Hypermobility in Turkish schoolchildren: Musculoskeletal pain, physical activity, balance, and quality of life

Abstract

Aim Joint hypermobility is a term used to describe an excessive range of joint motion. Joint hypermobility can be symptomatic or not. The present study aimed primarily to define the prevalence of joint hypermobility in healthy schoolchildren, and secondly, to determine the relationship between hypermobility and pain, physical activity, joint injury, quality of life, and balance. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study, the joints of 737 schoolchildren, aged 8 to 15 years, were examined according to the Beighton score (BS). Generalized joint hypermobility was defined by using a cut-off point of ≥6 joints. The participants with a BS between 1 and 5 were accepted as localized hypermobile. If the Beighton score was 0, the participants were accepted as non-hypermobile. Participants were evaluated using questionnaires or tests for pain, balance, physical activity, and quality of life. Results The 350 (47.5%) males and 387 (52.5%) females had a mean age of 11.47 ± 1.3 (8-15) years. The prevalence of generalized hypermobility was 13.4%, and we observed localized hypermobility in 65.9% of children and non-hypermobility in 20.6% of children. The most common pain localizations in children were neck (15.9%), lower back (13.7%), upper back (10.6%), shoulders (10.2%), and knees (7.9%). There was no association between pain and hypermobility in children aged 8 to 15 years. Conclusion The generalized joint hypermobility group was younger, shorter, and thinner than other groups. Additionally, we observed that hypermobility did not make a difference in terms of pain, quality of life, physical capacity, and balance in school-age Turkish children.

Keywords

• denge
• yaralanma
• eklem hipermobilitesi
• ağrı
• yaşam kalitesi
• fiziksel aktivite
• balance
• injury
• joint hypermobility
• pain
• quality of life
• physical activity