Being too flexible, or hypermobile, means your joints move beyond the normal range, which can lead to chronic pain, fatigue, frequent injuries (like sprains and dislocations), stiff muscles, clicking joints, and digestive issues, as muscles have to work harder to stabilize loose joints, causing strain. In some cases, it's linked to connective tissue disorders, like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, affecting skin, blood vessels, and organs, though many people with hypermobility have no problems. Management focuses on strengthening supporting muscles through physiotherapy to improve stability, not just stretching.
For example, overly flexible joints can result in joint dislocations and early-onset arthritis. Fragile skin may develop prominent scarring. People who have vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome are at risk of often fatal ruptures of major blood vessels. Some organs, such as the uterus and intestines, also may rupture.
However, have you ever considered that there is such as thing as too supple? Hypermobility means that you can move some or all of your joints in a way that most people cannot, without pain. Joint hypermobility is what some people refer to as having “loose joints” or being “double-jointed”.
One problem caused by stretching is that muscles become too loose — weaker — allowing the associated joint to move in a wider range of motion. This increased range of motion/flexibility puts more stress on the joint, which is no longer supported properly by the muscle, increasing the risk of injury.
Joint hypermobility syndrome is a genetic condition that involves extreme flexibility along with pain and other symptoms. Many people have very flexible joints. But if you also have pain and other symptoms, it may be joint hypermobility syndrome.
Seven common signs of hypermobility include joint pain/stiffness, frequent sprains/dislocations, chronic fatigue, clicking joints, poor balance/coordination, digestive issues, and sometimes thin/stretchy skin, with symptoms often appearing when flexibility causes instability, notes Active Physiotherapy Sydney and NHS inform. While some people are just naturally flexible, hypermobility becomes a problem (like Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder or hEDS) when it causes pain or other issues, says NHS inform.
Joint hypermobility means that some or all of a person's joints have an unusually large range of movement. People with hypermobility are very supple. This means they're able to move their limbs into positions others find impossible.
Women with the highest flexibility scores were five times less likely to die prematurely than those with the lowest scores, while men were twice as likely to live longer. “Flexibility keeps muscles and joints healthier, which is particularly beneficial for older adults to maintain balance and independence,” Dr.
Being flexible and having full joint mobility can have several beneficial implications on quality of life, including: reducing day-to-day pain and increasing vascular health. Most people suffer from many forms of day-to-day pain, the most common form being lower back pain.
Contortionists with hypermobility are at an elevated risk of joint dislocations, subluxations, and soft tissue injuries due to the increased range of motion and decreased joint stability. However, the belief that contortionists invariably suffer long-term injuries is a misconception.
A contortionist is an extremely flexible performer who can bend her body into interesting and odd positions.
Temperature: If your natural body temperature is higher, you may be more flexible since heat expands muscles. Genetics: Some people are more genetically predisposed to flexibility than others. Health conditions: Some conditions like arthritis or muscle injury can cause more flexibility as a result.
There isn't a certain age when we wake up and realize that our flexibility has “officially declined.” But it is true that as we age, our flexibility declines, which affects our mobility and functional ability.
Joint hypermobility syndrome is when you have very flexible joints (you may think of yourself as being double-jointed). It usually affects children and young people and often gets better as you get older.
Exercising with conditions that cause hypermobility, such as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), can require a careful balance between activity and safety. Some people may need to avoid high impact, contact sports, and stretching too much.
If you stretch too much, you'll lose your strength. But here's the truth — you won't. Muscles that are both strong and mobile work better. Joints that are both stable and open move safer.
“Kids who are overly flexible can develop joint pain, recurrent sprains or dislocations, and even changes in their posture or gait,” says Matthew Bauer, MD, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Atlantic Health System. “We often see hypermobility in children between ages 10 and 14.
Research suggests women are more flexible than men due to hormonal differences, muscle mass, and joint structure. Hormones such as estrogen promote flexibility by improving the quality of connective tissues. Women naturally have less muscle mass than men, which may allow for more pliable and adaptable performance.
While this activity can help soothe your muscles, it's even better to work on your flexibility while you still feel your full range of motion. Maintaining that range is easier than building it up again. At What Age Does Flexibility Peak? While everybody is different, 25 is typically the peak age for flexibility.
Eating a healthy diet, getting lots of sleep, staying socially connected and managing stress can all help you age well, but one habit in particular stands out to help you live a long and healthy life, and that's physical activity.
Babies are born with around 300 bones. That's 94 more than adults have. For a baby to be born, the whole skeleton has to be squashy, so many of the bones are joined with flexible cartilage. After birth, those bones start to fuse together, a process that doesn't stop until young adulthood.
hypermobile fingers and toes, unusual facial features (such as a thin nose and lips, large eyes and small earlobes), varicose veins and delayed wound healing.
There is a wide variation in the shape of the foot in people who are hypermobile. Most tend to have flat feet but a few have a high-arched foot, which can cause pain and problems when walking. In addition to this, patients with JHS experience higher rates of osteoporosis in their joints.
The lower digestive tract can present problems such as constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and a feeling of general abdominal discomfort.