Joint hyperlaxity and musculoligamentous lesions: study of a population of homogeneous age, sex and physical exertion.

A total of 675 male soldiers of the same age (17 years) and on the same physical exertion regimen were studied in order to determine the incidence of joint laxity and its potential relationship to the appearance of musculoligamentous lesions. They were investigated during their 2-month military training period, which involved the same heavy physical exertion for all the individuals. The degree of joint laxity was determined on the basis of five criteria involving the hand, elbow, knee and spine. The overall population was divided into three groups according to the number of criteria met, namely: (1) normal or non-lax individuals, with none or only one criterion (67% of the studied population); (2) lax individuals, with two or three criteria (25.5%); and (3) hyperlax individuals, with four or five criteria (7.5%). The occurrence of musculoligamentous lesions during the 2-month study, particularly those involving the ankle and knee, was significantly more frequent in hyperlax and lax individuals than it was in their counterparts with normal joint mobility. These results confirm that joint hyperlaxity predisposes individuals to musculoligamentous lesions.