Prevalence of joint hypermobility in preschool children

Abstract

Joint hypermobility is the ability to perform movements with a range of motion that is wider than normal. This study aimed at establishing the prevalence of joint hypermobility in junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten children from the Municipal Education System of Londrina, Paraná, Brasil. The study was cross-­sectional, with a sample of 366 children aged between 5 and 6 years. The detection of joint hypermobility was based on the criteria proposed in literature. It was found that 198 (54.1%) of the children evaluated had joint hypermobility, 96 (59.6%) were girls and 102 (49.8%) were boys. Joint hypermobility was found more frequently in the elbow and knee joints, where hyperextension occurred. There was no statistically significant difference between the male and female groups in relation to joint hypermobility (χ²=3.539, p=0.072). We can conclude that joint hypermobility found in the junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten children evaluated was common and compatible with the age of the population evaluated in this study.