I have some type of hypermobility (sometimes colloquially referred to as “double-jointedness”), which make the osteoarthritis a bit more problematic. Currently I have no diagnosis of what sort of problem this is, aside from the doctor saying that “Yes, you’re hypermobile.” (Well, duh.)
At the risk of sounding odd, I didn’t even realise that I was hypermobile until someone pointed it out to me. I’ve always heard that it’s good to be flexible, and never really had any basis for comparison. But as you can see, I am bendier than the average person. (I also have poor proprioception and bruise easily, hence the dark blodges in the photographs.)
Things like the TMJ (Temporo-mandibular Joint disorder), uterine prolapse, repeated shoulder subluxations, crackly joints, stretchy skin, or even local anesthetic not lasting very long may also be related to hypermobility, but I don’t know that for sure. One of my kids is also rather bendy, so I presume there is a genetic factor to this. See The Hypermobility Syndrome Association (UK) for more information on hypermobility. This link will take you to other posts of mine dealing with hypermobility.
In any regard, here are some pictures so you can better identify possible hypermobility problems. I should note that you don’t necessarily have to be as bendy as I am — ask your doctor; I’m not licensed to practice medicine, nor do I play one on screen.
Natural finger hyperextension; 
Finger hyperflexion with light pressure (palm downwards).
Hyperextensibility of shoulders means always being able to reach that itchy spot …
It also makes gripping a pencil or pen more fatiguing, and therefore penmanship more difficult (even beyond the whole “make a lefty into a righty” issue).
My fingers are also bendable sideways, even over the back of my hand.
One radiologist said I might have arachnodactily because I have such long fingers, and can grasp my wrists like so. (My fingers don’t really look that long in the picture because they’re curled, but they’re so long that I have to buy men’s gloves because women’s gloves are too small for me.)
My wrist is also over-mobile; I can bend my thumb to touch my arm (it’s uncomfortable, but not extremely painful); this is one of the Beighton indicators for hypermobility,
So is forward flexion, being able to put one’s hands flat on the floor, even with the knees locked.
Yet another indicator is elbow or knee joints that bend further backwards than normal (my elbow is on the underside in this picture).
Beyond the usual hypermobility indicators, I might have some unusual arm rotation; my palm is down, but the inside of my elbow is facing up.
Likewise, my ankles rotate enough that I can turn the soles of my feet sideways, and even put them together (like praying hands) even when my knees are locked
Then there’s the stretchy skin bit, but I won’t go into much detail on that because it grosses people out.
Oops. Ouch. « Andrea’s Buzzing About: said,
27 May 2007 at 19:57
[...] would be useful in dance or gymnastics, but those require (you guessed it!) coördination. Being doublejointed (can do way too many things on the Beighton Scale) also plays into the arthralgia (joint pain) [...]
In which I am Stiff « Andrea’s Buzzing About: said,
21 May 2008 at 3:31
[...] past their knees. But all things being relative, I am indeed stiff. This is because I am normally hypermobile. On normal days (now Good Days), I can bend over, knees locked and legs straight, and put my palms [...]
DisgruntledLadye said,
30 May 2008 at 13:18
Dang.. I didn’t even realize that being able to put feet together like praying hands was weird…. Funny how one’s sense of normal can change so quickly.
Denise McGinley said,
10 July 2008 at 23:59
The stretchy skin is a give-away…you most probably have ehlers danlos syndrome. I suggest checking out the EDNF web site for more info….if you want, feel free to email me! :o)
Kelly said,
12 July 2008 at 15:34
It also makes injury easier. I’ve hurt my knees more times than I can count.
Susan said,
14 August 2008 at 15:03
I found your blog while thinking about Michael Phelps…Like him, I have ADHD (I’m 43, dx’d at 7 re-dx’d at 41.) Michael can also do some physical things people seem to find odd and I though were normal for someone who stretches, etc. I recall reading somewhere there is a connection…I thought I was normal until my cello teacher told me I was double jointed in my fingers (like your pix!). I thought my flexibilty was normal…can’t everyone bend over and touch the floor with flat palms and knees straight?
