We report four patients with a form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome associated with soft-tissue contractures from birth and skin hyperalgesia. In early infancy, these cases were thought to be forms of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Larsen's syndrome or Marfan's syndrome. The characteristic triad of signs of Ehlers-Danlos disease gradually appeared from four to six years of age, allowing us to establish the correct diagnosis. We discuss the differential diagnosis of these connective-tissue disorders and the problems of the orthopaedic treatment of the associated joint deformities. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a heterogeneous group of metabolic diseases of collagen and our cases constitute a group which is distinct from the conventional types.