Beighton Score Calculator

The Beighton score is a quick clinical screening tool for generalized joint hypermobility. It assigns one point for each side of four paired maneuvers and one point for placing both palms flat on the floor with knees straight, producing a total from zero to nine. The maneuvers assess passive dorsiflexion of the fifth fingers, thumb apposition to the forearm, elbow hyperextension, knee hyperextension, and forward trunk flexion. The result helps organize observations during evaluation for hypermobility spectrum disorders, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, and related musculoskeletal complaints. This calculator uses a deterministic sum of nine binary inputs. Enter 1 when the maneuver is present and 0 when it is absent. It then compares the total with common age-based cutoffs: children and adolescents use a cutoff of 6, adults through age 50 use 5, and adults over 50 use 4. These thresholds reflect the fact that flexibility is generally greater in younger people and may decline with age. Local protocols, specialty guidelines, and patient context may use different thresholds. Technique is important. Fifth finger extension is assessed beyond 90 degrees at the metacarpophalangeal joint. Thumb apposition is positive when the thumb can passively touch the flexor aspect of the forearm. Elbow and knee maneuvers are positive when hyperextension exceeds 10 degrees. The palms-to-floor maneuver is positive only when both palms rest flat on the floor while the knees remain straight. Pain, injury, surgery, neurologic disease, training, and examiner force can all affect the assessment. A high Beighton score does not diagnose Ehlers-Danlos syndrome by itself. Diagnosis requires a broader history and examination, including symptoms such as chronic pain, recurrent sprains, dislocations, skin features, family history, fatigue, autonomic symptoms, and exclusion of other conditions. Conversely, a low score does not rule out localized hypermobility, prior hypermobility that has decreased with age, or clinically meaningful instability in a specific joint. Use this tool to make the arithmetic transparent and reproducible. Document which maneuvers were positive, whether testing was limited by pain or injury, and why further referral or monitoring is needed. Patients with significant pain, recurrent dislocations, neurologic symptoms, cardiovascular concerns, or suspected inherited connective tissue disease should be assessed by qualified healthcare professionals.