Loose Joints & Arthritis in Maturity

Loose joints are hypermobile joints---they let a person's joints move far beyond the normal range of motion. Generally, this condition lessens with age but that's not always the case.

Identification

• Hypermobile joints reportedly can result in pain and secondary osteoarthritis as well as a higher likelihood of sprains and dislocations. If you are suffering from hypermobility syndrome, your ligaments are weak and loose and can't provide proper joint stability, according to Dr. Edward R. Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic.

Considerations

• Joint hypermobility, on occasion, is an indication of Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, particularly if it is accompanied by joint pain.

Outcome

• Arthritis.org explains that hypermobility can result in chronic limb and joint pain as well as joint dislocations in the knees, fingers, toes, and elbows.

On the Other Hand ...

• On the other hand, hypermobility or joint laxity may lessen your chances of acquiring osteoarthritis in your hands and other joints as you age because the double-joint may protect your hands. Although there are reports that hypermobility may increase the chances of osteoarthritis, it was reported in the 2004 July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism that the opposite may be true.

Features

• Dr. Virgina Byers Krause, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, explains that the hypermobile joint is under less daily stress than a joint that is not hypermobile so arthritis and the accompanying pain may be less likely to occur.