When people have flexible and fragile joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, they are said to be hypermobile or ‘double-jointed’.

There is a huge variation in degrees of hypermobility. At one end of the spectrum are the diseases with the potentially serious complications such as Marfan Syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Vascular Type. At the other end are Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (BJHS) and Ehlers-Danlos Hypermobile Type. Whilst these conditions may cause troublesome and persistent problems, they do not affect the vital organs and therefore are not life limiting.

Lax joints can be more susceptible to injury and need special care.

It is very important that a child with hypermobility is as fit as possible and that their muscles are strong. Keeping joints moving ensures that blood and a liquid called ‘synovial fluid’ move around them. These fluids take nutrients to the joints and carry away waste. Therefore, regular exercise means healthier joints. Building up muscle strength and control will help to support the joints, decreasing the risk of injury . It is sometimes best to avoid sports, which involve sudden stopping and twisting, such as rugby. Swimming is excellent as the water protects the joints as your child exercises. Running in water is a good exercise!

If your child is overweight, their joints have to work much harder and therefore can be damaged more easily, so losing a few pounds will help.

Discourage your child from showing off their ‘bendy joint’ tricks to their friends. It can damage their joints.

The ‘right sort’ of physiotherapy is very important. The ‘wrong sort’ of physiotherapy may be too vigorous and may not tackle the particular problems that arise with hypermobility.

KidsPhysio will provide the ‘right physiotherapy’. We will assess your child and provide a tailored strengthening programme. For example if your child has hypermobile hips, they may need to exercise their lower abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. If their knees are very flexible, they may need to strengthen their quadriceps muscles, which support the knee, and their gluteal muscles in their bottom.

KidsPhysio will probably provide your child with physiotherapy exercises to do at home. Even though you may not notice the difference immediately, be patient and stick at it. It will help your child.