- With Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
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Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Dr. Edward Laskowski is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
He has been on the staff of Mayo Clinic since 1990 and specializes in sports medicine, fitness, strength training and stability training. He works with a multidisciplinary team of physical medicine, rehabilitation and orthopedic specialists, physical therapists and sports psychologists.
Dr. Laskowski is an elite-level skier and approaches sports medicine from the perspective of a physician and an athlete. In addition to skiing, he is an avid hiker, cyclist and climber.
In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Laskowski to a two-year term on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Dr. Laskowski was a member of the medical staff of the Olympic Polyclinic at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and was involved in medical coverage for the Chicago Marathon. He serves as a consulting physician to the National Hockey League Players' Association and is a featured lecturer at the American College of Sports Medicine's Team Physician Course.
Dr. Laskowski, a Cary, Ill., native, has contributed to Mayo Clinic's CD-ROM on sports, health and fitness, a Web site guide to self-care, and hundreds of Mayo Clinic articles and booklets in print and online. He is a contributing editor to Mayo Clinic's "Fitness for EveryBody" book.
"There are many myths and misconceptions about exercise and fitness in general, and also many traditions that don't stand up to scientific scrutiny," he says. "My goal is to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information on sports medicine and fitness topics in a way that you can practically incorporate into your life."
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Question
Joint hypermobility: What causes 'loose joints'?
My doctor recently commented that I have "loose joints." What does this mean?
Answer
from Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
"Loose joints" is a lay term that may be used to describe hypermobile joints. Joint hypermobility — the ability of a joint to move beyond its normal range of motion — is common in children and decreases with age.
Having a few hypermobile joints isn't unusual. In most people, joint hypermobility causes no problems and requires no treatment.
But in some people, hypermobility causes joint pain and results in a higher incidence of dislocations, sprains and secondary osteoarthritis. Doctors refer to this as benign hypermobility syndrome.
Joint hypermobility is evaluated by the ability to successfully perform a series of joint maneuvers (Beighton criteria) that rate joint flexibility on a 9-point scale. These maneuvers include:
- Bending your little finger backward to a 90-degree angle
- Bending your thumb to your forearm
- Hyperextending your elbow 10 degrees beyond neutral
- Hyperextending your knee 10 degrees beyond vertical
- Bending forward with your knees straight and placing your hands flat on the floor
A diagnosis of benign hypermobility syndrome is made if you score at least 4 out of 9 points and have pain for more than three months in four or more joints.
In benign hypermobility syndrome, the ligaments that provide joint stability are loose and weak. This increases the risk of ligament injury or strain and can cause pain.
Treatment of benign hypermobility syndrome includes:
- Physical therapy to strengthen joints and to learn how to prevent hyperextension
- Activity modification to relieve pain
- Analgesics
Occasionally, joint hypermobility is a sign of a rare, serious disorder, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis. For this reason, joint hypermobility accompanied by joint pain should be evaluated by a doctor to determine the cause.
