Is double-jointed a real thing or not?

Question

when i was a little kid people would call some other kids double-jointed but when i got a little older i heard that double-jointed was not real at all and so i thought it was just a kid's myth. i never really understood what it meant so i thought it was probably a myth.

i doubt that it means some people actually have two sets of joints and i thought it just implied flexibility.

what exactly is 'double-jointed'? is it real?

i read a blog and he called michael phelps double-jointed and that's why i'm asking.

Answer 1

The term "double-jointed" is not accurate at all, but is often used to describe people who have joint hypermobility syndrome.

"he joint hypermobility syndrome is a condition that features joints that easily move beyond the normal range expected for a particular joint. The joint hypermobility syndrome is considered a benign condition. It is estimated that 10%-15% of normal children have hypermobile joints, or joints that can move beyond the normal range of motion. There is a tendency of the condition to run in families (familial). It is felt that certain genes are inherited that predispose to the development of hypermobile joints. Genes that are responsible for the production of collagen, an important protein that helps to glue tissues together, are suspected of playing a role.

Joint hypermobility is also a feature of a rare, but more significant medical condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that is characterized by weakness of the connective tissues of the body. This condition is inherited in specific genes passed on by parents to their children." (1)

Joint hypermobility syndrome runs in my family. My father could turn his legs around so that both feet were facing backwards (the toes pointing back, and the heels forward). This is hypermobility of the knees. I can do the same thing, and sometimes do it just to freak people out.

I can also touch the tip of my thumb to my forearm, which is hypermobility of the wrist.

My brother can wrap his  right arm all the way around behind his head and under his chin and touch his right ear from the front...this is hypermobility of the shulder joint. He can do the same with his left arm, of course, and can also stick both his feet behind his head without any strain...hypermobility of the hips. He doesn't have hypermobility of the knees, though...can't turn his feet backwards.

So, no, double-jointed does not mean you have two joints instead of one...but it does exist.

Hope that answers your question!

Answer 2

It is rare but some people are born with joints that bend both ways (elbows and knees)  contortionists in circuses and acts have perfected using this to put on "shows"  most just behave normally.  Some people who are exceptionally "limber" in dancing are called double jointed but they might not be truely double jointed.

Answer 3

I'm "double jointed" and I know that people do NOT have 2 sets of joints.

But are just very flexible.

If  person is called double jointed their just simply, flexible.