Abstract
To explore the correlation between joint hypermobility and risk of musculoskeletal injuries in a university-aged population.
Cross-sectional study using an anonymous survey.
Anatomy & Physiology lab.
816 undergraduate Anatomy & Physiology students at a university in the United States.
Beighton score, self-reported musculoskeletal injuries.
Athletically active study respondents reported more musculoskeletal injuries than respondents who indicated not being athletically active. Female respondents had lower rates of self-reported injuries than male respondents (55.4% vs. 65.5%; p = 0.0099; odds ratio: 1.53). The most commonly reported injury type for both women and men were quadriceps, groin and hamstring injuries. Neither male nor female respondents with generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) or localized joint hypermobility (LJH) reported higher rates of musculoskeletal injuries.
Athletically active young adults are at greater risk for sustaining musculoskeletal injuries; however, there is no additional increase in injury risk for young people with GJH or LJH.
•Female participants had higher rates of GJH and LJH than male participants•Survey participants who considered themselves to be athletically active reported higher rates of musculoskeletal injuries than respondents who indicated they were not athletically active•There was no difference in the proportion of respondents classified within different categories of Beighton scores (categories: 0; 1–4; 5–9) and reported rates of injury regardless of whether participants were athletically active or not