PREVALENCE AND FEATURES OF JOINT HYPERMOBILITY IN COLLEGIATE 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 in collegiate athletes in an effort to clarify the importance of researching its impact on athletic injury risk.

Methods: Using the widely accepted Carter-Wilkinson-Beighton screening method, three certified athletic trainers screened 724 NCAA Basketball and Lacrosse athletes during 1995-1996. 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. Those subjects who scored 5 or higher were classified as hypermobile.

Results: The subject pool consisted of 355 men (age 20.37 + 1.66, 85.5% white) and 369 women (age 20.24 + 4.35, 90% white). Twenty-nine of the 353 men (8.2%) and 100 of the 363 women (27.1%) scored five or higher on the screening scale, yielding an overall hypermobility prevalence of 17.8%. The most frequent screening score among males was zero (36%), and among females was two (20%). The least frequent score for both males and females was nine (males = .3%, females = 2.2%). Knee hyperextension beyond 10 degrees was most commonly noted (41.22 % in males and 57.58 % in females) and hyperextension of the wrist and MP joints so that the fingers were parallel to the forearm was least common (4.53 % in males and 8.68% in females).

Discussion: The results of this study indicate that: 1) The prevalence of hypermobility in collegiate athletes falls within the same range as samples of non- athletes (2.1 to 38%, depending on the gender, age, and racial make-up of the sample) , 2) women are more hypermobile than men, 3) prevalence of hypermobility among female college athletes is nearer to the high end of the range of reported prevalence among females (6.6-38%) while prevalence among male college 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 joint hypermobility on athletic injury risk. Further, since hypermobility is much more prevalent in females than in males, future researchers would benefit by concentrating on females.

1995 Decoster LC, Vailas JC, Lindsay RH, Williams GR: Prevalence and features of joint hypermobility in a population of adolescent interscholastic athletes (Abstract). Med Sci Sprt Ex, Vol 27:5, Supplement.