Beyond bendy joints: understanding the impact of hypermobility

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By Caroline Williams

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jessica Eccles co-leads the world’s first neurodivergent brain-body clinic. She explains why hypermobility is a whole-body condition – and what every GP needs to understand about it

Joint hypermobility affects as many as one in five people but has historically been under-recognised and misunderstood. In recent years research has started to provide a clearer picture of the many ways that the condition can affect health, and at the same time – thanks to social media coverage and celebrity diagnoses – awareness of the condition has been growing, meaning doctors are likely to see a rise in patients asking for guidance and support.

There are so many things associated with hypermobility. It's much more than bendy joints and party tricks

Dr Jessica Eccles, a consultant psychiatrist with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Neurodevelopmental Service and a reader in Brain-Body Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in Brighton, has studied hypermobility for more than 15 years.