Do You Think You Are Hypermobile and What the Beighton Score Can Tell You
Do you think you are hypermobile? Maybe your elbows or knees have always bent farther than other people's. Maybe you were called double jointed as a child. Or perhaps a physiotherapist mentioned hypermobility after a pattern of sprains, instability, or unexplained joint pain.
One common screen is called the Beighton Score. It is quick, widely used, and easy to misunderstand. The score can identify signs of generalized joint hypermobility. It cannot tell you by itself whether you have hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a hypermobility spectrum disorder, or any other diagnosis.
What the Beighton Score measures
The Beighton Score looks at five movements and awards up to nine points. Four movements are checked on both the left and right sides, and one movement is checked once.[1]
Little fingers that extend beyond 90 degrees, one point for each side
Thumbs that can be moved to touch the forearm, one point for each side
Elbows that extend beyond 10 degrees, one point for each side
Knees that extend beyond 10 degrees, one point for each side
Placing both palms flat on the floor with the knees straight, one point
Joint angles are best measured by a trained clinician using a goniometer when needed. Do not force a joint into an extreme position to chase a point, especially if the movement is painful or feels unstable.
What counts as a positive screen
The Ehlers Danlos Society lists age related thresholds for a positive Beighton screen: at least 6 out of 9 before puberty, at least 5 out of 9 for adults through age 50, and at least 4 out of 9 for adults over 50.[1] Mobility often changes with age, injury, surgery, training history, and other factors, so the number needs context.
A positive score suggests generalized joint hypermobility. It does not mean that hypermobility is causing a problem. Many people are hypermobile without pain, instability, or loss of function and do not need treatment.[2]
Why the score is only a screen
The Beighton Score samples a small group of joints. It does not assess the shoulders, jaw, neck, wrists, hips, ankles, feet, or toes. Someone can have important hypermobility outside the tested joints and still receive a lower score.[2]
The score also does not measure pain, fatigue, recurrent injury, proprioception, or the effect of symptoms on daily life. A useful assessment therefore includes your history and the joints or activities that actually concern you.
The Beighton Score does not diagnose hEDS
This distinction matters. Under the current 2017 criteria, generalized joint hypermobility is only one part of an adult hEDS evaluation. The clinician must also assess other features, family history, and musculoskeletal complications, and must rule out alternative diagnoses that can explain the findings.[3]
There is currently no laboratory test that confirms hEDS. Diagnosis is clinical and should be made by a qualified healthcare professional who is able to take a complete medical history, perform the examination, and consider other conditions. HSD is also diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, and exclusion of other causes.[4]
The international hEDS and HSD criteria are under review. The Ehlers Danlos Society has announced that updated diagnostic guidance is planned for 2027. As of September 2026, the 2017 adult hEDS criteria remain the published standard referenced by the Society.[5]
What to do with your result
Treat the result as information, not a verdict. If you score below the threshold but have symptoms or instability in joints that the screen does not test, discuss that history with a qualified clinician. If you score above the threshold but feel well and function normally, the number alone does not create a disorder.
Consider a medical assessment when hypermobility is accompanied by recurrent dislocations or subluxations, significant or worsening pain, repeated injuries, unusual skin or tissue features, unexplained fainting or cardiovascular symptoms, or a family history that raises concern. Urgent or severe symptoms require prompt medical care.
How the screen can help with training
A Beighton Score can start a useful coaching conversation, but it should not become a label that limits everything you do. For fitness training, I am more interested in how you control a movement, what positions feel stable, how you recover, and what you want your body to do in real life.
Hypermobility aware training often emphasizes controlled range, strength around the joints, body awareness, and gradual progression. The Ehlers Danlos Society recommends exercises that focus on movement control and stabilizing muscles, with low initial loads and a slow increase in volume or resistance.[6]
A screen can start the conversation
At J Fitness and Training in Edmonton, I can observe how you move and coach exercise that matches your present ability. I cannot diagnose hEDS or HSD. If your history or symptoms suggest that a medical assessment would help, I will encourage you to involve the appropriate healthcare professional and can train within the guidance they provide.
Scope note This article provides general education. It is not a self diagnosis tool and does not replace medical assessment.
References
1. The Ehlers Danlos Society. Assessing Joint Hypermobility. Accessed 28 September 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/assessing-joint-hypermobility/
2. The Ehlers Danlos Society. What is HSD. Accessed 28 September 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-hsd/
3. The Ehlers Danlos Society. Diagnostic Criteria for Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome hEDS. 2017. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/hEDS-Dx-Criteria-checklist-1.pdf
4. The Ehlers Danlos Society. Diagnostic Criteria. Accessed 28 September 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/diagnosis/
5. The Ehlers Danlos Society. The Road to 2026 A Path Toward Progress. Accessed 28 September 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/road-to-2026/
6. The Ehlers Danlos Society. Physical Therapy. Accessed 28 September 2026. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/physical-therapy/
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