Mobility · Strength · Joint Health

What Is Hypermobility? Signs, Symptoms & the Beighton Score

By Dr. Mitch Israel·October 9, 2026

Have you always been unusually flexible?

Maybe your elbows or knees bend backward farther than everyone else's. Maybe you can easily touch the floor with your palms, bend your thumb toward your forearm, or get into positions that seem impossible for other people.

You may be hypermobile.

Being hypermobile is not automatically a problem. Plenty of people have more flexibility than average and never experience pain or injuries because of it.

For some people, however, having a lot of movement without enough stability and strength can make staying active more challenging.

What Is Joint Hypermobility?

Joint hypermobility means that one or more joints move beyond a typical range of motion.

Some people are hypermobile in only a few areas. Others have increased mobility throughout much of their body, which is known as generalized joint hypermobility.

Think of mobility as a spectrum. Some people are naturally stiff, others fall somewhere in the middle, and some naturally have much more movement available.

More mobility is not necessarily good or bad. What matters is whether your body has the stability and strength to support the movement you have.

Common Signs of Hypermobility

You may have noticed signs your entire life without knowing there was a name for them. Common examples include:

• Joints that bend farther than expected
• Elbows or knees that extend backward
• Unusually flexible fingers and thumbs
• Placing your palms on the floor with straight knees
• Being described as “double-jointed” when you were younger

Flexibility alone does not mean something is wrong. Some people have no symptoms. Others may experience joint pain, feelings of instability, repeated sprains or strains, or difficulty finding exercise that feels good.

How Do You Know If You're Hypermobile?

One common screening tool for generalized joint hypermobility is the Beighton Score. It is a nine-point test that looks at five movements:

• Bending each pinky finger backward beyond 90 degrees
• Bringing each thumb toward the forearm
• Extending each elbow backward beyond 10 degrees
• Extending each knee backward beyond 10 degrees
• Placing both palms flat on the floor while keeping the knees straight

The pinkies, thumbs, elbows, and knees are scored on both sides. The palms-to-floor test is scored once. That creates a possible total of nine points.

Watch: How to Perform the Beighton Score

In this video, I walk you through each part of the test and show you what we are looking for.

You can review the standardized test details in the GeneReviews medical overview of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

What Does Your Beighton Score Mean?

Within the current diagnostic framework used when evaluating hEDS in biologically mature adolescents and adults, generalized joint hypermobility is generally supported by a score of:

• 5 or more: biologically mature adolescents and adults through age 50
• 4 or more: adults over age 50

Children and adolescents who have not reached biological maturity are evaluated through a separate pediatric framework. Age, injury history, surgery, arthritis, and past flexibility can all affect the score.

Someone who falls below a cutoff may still have meaningful hypermobility in joints the test does not cover. That is another reason to treat the score as one piece of the puzzle—not a pass-or-fail result.

Does Hypermobility Mean You Have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?

No. Being hypermobile does not mean you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of inherited connective-tissue disorders. Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is one type, and generalized joint hypermobility can be one of its features.

Hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) can involve symptomatic joint hypermobility without meeting the diagnostic criteria for hEDS. Diagnosing either condition requires much more than calculating a Beighton Score.

If you are concerned about a connective-tissue disorder, speak with an appropriate healthcare professional instead of trying to diagnose yourself from flexibility alone. The National Library of Medicine's GeneReviews chapter provides a detailed clinical overview.

When Does Hypermobility Become a Problem?

If you feel good, stay active, and are not experiencing problems, extra flexibility may simply be part of how your body is built.

A closer look may help when hypermobility occurs with recurring pain, feelings of instability, repeated strains or sprains, joints that frequently give way, or difficulty exercising without something becoming irritated.

If you already have plenty of mobility, becoming even more flexible may not be what your body needs. The bigger opportunity may be developing the stability and strength to support your available motion.

Can You Strength Train If You're Hypermobile?

Many people with hypermobility can strength train. Your program may simply need more context than the advice to use the largest possible range of motion.

You may benefit from first building stability and strength through ranges you can manage well. From there, training can progress based on your control, symptoms, goals, and response.

Your Beighton Score alone cannot tell you which exercises, ranges, or training loads are right for you.

Read our complete guide to strength training with hypermobility for practical ways to use controlled range, stability work, slower tempo, and gradual progression.

Hypermobility Assessment in Farmington Hills

If you are hypermobile and have no problems, you may not need to do anything differently.

If pain, instability, repeated injuries, or setbacks keep getting in the way, the SYMYO Movement & Performance Assessment looks beyond flexibility alone. We assess mobility, stability, strength, balance, and overall movement to help identify what your body actually needs.

For someone who is already very mobile, the answer may not be more stretching. Your plan may need more emphasis on control, stability, and strength.

That is why we assess before building the program.

About Dr. Mitch Israel

I'm Dr. Mitch Israel, a sports chiropractor and rehab specialist and the owner of SYMYO Sports Therapy in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

I help active adults understand how their bodies move, improve what actually needs attention, and build the confidence to keep doing the things they enjoy.

This article is for general education only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individualized exercise plan. Seek appropriate medical care for concerning, worsening, or unexplained symptoms.