PREVALENCE AND FEATURES OF JOINT HYPERMOBILITY IN NCAA ATHLETES

An abundance of literature suggests hypermobile individuals may be at a greater risk of musculoskeletal injury than those who are not hypermobile. Because of this, many researchers recommend that hypermobiles avoid or curtail participation in strenuous physical activity. However, relatively few studies have looked at hypermobility in athletic populations. Consequently, we set out to determine the prevalence of joint hypermobility (JH) in collegiate athletes to clarify the importance of researching its impact on athletic injury risk.

Methods: Using the widely accepted Carter-Wilkinson-Beighton screening method, three ATCs screened 716 NCAA Basketball and Lacrosse athletes. The screening method used examined bilateral range of motion at the fingers, thumbs, elbows, knees and trunk, and utilized a scoring system of 0-9, scoring 1 point per positive test (>5=JH). Results: 29/353 men (8.2%) and 100/363 women (27.1%) were hypermobile, yielding an overall JH prevalence of 17.8%. The most frequent score among men was 0, and among women was 2. The least frequent score was 9 for both men and women. Knee hyperextension was most commonly noted, and hyperextension of the wrist and MP joints was least common. Conclusions: 1) Prevalence of JH in collegiate athletes falls within the range of nonathletes (2.1 to 38%), 2) women are more hypermobile than men, 3) prevalence of JH among female athletes is nearer to the high end of the range of reported prevalence among females (6.6-38%) while prevalence among male athletes is nearer the middle (2.1-18), and 4) a significant number of athletes are hypermobile. The large sample examined here makes it useful as a source of comparison for future studies. These data confirm the need for investigation of the impact of JH on athletic injury risk. Further, since JH is much more prevalent in females than in males, future researchers may benefit by concentrating on females.

1996 Moran MJ, Decoster LC, Lindsay RH, Bernier JN, Vailas JC: Prevalence and features of joint hypermobility in collegiate athletes (Abstract). J Athletic Training, Volume 31, Supplement.