Benign joint hypermobility syndrome: evaluation, diagnosis, and management

Benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS) is a connective tissue disorder with hypermobility in which musculoskeletal symptoms occur in the absence of systemic rheumatologic disease. Although BJHS has been well recognized in the rheumatology and orthopedic literature, it has not been discussed in the family medicine literature. Because most patients with musculoskeletal complaints are first seen by family physicians, it behooves primary care physicians to be familiar with recognizing and diagnosing BJHS. When patients with this syndrome are first seen by a physician, their chief complaint is joint pain, so BJHS can be easily overlooked and not considered in the differential diagnosis. Use of the Brighton criteria facilitates the diagnosis of BJHS. Treatment modalities include patient education, activity modification, stretching and strengthening exercises for the affected joint, and osteopathic manipulative treatment.