Hypermobility
Hypermobility is the ability to move a joint beyond the normal range of motion. It can be limited to individual joints or occur more generally throughout the body. In most cases hypermobility is benign, but unstable joints are prone to injuries, dislocations, and subluxations which can cause significant pain.
Last Updated:October 13, 2024
Hypermobility is the ability to move joints beyond the normal range of motion. Although often benign, it has been associated with pain, hypermobility spectrum disorder, and connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
The primary sign of hypermobility is excessive joint range of motion, ad symptoms include pain, injury, and joint instability. Also, hypermobility is associated with other conditions, such as anxiety, fatigue, immune dysfunction, and gastrointestinal problems.
Hypermobility is diagnosed using the Beighton Hypermobility Score, which uses a 9-point scoring system.
Main treatments for hypermobility include physical therapy to rehabilitate the joints and improve joint control. Prolotherapy injections may help reduce pain and range of motion, though more research is needed.
No supplements have been found to directly reduce hypermobility, but some, like protein and melatonin, may support related goals such as enhancing resistance training adaptations and improving sleep.
Although correcting deficiencies in nutrients that affect connective tissue may help, there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Instead, diets are often tailored to individual needs, including sensitivities or gastrointestinal issues related to hypermobolity.
Treatment options for hypermobility include low-impact exercise and tailored resistance training to improve joint control and reduce pain. Symptom management may also involve using braces, avoiding high-impact activities, and managing fatigue.
Hypermobility risk is influenced by genetics and family history. It is also more prevalent in women, along with many related conditions.
- ^Hakim A, Grahame RJoint hypermobility.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol.(2003-Dec)
- ^Engelbert RH, Juul-Kristensen B, Pacey V, de Wandele I, Smeenk S, Woinarosky N, Sabo S, Scheper MC, Russek L, Simmonds JVThe evidence-based rationale for physical therapy treatment of children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with joint hypermobility syndrome/hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome.Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet.(2017-03)
- ^Nagori SA, Jose A, Gopalakrishnan V, Roy ID, Chattopadhyay PK, Roychoudhury AThe efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy over placebo for temporomandibular joint hypermobility: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Oral Rehabil.(2018-Dec)
- ^Liaghat B, Skou ST, Jørgensen U, Sondergaard J, Søgaard K, Juul-Kristensen BHeavy shoulder strengthening exercise in people with hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) and long-lasting shoulder symptoms: a feasibility study.Pilot Feasibility Stud.(2020)
- ^Russek LN, Stott P, Simmonds JRecognizing and Effectively Managing Hypermobility-Related Conditions.Phys Ther.(2019-09-01)
- ^Remvig L, Jensen DV, Ward RCEpidemiology of general joint hypermobility and basis for the proposed criteria for benign joint hypermobility syndrome: review of the literature.J Rheumatol.(2007-Apr)
- ^Rek M, Kaczmarek K, Cygankiewicz I, Wranicz JK, Ptaszyński PPostural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)--pathophysiology, diagnostics, and treatment.Przegl Lek.(2014)
- ^Borba VV, Zandman-Goddard G, Shoenfeld YProlactin and Autoimmunity.Front Immunol.(2018)
- ^Malfait F, Francomano C, Byers P, Belmont J, Berglund B, Black J, Bloom L, Bowen JM, Brady AF, Burrows NP, Castori M, Cohen H, Colombi M, Demirdas S, De Backer J, De Paepe A, Fournel-Gigleux S, Frank M, Ghali N, Giunta C, Grahame R, Hakim A, Jeunemaitre X, Johnson D, Juul-Kristensen B, Kapferer-Seebacher I, Kazkaz H, Kosho T, Lavallee ME, Levy H, Mendoza-Londono R, Pepin M, Pope FM, Reinstein E, Robert L, Rohrbach M, Sanders L, Sobey GJ, Van Damme T, Vandersteen A, van Mourik C, Voermans N, Wheeldon N, Zschocke J, Tinkle BThe 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes.Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet.(2017-03)
- ^What is HSD?
- ^Gensemer C, Burks R, Kautz S, Judge DP, Lavallee M, Norris RAHypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndromes: Complex phenotypes, challenging diagnoses, and poorly understood causes.Dev Dyn.(2021-03)