Can you can bend your thumb until it touches your forearm? Crank your pinky fingers back until they form 90-degree angles with the backs of your hands? Bend at the waist to plant your palms on the floor while your legs remain straight? Do your knees and elbows bend backwards when you extend your arms and legs?
If at least two or three or these things sounds familiar, then you might be more than just garden-variety flexible — these are the signs of joint hypermobility. According to Versus Arthritis, only about one in four people have hypermobile joints, a trait that is thought to run in families.
Most people don't experience any problems related to joint hypermobility, and it can even be an advantage for some activities. But a fraction of people with hypermobile joints may experience pain, fatigue, and other symptoms, and an even smaller segment may have more serious genetic disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). EDS is a connective tissue disorder that affects the skin, joints, and blood vessel walls.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common symptom of joint hypermobility syndrome is joint and muscle pain. Other common symptoms include fatigue, bladder and bowel issues, thin and stretchy skin and frequent dislocations or sprains. Symptoms are often worse in young people and may improve with age.
More serious conditions like EDS can be very difficult to diagnose, according to CNN, with most patients receiving their diagnoses about a decade after the onset of symptoms.