Double-jointedness or hypermobility is the term used for joints that move (or used to move) beyond a normal range. It can cause lax ligaments and affect the hands and toes or be generalised throughout the body. It is more noticeable in the young but as we age, we can often feel “as stiff as a board”.
When hypermobility is associated with muscle strains, soft tissue injury and/or joints which stick or slip out of place, it is clinically called a Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD).
Bendiness, increased flexibility and clicky joints can run in families but are more remarkable in children.
Skin may be stretchy and there may be easy bruising or poor wound healing and this can be associated with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).
Janet has undertaken training into Connective Tissue Disorders with Dr A Hakim, Clinical Rheumatologist and Educational Professor for the EDS Echo Project. She is now an EDS Echo Allied Healthcare Professional and specialises in treating the musculoskeletal manifestations of hypermobility.
Please add a final paragraph - Janet also:-