Hypermobility

Why the usual advice backfires

People with hypermobile joints are frequently told to stretch, and are often good at it, which makes stretching feel productive. It is usually the wrong treatment. A joint that already moves too far does not need more range, it needs control, and stretching a hypermobile joint can make symptoms worse.

The treatment is strength and control, built slowly. That is less immediately satisfying and considerably more effective.

What treatment involves

Assessment of which joints are affected and how they behave under load, then a programme of strengthening through mid range, joint control and proprioception work, and gradual progression. Pacing is a large part of it, because the pattern of doing a great deal on a good day and paying for it afterwards is close to universal.

Progress is measured in months, and it holds when it comes. Many people who have had recurring problems for years improve substantially once the programme is aimed at control rather than flexibility.

Getting a diagnosis

Hypermobility exists on a spectrum, and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder are diagnosed clinically against specific criteria. That diagnosis belongs with your GP or a rheumatologist rather than with us, and if you have symptoms beyond your joints, such as digestive problems, dizziness on standing or very fragile skin, that is worth raising with them. We treat the movement side either way.