It is when the joints move beyond the normal range of motion. Benign joint hypermobility tends to be more common in girls than boys and usually is genetic. It affects the connective tissue. Connective tissue is throughout the body, therefore, not only the joints are affected, it can affect digestion, skin, eyes and in more severe connective tissue disorders it can affect the heart.
Benign joint hypermobility syndrome is a condition when there are musculoskeletal symptoms in people with hypermobility.
The most common symptom is pain. Kids can present with nighttime pain. They are often very active over the course of the day, putting a lot of stress through their tissues, and there is a mismatch between tissue capacity and how much load they put through their tissues. This can cause overload and stimulate the central nervous system to respond as pain.
A child might present with muscle tightness in the evening which is aggravated with more activities (jumping on trampoline, running, jumping on ground).
They might present with sprains without apparent reason. They are also more prone to sprains as their ability to judge position and balance is impaired due to excessive range of motion and impaired proprioception. Some of these kids are more prone to dislocations. Also, they might seem clumsy.
Benign joint hypermobility syndrome is diagnosed with clinical examination and excluding other causes for the pain.
Physiotherapists can advise regarding the condition and discuss the pain itself.
We can advise about a child’s daily schedule and what activities a child is doing and how much they should do according to their age. Physiotherapists will look into how much time a child has for a play and how much is the child participating in sports. We can help to modify activities and decrease the pain.
It is important to have a progressive tailored exercise program to decrease the pain and improve function and get the child back to her daily activities without musculoskeletal symptoms.
If this sounds like your child, give our friendly clinic staff a call to book an assessment with our paediatric physiotherapist Maigi, we can also be contacted via email at admin@wellnessembodiedcairns.com or visit our online booking page
