
What is the downside to hypermobility?
There are a quite a few issues that surround hypermobility. Symptoms include:
Often getting tired, even after rest.
Keep dislocating your joints (they "pop out").
Having poor balance or co-ordination.
Having thin, stretchy skin.
Clicking of the joints.
These are especially common when dealing with muscles-dependent joints such as the shoulder. Exercising the muscles in and around the affected joints would be an essential part of treatment, as it would give additional support and aid in regulating joint movement.
If you think you may suffer from joint pain related to hypermobility, book in with one of our therapists today for a full assessment and treatment.
Tagged as: Hypermobility
Share this post: