# Down’s Syndrome strength **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256 "2021-03-19T19:19:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/1 "2021-03-19T19:19:58Z")
Do people with Down’s syndrome have incredible strength? because a person you know almost had his wrist turned over by a child with Down’s syndrome only 8 years old ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/2 "2021-03-19T19:27:03Z")
I’m no expert, but my understanding is most people with Down Syndrome have low muscle tone and are weaker than average. Someone else can provide the correct medical reason for this. I would probably get that part wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/3 "2021-03-19T19:30:01Z")
> [@](#): > > The most common musculoskeletal effects of **Down syndrome** include **weak muscle tone** ( **hypotonia** ) and ligaments that are too loose (ligament laxity). This leads to excessive joint flexibility. I knew about the poor muscle tone before (from going to camp as a kid and dealing with some children with that condition) but I learned a bit more today. Source: [Down Syndrome: Musculoskeletal Effects - OrthoInfo - AAOS](https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/down-syndrome-musculoskeletal-effects) I do not believe this is the case with every person with Down’s syndrome. It appears the child you are talking about doesn’t have that, and given the level of strength might grow up to be an athlete. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/4 "2021-03-19T19:32:36Z")
Any given person is actually quite a bit physically stronger then they themselves believe, primarily because they will experience intense pain when they begin to approach their physical limit. People with Down’s syndrome typically have a reduced or delayed pain response, so they may keep flexing well beyond the point that a “normal” person would stop. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/5 "2021-03-19T19:41:46Z")
My mom worked with special needs kids in school. She would talk about how surprisingly strong some of the kids would seem to be, too. It’s why it could be so hard to contain a single kid if he had violent outbursts. The thing is, our bodies are stronger than we think, but we tend to hold back because we know it will hurt. An example of this: go ahead and try to bite your tongue. It’s really hard to do, right? But surely you’ve done it on accident before, and seen how bad it can hurt. The theory then is that these kids just don’t hold back. They don’t anticipate that it will hurt them. Heck, in the case of those with severe autism or physiological disorders, they may even process the pain differently. Not only does this let them bypass what normally holds us back, but repeated use can even allow them to build up strength faster than expected. ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/6 "2021-03-24T18:22:29Z")
how to explain this? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qapYCWtJVXg/hqdefault.jpg "Down Syndrome Incredible Squat") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qapYCWtJVXg) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/7 "2021-03-24T18:31:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > An example of this: go ahead and try to bite your tongue. It’s really hard to do, right? But surely you’ve done it on accident before, and seen how bad it can hurt. The tongue is just a piece of raw meat. I’ve seen a video of a person having a grand-mal epileptic seizure; they managed to bite all the way through their tongue (yes, there was a _lot_ of blood). So yes, the strength of our muscles in general exceeds what we usually ask of them. ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/8 "2021-03-24T18:46:28Z")
Does this mean that people with intellectual disabilities such as Down’s syndrome and severe autism have no limits? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/9 "2021-03-24T19:00:23Z")
No-It means you found a You Tube video. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/10 "2021-03-24T19:11:44Z")
Everyone has limits, even if the limit is damage rather than pain. (For instance, if you damage your leg but keep running, eventually you’ll damage it so much you cannot run because the leg will no longer operate, even if for some reason you aren’t feeling pain.) Furthermore many people with Down’s syndrome have poor muscle tone, and not every person with Down’s syndrome or autism can ignore pain. Indeed, not feeling pain is more of a disability than a special ability. And some people with autism seem to have sharper senses, so maybe they would feel more pain. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/11 "2021-03-24T19:17:00Z")
> [@Red59145](#): > > how to explain this? What do you think this video demonstrates? ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/12 "2021-03-24T19:56:22Z")
why do some people say that people with Down’s syndrome are very strong even though they have weak weak muscle tone? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/13 "2021-03-24T20:02:45Z")
Who says this? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/14 "2021-03-24T20:33:52Z")
Well, @Red59145 says it. Why he says it, you’d have to ask him. ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/15 "2021-03-24T21:15:54Z")
my question is: can you have strength even if you have low muscle tone like people with Down’s syndrome? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/16 "2021-03-24T21:21:08Z")
I believe the original question was: > [@Red59145](#): > > Do people with Down’s syndrome have incredible strength? And there have been answers in this thread concerning atrophied muscles and the ability to feel pain. What answer are you wanting to see? ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/17 "2021-03-24T21:50:28Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LgTHY3HOj7g/maxresdefault.jpg "Nate “Rock” Quarry vs. Jacob “The Snake” Beckmann") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgTHY3HOj7g) are people with Down’s syndrome very strong? . I would like to have someone’s opinion on this video ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/18 "2021-03-24T21:56:08Z")
^^^You know that was staged, right? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/19 "2021-03-24T22:04:23Z")
I kind of feel like the OP is asking if “[retard strength](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Retard%20strength)” is an actual thing. ---
**Author:** ![Red59145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Red59145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red59145)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256/20 "2021-03-24T22:07:24Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/h7ETbvCXqag/maxresdefault.jpg "Wrestling manager with Down syndrome wins first-ever match") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ETbvCXqag) What do you think of this video ? is it rigged? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-s-syndrome-strength/938256.md?page=2)