Hypermobility – How Does It Affect You?
Blogs, / By Winsen Citra
Hypermobility is what we say when someone has joints that have a larger range of movement that the average. In most cases, you should only have one or two joints that are hypermobile. But, in rarer cases all your joints may be hypermobile. In this case, you have what is called joint hypermobility.
Is Hypermobility Bad?
As with most things, it depends. Most kids have some degree of hypermobility which tend to disappear as they grow older. Women, in general, are also more mobile than men. Your race may also affect whether or not you’re more mobile. In most cases, as long as you’re asymptomatic, it’s not a cause of concern. If you’re a gymnast or a dancer, hypermobility is even something considered advantageous.
When is it bad?
Hypermobility is considered bad when you have symptoms. These include, but not limited to:
- Muscle/Joint pain
- Recurrent sprains
- Partial or full dislocations of joints
- Fatigue
- Hernias
What Can I Do?
If you suspect you have joint hypermobility or have the symptoms associated with it, you should first get yourself assessed and diagnosed by your healthcare professional or physiotherapist. They will then be able to advise you on further actions.
From a physiotherapy point of view, hypermobility is usually treated with a combination of lifestyle modification and exercise. We advice and help our patients strengthen their muscles to help improve their stability and balance. We also help teach our patients how to provide more support to their joints through taping and bracing while they do sports. In addition, we advise our patients to keep a healthy weight to avoid putting additional stress onto their joints.
We hope this has been useful for you. Find out more useful exercises by checking out our instagram page. Feel free to contact us should you have further questions.
Winsen Citra
Principal Physiotherapist
Winsen graduated from University of Melbourne in 2012. He worked in organisations of various sizes such as Singapore General Hospital, Pain Relief Practice, and Physioclinic before working at Elevate Physiotherapy. He specialises in sports and musculoskeletal injuries and has worked with athletes of various sports such as fencing, dancing, dragon boating, and cycling.
In his spare time he enjoys singing and playing chess.