Joint hypermobility (hypermobility) – symptoms, causes and treatment.

Articular hypermobility is a disease known since ancient times. Describe them, among other things Hippocrates. This disease can have a negative effect not only on the joints themselves, but also on the entire body. Symptoms associated with this condition may interfere with normal functioning.

What is joint hypermobility?

Joint hypermobility is a mysterious disease that causes many health problems. Sometimes we don’t realize that the possibility of abnormal limb flexion can be a symptom of disease. The first signs of joint hypermobility refer to the ancient Scythians and date back to the time of Hippocrates. This Greek physician, considered one of the predecessors of modern medicine, noted specific problems with instability of the elbow and shoulder joints in shooters who could not shoot accurately. Many people whose abilities indicate joint hypermobility have written in the pages of history. They include, among other things, circus performers.

Joint hypermobility may be a symptom of congenital diseases and may appear as a result of an injury, for example. Syndrome of joint hypermobility is a disorder of the connective tissue and is associated, inter alia, with: With sex – it is diagnosed more often in women. This disease is not only associated with excessive joint mobility, but is also associated with quite specific symptoms that may facilitate diagnosis.

Causes of excessive movement of the joints

Joint hypermobility is often a congenital disease. It affects different joints and can be hereditary. The direct cause of excessive joint mobility is connective tissue disorders, which are diagnosed in the case of many diseases, including with a genetic background. As a result of not fully understood mechanisms in the connective tissue of people with this disease, collagen synthesis is disturbed, as a result of which the joints do not function properly.

This disease may affect only one or several joints, but always leads to excessive movement of the connections between the individual elements of the human skeleton. Excessive joint mobility can be related to race and age. In Europeans, it is diagnosed much less frequently than, for example, in Asians.

As already mentioned, hypermobility of the joint can be congenital and acquired. In the case of congenital disorders of the structure and functioning of the connective tissue, this pathology is sometimes one of a group of diseases that have a genetic basis. Articular hypermobility is often diagnosed, inter alia, in patients with Down syndrome, Willers-Danlos syndrome and osteogenesis imperfecta.

Symptoms of joint hypermobility

A characteristic symptom of articular hypermobility syndrome is excessive mobility of the joints, which exceeds established norms. As a result, patients may perform abnormal movements due to the structure of the human skeleton. Articular hypermobility allows, among other things, to do tummy tucks without prior stretching exercises, bend your elbows or shoulders abnormally, increase the range of motion of the joints of the spine, knee, ankle, wrist and fingers.

In addition to the increased range of motion within the joint or joints, the disease is also indicated by additional symptoms, for example recurrent joint disorders and chronic joint pain. A characteristic symptom of the disease is also a noticeable difference in the appearance of the skin within the affected joints.

These changes relate to, among other things, skin stress and a reduction in its thickness. The disease is also associated with gradual changes in the connective tissue. People with this disease often have various concomitant diseases, including varicose veins, respiratory diseases and arterial hypotension.

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