Hypermobility Spectrum Disruption / can you be too flexible?- Best health physio (2024)

FAQs

Can being too flexible be a bad thing? ›

If you have too much flexibility without the necessary strength to accompany it, your body will be disconnected, and this is where you lose coordination, become inefficient, and increase the likelihood that you will get injured.

People who have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome usually have overly flexible joints and stretchy, fragile skin. This can become a problem if you have a wound that requires stitches, because the skin often isn't strong enough to hold them.

People with hypermobility are particularly supple and able to move their limbs into positions others find impossible. Joint hypermobility is what some people refer to as having “loose joints” or being “double-jointed”.

“There is a difference between muscle flexibility and what's happening at the joint.” If someone has hypermobility, the ligaments holding the bones together at a joint are loose, allowing for more movement beyond the normal range of motion. This can lead to wear and tear, or even dislocations of the joint.

Joint hypermobility syndrome is when you have very flexible joints and it causes you pain (you may think of yourself as being double-jointed).

Hypermobility refers to the excessive range of motion of a joint and can result from hereditary connective tissue disorders or repetitive local trauma. Regardless of the etiology, hip capsular laxity can lead to instability, pain, and dysfunction, often requiring treatment.

The main cause of HSD and hEDS is genetics. Hypermobility often runs in families and therefore cannot be prevented. It is believed that if one parent has hypermobility one in two children will also have it. Someone who has HSD or hEDS often has faulty or weak collagen.

Symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)

These include: an increased range of joint movement (joint hypermobility) stretchy skin. fragile skin that breaks or bruises easily.

Why Does Hypermobility Affect Back Pain? If you have hypermobile joints, or you have a condition that causes hypermobility, you can be more susceptible to back pain because of having more lax ligamentous structures. Our ligaments hold the spine together and allow it to stay in a nice, smooth alignment.

It is generally accepted that increasing the flexibility of a muscle-tendon unit promotes better performances and decreases the number of injuries.

Is it bad to be Naturally flexible? ›

Excessive flexibility can be just as bad as not enough because both increase your risk of injury. Once a muscle has reached its absolute maximum length, attempting to stretch the muscle further only serves to stretch the ligaments and put undue stress upon the tendons (two things that you do not want to stretch).

The potential disadvantage of flexibility training is that a joint or muscle can be flexed beyond its ability to handle the stretch. This can result in a pulled or torn muscle or tendon and may require an extended time to recover from the injury.

These risks may include spinal “misalignment,” joint dysfunction, muscle strain, and other long-term soft tissue damage, and can vary in severity. However, if you have been practicing these exercises and stretches for some time, the risk of injury is greatly reduced.

While it may seem that there isn't anything wrong with having flexibility, there actually is. People that are hyper flexible are more prone to injury. Their joints are much more likely to dislocate and they are more likely to suffer pain and joint injuries.