Hypermobility syndrome amongst an Egyptian male population

Abstract EN

Three Thousand Egyptian male students who applied to join the Egyptian Airforce, were examined from the locomotory point of view.

One hundred and thirty three subjects were excluded because they were either athletes, swimmers or had ankylosing spondylitis or Marfan syndrome.

Joint hypermobility was determined according to Beighton et al.

(1973) who scored its degree on a scale from 0 to 9.

Subjects whose score was 4-9 were considered as having joint hypermobility (group B).

It proved that 9.1 % of 2867 Egyptian male students had hypermobility syndrome.

The passive dorsiflexion of the little finger beyond 90o was the most prominent criterion of the syndrome.

Joint hypermobility was found to be less on the dominant side.

In hypermobility syndrome, joint pain (14.5 %) ligamentous sprain (10.6 %), flat foot (12.5 %), and chondromalacia patellae with knee effusion (8.7 %) were more common than in the control group.

But, dislocation of the shoulder, unilateral or bilateral, (2.7 %) and spinal deformity mainly scoliosis (10 %) were common.