Have you ever head of a connection between the two?
sally said,
16 August 2008 at 14:30
I dont have flex fingers nor stretchy skin…but have the other flexibility shown here…ov witch i thought where normal lol……………untill i attempted to step out of my bath to find it was,nt happening (in intence pain my back just would not straighten up) … this happens time and time again… triggered simply by hanging out my washing ect…within 3 weeks or so im back to my normal flexy self..lol.
problem i have is my physio says this is hypermobility related (advises me no running jumping ect with hope to avoid injury) …but my doctor looks at he like my light have gone out…
can anyone else relate to this?
Liz stayton said,
13 September 2008 at 16:13
i can do all of those things ectsept the thumb to wrist but i can make it go out of sockedet and back in easy without pain im an all star dancer so being super flexibal helps a lot
liz said,
13 September 2008 at 16:15
my skin does that and im onley 10!!!!
ave said,
19 September 2008 at 10:15
It looks like you have Marfan syndrome. Do consult a Clinical Geneticist.
Alfrid Botros said,
23 October 2008 at 16:42
Do you have hard time buttining and zipping small buttons? THank you
qw88nb88 said,
25 October 2008 at 1:13
Alfrid,
I don’t zip buttons. The arthritis is more problematic than the hypermobility in the buttoning end of things.
andrea
datf said,
29 October 2008 at 1:57
well, i could do all except bending last finger over to the thumb, those that has to do with legs, and putting the hand flat on floor. this is really informative.
Collin said,
5 December 2008 at 2:11
I only 12, and a guy at that, with this problem. I can do all of those except the thumb to the wrist.
(By the way, hyper mobility is WAY more common in women)
Sam said,
15 December 2008 at 9:49
Looks like you have Ehlers Danlois.
Melanie said,
29 December 2008 at 6:23
I am more than sure tht Marfan syndrome is congenital. But you do have the signs of Ehlers-Danos. It is really important to get a diagnosis because depending on the type you have (there are 6 types and a couple of variations from there) it can be life threatening. I don’t mean to scare you, but it is more than a weird trick or oddity. Please research a doctor with some knowledge of Ehlers-Danos and its related disorders such as Cutis Laxa. Many doctors are unaware of these very serious disorders becuase they are so rare. They are called orphan diseases. Please don’t worry, but find a doctor and take it from there. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Melanie said,
29 December 2008 at 6:41
I hadn’t even read that you bruise easily. That is also a sign of Ehlers-Danos, along with poor wound healing. You have to get checked. Bring it up. insist on testing and research what you have to do. Our organs may become affected since ED is an attack on the collagen in the body and our bodies are made up of collagen. Lungs, heart, uterus, intestines, esophogus, vocal cords- all among the parts of our bodies that become lax and possibly dysfunctional. Some with ED don’t experience damage to the organs at all and have normal life expectancies. But precautions need to be taken when one has Ehlers-Danos and unfortunately, it is a genetic disorder. Having your family participate in the diagnostic process will help. Hopefully you will have more luck with that than I have. Please take care.
Requesting your thoughts, please « Andrea’s Buzzing About: said,
7 February 2009 at 19:40
[...] can see my pictures on this page. Several people have suggested that I have Ehlers-Danlos and/or Marfan’s because I have [...]
shiva said,
11 February 2009 at 16:59
I can’t do anywhere near as much of the hand stuff as you, but have some sort-of-similar things (can bend my little fingers back to almost touch the back of my wrists, can do what you can with your thumbs… oddly, i can do those things more easily with my left hand than my right, despite being right-handed).
I have small hands (for a man), but very long fingers with big, “lumpy” knuckles – is that “arachnodactyly”? (sounds like it should mean “spider fingers”, and i’ve always thought there was something vaguely arthropod-like about my hands…)
Is that shoulder/hand behind the back thing really unusual? I always assumed everyone could do that…
ACE said,
16 February 2009 at 6:10
I’m EDS type 3…. The non threatening, fun version.
It was hell while I waited to find out which type I have…
But now I m good and happy to know what I have.
shelby said,
10 April 2009 at 3:36
I can do the thumb to the rist and the hand arounf the wrist thing, but I thought everyone could do that.
