Disease of the month: Hypermobility syndrome

Hypermobility means the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints are more supple than usual, allowing the joints to stretch further than normal. For example, some hypermobile people can bend their thumbs backwards to their wrists or put their legs behind their heads. These acts are often called ‘double jointedness’, but this term should not be taken literally as an individual with hypermobility does not have two joints where everyone else just has one. The condition can affect one or all of the joints. In most cases, the joint hyperlaxity is mild and does not affect everyday l...