Hypermobility: Why Being Flexible Isn't Always a Good Thing
Being able to touch your toes, bend your thumb backwards or move your joints further than everyone else might seem like nothing more than a quirky party trick. But for some people, being "bendy" can affect far more than flexibility.
Hypermobility simply means that your joints move beyond the range we would typically expect. For many people this causes no problems at all. For others, it can be associated with a build-up of generalised tension, recurring pain, muscle tension, joint instability, fatigue and frequent injuries. At our clinic in Honor Oak, we regularly meet people who have lived with these symptoms for years before anyone joins the dots.
Why can a flexible body feel so tight?
This is one of the most common questions we hear from hypermobile patients.
When your joints have more movement available, your body may rely more heavily on the surrounding muscles and ligaments to provide control and stability. These can become overworked and tense – meaning someone can be extremely flexible and still feel incredibly tight.
Hypermobility can also affect proprioception – your body's awareness of where your joints are in space. This can contribute to clumsiness, poor balance, recurring injuries or difficulty controlling movement towards the end of your joint range.
Hypermobility isn't always a disorder
Having hypermobile joints doesn't automatically mean something is wrong. Plenty of people are naturally flexible and experience no symptoms at all.
For others, hypermobility may form part of a broader condition such as Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). These can involve symptoms beyond the joints and may require appropriate medical assessment alongside musculoskeletal care. Both are connective tissue conditions, meaning the tissue that supports your joints, skin and organs is more stretchy than usual.
Hypermobility becomes a concern when it comes with problems such as:
Recurring joint pain or instability
Muscle fatigue that feels out of proportion to your activity
Frequent injuries, sprains or partial dislocations
Digestive symptoms
Poor balance, coordination difficulties or clumsiness
What you noticeWhat it usually meansFlexible joints, no symptomsNormal variation; no treatment neededFlexible joints, occasional soreness after activityWorth monitoring; gentle strength work may helpRecurring pain, fatigue, instability or injuriesMay point towards HSD or hEDS; worth raising with your GP alongside chiropractic care
Easy bruising, dizziness or fainting when you stand up, and bladder or bowel problems can also go with hypermobility conditions. If you notice these, mention them to your GP.
Why is hypermobility so often missed?
New research from the University of Edinburgh, reported by BBC News, found that people with HSD and hEDS in the UK wait an average of 19 to 21.7 years for a diagnosis. Wales had the longest delays.
Part of the problem is structural rather than personal. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has no dedicated, standalone clinical guideline for diagnosing HSD. Dr Jessica Eccles, a researcher into brain-body interactions in hypermobility, describes the result as a "postcode lottery in terms of where you are and what opportunities are available to you for assessment".
The same research found that under a third of diagnosed patients said their GP had started managing their condition, and only 13% had access to a knowledgeable clinician. In our experience, people often reach a chiropractor after years of being told by several practitioners that nothing specific is wrong.
A note on scope: a chiropractor can assess how hypermobility is affecting your joints, muscles and movement, and help you manage it day to day. Formally diagnosing HSD or hEDS sits with a GP or rheumatologist, and referring you for that assessment is part of doing this properly.
Who is most affected, and what can bring symptoms on?
Dr Eccles says HSD and hEDS seem to affect women more, and links that partly to women's health being less well researched than conditions affecting men.
She also explains that symptoms can come to light or worsen after a stressor. Puberty and menopause are possible examples, and some papers suggest a link to Covid-19. This means someone can carry flexible joints through much of life with few problems, then find things change quite suddenly. If that sounds familiar, mention it to whoever you see. It can explain why symptoms feel new even though the underlying joint laxity has likely always been there.
What can you actually do about it?
Looking after a hypermobile body isn't about trying to make it less flexible. It's about helping it become stronger, more stable and better controlled within the movement it already has.
This might involve improving strength and proprioception, building joint stability, addressing areas that are being overloaded and adapting exercise or everyday movement to work with your body rather than against it.
Dr Stephanie Barrett, a consultant physician and rheumatologist quoted by the BBC, says physiotherapy can help by "toning up and strengthening the key muscles which hold the skeleton together". She also feels that telling people to "just do a bit of physio" is unhelpful. We agree: generic advice rarely helps a hypermobile body, and a plan built around your own pattern of movement usually does.
Emma, one of our chiropractors at Honor Oak Wellness Rooms, specialises in hypermobility and regularly works with hypermobile patients to help them better understand and manage their bodies. You can read more about chiropractic care and meet the team. Emma also works in pre and postnatal care.
Sometimes, understanding why your body behaves the way it does is the first step towards knowing how to look after it.
Ready to Book?
If you're in Honor Oak, Forest Hill or anywhere across SE23 and recognise some of this in yourself, we'd be glad to talk it through. We offer a free 10-minute phone consultation: no obligation, just an honest conversation about whether chiropractic care is the right next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the signs I might be hypermobile in a way that needs attention?
Being able to move a joint further than average isn't a problem in itself. It's worth getting assessed if your flexibility comes with recurring pain, fatigue out of proportion to what you've done, frequent sprains, digestive symptoms, or clumsiness and poor balance. At The Honor Oak Wellness Rooms we start with a full movement assessment before recommending anything.
Q: Can a chiropractor diagnose Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder or hEDS?
Not formally. A diagnosis sits with a GP or rheumatologist, because these conditions can involve more than the joints. A chiropractor can assess how hypermobility affects your movement, help manage related pain and instability, and refer you on if your symptoms suggest one of these conditions.
Q: Why does hypermobility take so long to diagnose in the UK?
University of Edinburgh research reported by BBC News found an average wait of 19 to 21.7 years, partly because NICE has no standalone diagnostic guideline, so access to knowledgeable assessment varies by area. If you've been told repeatedly that nothing is wrong, ask your GP directly about a hypermobility assessment, and consider a chiropractic assessment in the meantime to help manage symptoms.
Q: Can hypermobility symptoms appear suddenly later in life?
Yes. Researchers say symptoms can come to light or worsen after a stressor such as puberty or menopause, and some papers suggest a link to Covid-19. The joint laxity was usually always there, but something has tipped the balance. If this sounds like you, mention it to your GP or get in touch with our clinic in Honor Oak.
Q: Should I just do more stretching?
Not usually. Your joints already move beyond the typical range, so the more useful approach is building strength and control around the joints that are compensating, and retraining your sense of joint position. Gentle mobility work is fine, but a plan built around your own movement pattern helps more than generic stretching.
Q: Do I need a specialist, or is chiropractic enough?
It depends on how you're affected. If your symptoms are mild and manageable, chiropractic support focused on strength and stability may be all you need. If they are significant, affect more than your joints, or you suspect HSD or hEDS, see your GP about a rheumatology referral first. Chiropractic care can then run alongside that.
The Honor Oak Wellness Rooms is a multidisciplinary wellness clinic at 82 Brockley Rise, London SE23 1LN, offering chiropractic care, massage, acupuncture, pre/postnatal care and classes to patients across Honor Oak, Forest Hill, Brockley and East Dulwich. All of our chiropractors are GCC-registered.
Sources: BBC News, "Hypermobility" report; University of Edinburgh research, published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2026.