I have had a few people comment on my last blog post about the Beighton Hypermobilty Score and ask, what does a low score mean? Well I thought I would answer this in my next blog post, so here it goes.
The test was a test for hypermobility, If you scored low on the test, it means that you are unlikely to be hypermobile. The test simply checks the motion of certain joints but not all joints. It doesn’t look at the shoulders, the cervical spine, the jaw etc. You can have some joints that are more mobile than others. The test is simply an indication of hypermobile joints. If you scored a '0' with the little fingers, thumbs, elbows and knees that is fine, it means those joints are not hypermobile. It is the last test that interests me the most.
The test was a test for hypermobility, If you scored low on the test, it means that you are unlikely to be hypermobile. The test simply checks the motion of certain joints but not all joints. It doesn’t look at the shoulders, the cervical spine, the jaw etc. You can have some joints that are more mobile than others. The test is simply an indication of hypermobile joints. If you scored a '0' with the little fingers, thumbs, elbows and knees that is fine, it means those joints are not hypermobile. It is the last test that interests me the most.
Within the Beighton Hypermobility Score the test that I am most interested in is the one where you lean forward with straight legs and try to put you hands flat on the ground. I don’t expect people to get hands flat on the ground but you should be able to get fingertips on the ground or at least get close to the ground. This movement is something most people should be able to do. It is a simple test of spinal flexibility, hamstring flexibility, general stability and much more.
If you were doing the hypermobility test and got nowhere near the ground on the forward bend, I would suggest it is something you need to work on. You would expect children to be reasonably flexible but I have seen many kids who are extremely inflexible. It is not just an ‘age thing’. To me this is a bit scary, if children are this stiff at a young age, what will they be like when they are older?
With the amount of sitting people do these days, we often get tight hamstrings, lower back, mid back, hips, hip flexors etc etc. These can all cause a reduced forward bend. You need to ask yourself:
If you have restriction with a simple forward bend and want to improve it, you can call me or your spinal health professional to have it assessed and get started on your road to better mobility. The best time to start is now.
If you like the content of these blogs please hit the like button below. Thank you.
If you were doing the hypermobility test and got nowhere near the ground on the forward bend, I would suggest it is something you need to work on. You would expect children to be reasonably flexible but I have seen many kids who are extremely inflexible. It is not just an ‘age thing’. To me this is a bit scary, if children are this stiff at a young age, what will they be like when they are older?
With the amount of sitting people do these days, we often get tight hamstrings, lower back, mid back, hips, hip flexors etc etc. These can all cause a reduced forward bend. You need to ask yourself:
- What is stopping you from comfortably bending forward and getting close to the ground?
- Is it tight hamstrings?
- Is it a locked up back?
- Are you hips too tight?
- Is your balance not good enough?
- Do you not have the stability to do the motion easily?
- Do you have degeneration of joints restricting full movement?
If you have restriction with a simple forward bend and want to improve it, you can call me or your spinal health professional to have it assessed and get started on your road to better mobility. The best time to start is now.
If you like the content of these blogs please hit the like button below. Thank you.
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