Turns Out There's No Such Thing As Being 'Double Jointed' - Here's What's Really Going On

“Double-jointed” isn’t a medical condition, doctors say. Board-certified podiatrist and foot-and-ankle surgeon Dr. Maryellen Brucato told HuffPost that people don’t have extra joints; the term usually refers to hypermobility—when joints move beyond the typical range. Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Dr. Jacques Courseault, also an assistant professor at Tulane University School of Medicine, said patients have the same skeletal structure as everyone else, but greater mobility due to differences in supportive connective tissues. Sports medicine physician Dr. Hunter Rafoth noted hypermobility often involves subluxations, where a joint can be pushed out of socket and back. Prevalence is estimated around 1 in 10 to 1 in 3, measured with a nine-point Beighton score.