Hypermobile? Yes, You Can Strength Train (Here's How to Do It Safely)

So let's start by defining what is hypermobility.

Okay? So simply hypermobility are joints that move beyond what's typically considered a normal range of motion.

So this can be in one joint or it can be many.

So this is where the Beighton score comes in as the common screening tool.

So it's a nine-point scale.

It looks at your thumbs, your pinkies, your elbows, your knees, how far you can forward fold, and it doesn't pr- it's not a diagnostic tool on its own, but it is often used as a screening tool.

And there are three tiers of hypermobility.

So the first is just joint hypermobility, so you have flexible joints and there's no symptoms, right? So many dancers, many gymnasts, many yogis live here very comfortably.

The second point on that tier is hypermobility spectrum disorder, or HSD.

So this is the flexible joints that we just talked about, but it's also symptoms.

It's also pain and instability and frequent tweaks and fatigue.

And then the third part on that scale is hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or hEDS.

This is a genetic connective tissue condition with hypermobility as one feature among a broader symptom of a broader clinical picture.

So you're gonna have skin issues, GI issues, cardiovascular issues, dysautonomia in some cases.

So to be clear, this is not a diagnostic scale, right? If you suspect hEDS specifically, this is a conversation that you need to have with a geneticist or a rheumato- rheumatologist familiar with connective tissue disorders.

I don't want you getting all of your information just from this podcast.

But the core idea that I'm trying to get across is that hypermobility exists on a spectrum, and the hypermobility itself is not actually the problem.

The problem is the instability that it confers.

So your flexibility unto itself is not dangerous, but rather moving through a huge range of motion without any control is where things often go sideways, right? So- Hypermobility, just to summarize, simply means that a joint is moving beyond what is considered a normal range of motion.

So this can happen for a couple reasons, right? The shape of your bones allow it, that's one thing.

The ligaments are more elastic, that's what most people will, uh, associate with hypermobility.

Yeah.

Your connective tissue as a whole is more compliant, or a combination of all of those things.

And women in particular are much more likely than men to have hypermobility because of how estrogen affects our connective tissue.

So estrogen, I've talked about this a little bit before, but it increases something called ligament laxity.

So let's start by defining what is hypermobility.

Okay? So simply hypermobility are joints that move beyond what's typically considered a normal range of motion.

So this can be in one joint or it can be many.

So this is where the Beighton score comes in as the common screening tool.

So it's a nine-point scale.

It looks at your thumbs, your pinkies, your elbows, your knees, how far you can forward fold, and it doesn't pr- it's not a diagnostic tool on its own, but it is often used as a screening tool.

And there are three tiers of hypermobility.

So the first is just joint hypermobility, so you have flexible joints and there's no symptoms, right? So many dancers, many gymnasts, many yogis live here very comfortably.

The second point on that tier is hypermobility spectrum disorder, or HSD.

So this is the flexible joints that we just talked about, but it's also symptoms.

It's also pain and instability and frequent tweaks and fatigue.

And then the third part on that scale is hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or hEDS.

This is a genetic connective tissue condition with hypermobility as one feature among a broader symptom of a broader clinical picture.

So you're gonna have skin issues, GI issues, cardiovascular issues, dysautonomia in some cases.

So to be clear, this is not a diagnostic scale, right? If you suspect hEDS specifically, this is a conversation that you need to have with a geneticist or a rheumato- rheumatologist familiar with connective tissue disorders.

I don't want you getting all of your information just from this podcast.

But the core idea that I'm trying to get across is that hypermobility exists on a spectrum, and the hypermobility itself is not actually the problem.

The problem is the instability that it confers.

So your flexibility unto itself is not dangerous, but rather moving through a huge range of motion without any control is where things often go sideways, right? So- Hypermobility, just to summarize, simply means that a joint is moving beyond what is considered a normal range of motion.

So this can happen for a couple reasons, right? The shape of your bones allow it, that's one thing.

The ligaments are more elastic, that's what most people will, uh, associate with hypermobility.

Yeah.

Your connective tissue as a whole is more compliant, or a combination of all of those things.

And women in particular are much more likely than men to have hypermobility because of how estrogen affects our connective tissue.

So estrogen, I've talked about this a little bit before, but it increases something called ligament laxity.