The Zebrastrong Blog

Estimated reading time: 7 minutesI met my first osteoporosis client back when I first started teaching. As part of my initial Pilates training, I’d taken additional courses in how to work with osteoporosis so I was able to safely modify exercises for her during a Pilates mat class. Now it is something I regularly receive questions about.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutesIt is important to remember that whilst pregnancy can be challenging for some people with hEDS, many people have healthy pregnancies. If you have an hEDS diagnosis, it can help ensure you receive extra attention and individualized care.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutesIt is important to remember that most children are hypermobile – this does not mean they have a syndrome or connective tissue disorder. Hypermobility can be asymptomatic, and does not mean joints are unstable. Children under the age of six will not be assessed for any hypermobility syndrome as it is a normal part of life and hypermobility can decrease as they age. If however, after this age problems persist, it is worth investigating further. 

Estimated reading time: 8 minutesLateral ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries that occur with activities and recreation in the general population (not considering hypermobility). Up to 70% of people that sprain their ankle have recurring ankle sprains and chronic symptoms (1). I find this is a common issue in the hypermobile population and something I often address with my clients.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutesMy first real client introduction to dysautonomia and in this case Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) was back in 2013 when I had a lady join one of my group classes. She told me she would not be able to do any exercises that involved raising her arms above her head as she would faint. She could mitigate this if she was holding a weight in her hands – that would stop the fainting. This makes sense – the autonomic nervous system (ANS) affects blood pressure regulation and blood flow. 

Estimated reading time: 6 minutesWhen I started teaching Pilates mat classes back in 2008, one of the very first clients who joined my classes had scoliosis. I learnt from day one how to work with scoliosis and what was best for this condition (she is still my client today 16 years later, so hopefully I did OK!).

Estimated reading time: 6 minutesI’ve asked Dr. Leslie Russek, scientific advisor to The Zebra Club, to collaborate to learn about nociplastic pain and how to regulate a sensitized nervous system.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutesDo you wake up stiff, tight, and maybe even in pain in the morning? I hear this so often from the hypermobile community. Often during the night, the lack of movement can lead to some tight fascia. If we can get the fascia hydrated with some gentle movement or dynamic stretching we can free up that stiffness and get things gliding.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutesI received my diagnosis of hypermobile EDS because of MCAS, which is probably not the usual route. Back in 2016, I started having a number of symptoms that no doctor could explain. One of the main symptoms was repeated bladder infections and bladder irritability. This went on for 18 months, along with other symptoms like headaches, flushing, rashes, and increased sensitivity to foods and smells I had previously tolerated. I was becoming sicker and sicker with repeated infections and inflammation.