Many people discover they are hypermobile because they can perform movements that most people cannot, such as touching their palms to the floor without bending their knees, bending their thumb to their forearm, or extending their elbows or knees beyond the typical range of motion.
Healthcare providers often use the Beighton Score to screen for generalized joint hypermobility. This simple nine-point assessment evaluates flexibility in several joints. However, the Beighton Score is only one part of the evaluation. Some people with symptomatic joint hypermobility have low Beighton scores because flexibility can decrease with age, injury, surgery, pain, or muscle tightness. Other people, like dancers, increase their joint flexibility through training making Beighton Score assessments more complicated.
If you have joint hypermobility along with symptoms such as chronic pain, joint instability, frequent sprains or dislocations, fatigue, dizziness, or gastrointestinal problems, you should be evaluated by a healthcare professional familiar with hypermobility disorders. Symptomatic joint hypermobility may be associated with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), or another connective tissue disorder.