Do hypermobile subjects without pain have alteration to the feedback mechanisms controlling the shoulder girdle?

Objectives: It has been reported that hypermobile subjects have proprioceptive deficits. However, it remains unclear whether pain‐free subjects with hypermobility also have deficits. Methods: Ten subjects with hypermobility and nine without hypermobility were recruited following ethical approval and informed consent. Shoulder mobility, joint position sense (JPS) and a reflex of trapezius evoked from arm afferents were compared. Results: There was greater shoulder mobility in the hypermobile group ( p = 0.004). There were no differences in shoulder JPS between the groups ( p = 0.27), although, the hypermobile group displayed a larger degree of variability ( p = 0.014). Finally, there were no differences in the latency of upper and lower trapezius reflexes evoked from arm afferents ( p = 0.86 and 0.98, respectively). Conclusions: In a group of people with hypermobility without shoulder problems, there was no difference in either shoulder JPS or reflex latency when compared with a non‐ hypermobile group. The relevance of pain to proprioceptive deficits is discussed. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.