Michael said,
17 April 2009 at 3:55
Yea i also can do the wrist fingers overlap thing and the thumb to the forearm
i dont know if thats normal i also thought everyone could do that
but my fingers arnt long i think i just have realy thin wrist
Christian Livsey said,
19 April 2009 at 10:36
Well, those things you can do look identical to the things I can do, except my skin’s much stretchier, hehe!
always been curious about that!
Jordan said,
22 April 2009 at 4:48
Hi, I found your website and I think you have EDS. Its a genetic disorder of connective tissues (symptoms include stretchy skin and hypermobility) . Check out the website, you should probably be tested.
adventuresintaiwan said,
2 June 2009 at 17:25
I’ve always known I’m slightly hypermobile, and I just recently learned that my pencil grip is one of the ones considered ineffective, but when trying to do it the ‘proper’ way, my fingers wound up looking exactly like the picture you posted instead of the way they’re supposed to. Thank you for that picture and making me realize that it’s not the way I’m holding the pencil that’s the problem, it’s having very bendy, long fingers. Huzzah!
Seshat said,
30 August 2009 at 5:30
Geez – are you my twin? Your posts on face recognition and having to process what people actually mean both challenged me to the point where I had to go away and stop reading. Too similar.
And now this.
Wow.
We Mutants « Andrea’s Buzzing About: said,
6 September 2009 at 4:20
[...] your Fairy Godmother for malpractice? Some things like the are just annoying; were I graceful, the hypermobility might have enabled me to be a dancer or gymnast. Instead, I’m just arthritic and bruised, [...]
Andie said,
16 September 2009 at 8:08
interesting! I can do the stuff in the first three photos, but for the shoulder one, I can only do with my left side, not the right at all. anyway, I always thought growing up that everyone could bend their fingers back at a 90 degree angle. :p
elizabeth tye said,
22 September 2009 at 2:14
My daughter is seven and can do the thumb thing. she can also turn her leg around at the knee joint so her foot is facing backwards. i am worried this is going to cause her joint problems in later life. Shes only just discovered the foot thing so im not sure what else she can do. Is this hypermobility
Tim Nakamura said,
15 November 2009 at 19:58
I have diagnosis’s of OA of both hands & feet. I’ve had Hypermobility all my life. I was a skinny kid , thats when I had first found out that I was more flexible than my friends, & at the time, it was quite a novelty. Now it’s a big problem. I’m 43 yrs. old & have had many dislocations of my shoulder, sprained fingers wrist, you name it. Sore throbbing feet & fingers all due to Hypermobile joints. Anyone who has a child with this condition should be alarmed. Job selection later on in life is crucial for I am now unable to perform my job, which was a bad fit for me. I am now better informed & will post again . I just came across this Site, Andrea, for tomorrow I will walk-in to see my Pain Management Doctor with my new findings. What worries me greatly is wondering if my whole body will become Arthritic in time. Every joint in my body is Hypermobile to some extent I believe that Hypermobility predisposes you to Arthritis.
andrea said,
22 September 2009 at 3:36
elizabeth:
It should be noted that children are often more flexible than adults, but those items you mentioned are more than just the average juvenile flexibility. It’s hard to say from so few details; discuss your concerns with her pediatrician.
andrea
autumn douglas said,
15 November 2009 at 17:02
I can do all of that i can bend my knees back wards and i can do the jump rope thing where you pop your shoulders out and stuff i can do it backwards too. I can do one things that im pretty positive no one else can do where you move like the tendons in your knuckles
Tim Nakamura said,
15 November 2009 at 20:23
I was wondering if anyone has “Problem” feet. I have Hypermobile toes/feet, & would like feedback as to the type of shoes & or inserts anyone has found success with.
andrea said,
16 November 2009 at 4:37
Tim, an orthopedist would be helpful to visit. Personally, I’ve found that gel inserts for the heels of my shoes is a wonderful thing, as stocking groceries is hard on my feet.
andrea
Tim Nakamura said,
16 November 2009 at 4:58
Just regular of the shelf gel inserts?
andrea said,
18 November 2009 at 3:36
Yes, but I have no idea if such would help with whatever particular issue(s) plague your feet. The inserts simply reduce the cumulative shock of being on a concrete floor to my feet and knees.
andrea