Do You Think You Could Be a Little Too Flexible?
We’re often told that keeping limber and flexible will keep our bodies in tip-top shape! If only things were that simple, as sometimes our joints can be a little too flexible and cause us problems.
This is labelled as “hypermobility” and 1 in 4 people are affected by it, although it can vary widely with some being symptom-free and never realising that they are hypermobile!
Others may suffer from joint pain and it can even affect the rest of your body with fatigue, anxiety, depression, reflux, stomach issues, fainting, dizziness, and gynaecological problems.
Check If You Might Have Hypermobility
The Beighton score is a simple check that can tell you if you might be hypermobile.
Give yourself one point for each of these you can do:
- Pull your little finger back beyond 90° (one point for each side
- Pull your thumb back to touch your forearm (one point for each side)
- Bend elbow backwards beyond 10° (one point for each side)
- Bend knee backwards beyond 10° (one point for each side)
- Lie hands flat on the floor while keeping knees straight and bending forward at the waist
If you’re an adult and scored more than 5, or a child more than 6, you might be hypermobile!
As hypermobility is such a wide spectrum, it may never cause you any issues but if you are concerned, get checked out, and as long as your Chiropractor of GP is up to date with the recent guidelines, we should be able to help you find the right care.
And even if you didn’t score over 5, you might fit some other criteria (that are a little more complicated) so do visit your Chiropractor or GP for an assessment.
How Do I Help Myself?
There is plenty you can do for yourself, alongside getting any joint pain checked by a good Chiropractor. They can also help you to improve your muscle strength and fitness as well as your posture and balance.
Here is are some things to do:
- gentle low-impact exercise like swimming or cycling – not doing any exercise can make your symptoms worse
- maintain a healthy weight
- buy good, firm shoes
- if you have flat feet, use special insoles (support arches) in shoes
And things NOT to do:
- overexercise, especially high impact exercise
- grip things too tightly
- overextend your joints just because you can!
If you want any more information, the Hypermobility Syndromes Association and the Ehlers-Danlos Society websites are full of some good info and resources.
Or give me a call for an assessment if you’d prefer to discuss this face to face.
Katie Scorer
Doctor of Chiropractic