The ability to stand from a sitting position improved to a lesser extent in JHS patients, compared with those without the disorder.
However, the JHS patients had returned to baseline at 3 months' follow-up. The same was true for the ability to step up. Likewise, pain scores had not improved in the JHS group at 3 months, and those without the disorder showed marked improvement.
But physiotherapy can still be an important component of JHS treatment, he said.
The ideal program would focus on developing core and peripheral stability, improving general posture, and improving proprioception. The pace of physiotherapy should take tissue fragility into account, because injuries in JHS patients can take longer to heal, and many patients need special care to overcome their fear of movement.
JHS can involve various symptoms, all in the presence of general joint laxity.
Skin abnormalities such as excessive stretching of the skin are typical. Photos courtesy Dr. Alan J. Hakim
Five Questions Identify JHS
Can you now (or could you ever) place your hands flat on the floor without bending your knees?
Can you now (or could you ever) bend your thumb to touch your forearm?
As a child, did you amuse your friends by contorting your body into strange shapes, or could you do the splits?
As a child or teenager, did your shoulder or kneecap dislocate on more than one occasion?
Do you consider yourself double-jointed?
Source: Dr. Hakim