Double Jointedness

Have you ever seen people bend their fingers all the way back or even twist their whole bodies like a human pretzels? They may be displaying the classic signs of HYPERMOBILITY  SYNDROME, aka  HYPERFLEXIBILITY  or DOUBLE-JOINTEDNESS. People with this condition do not really have a double set of joints; rather the ligaments and muscles around their joints are superflexible, resulting in the ability to bend and stretch like a contortionist. This is generally a benign condition that usually becomes evident in childhood and tends to run in families. Up to 20% of normal children have hyperflexible joints, as do many athletes. However, some people develop hypermobility in later life if their ligaments become injured, weakened, or overly stretched. Regardless of when or how it occurs, people with hypermobile joints may be at increased risk for joint dislocations and pain.

It is long been believed that hyperflexible joints are harbingers of Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disorder. But this has not been proven, at least as far as the hands and fingers go. In fact, being double-jointed might protect against arthritis, according to a recent study. On the other hand having hyperflexible joints may be a forewarning of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition thought to be caused by a virus and characterized by excessive fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, and sometimes fever. A higher incidence of hyperflexible joints has been seen in both young people and adults with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Two potentially serious but often undiagnosed genetic conditions that are frequently associated with joint hypermobility are EHLERS-DANLOS  SYNDROME  and  MARFAN  SYNDROME.  Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a rare connective tissue disorder primarily affecting the joints, skin, and blood vessels. Other EDS signs, which range from mild to severe, may include very stretchable (lax) skin, easy bruising, joint dislcoation, scoliosis, eye problems, and ruptured arteries, bowel, or other organs. EDS is potentially debilitating and even life-diagnosed in an estimated 90% of people with the disorder until they seek attention for a medical emergency.

Hypermobile joints are also a sign of Marfan Syndrome, another rare connective tissue disorder. Other visible signs of Marfan may include flat long feet, a narrow face, scoliosis, long, thin fingers, and tall stature. Although Marfan's primarily affects the skeleton, it can cause eye, cardiac, and other problems as well. Indeed, many people with this condition are very nearsighted and/or have glaucoma or cataracts.

As with EDS, the subtle signs of Marfan's are often overlooked, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Many young athletes, for example, have hyperflexible joints and are tall with long extremeties - characteristics that help in sports. But some may have undiagnosed Marfan's. Sad to say, a number of these young athletes die suddenly and unnecessarily each year because they were unaware they had thhis condition. Aortic aneurysm - a ballooning and possible rupture of the body's largest blood vessels - is a major cause of early death in untreated Marfan's.