The Zebrastrong Blog

Estimated reading time: 7 minutesWe have compiled this massive Hypermobility gift guide! Hopefully, you can find something for yourself or the hypermobile people in your life.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutesI am often astounded by the choice of words and language that is used with patients about their spines. As therapists and clinicians, we need to be mindful of how we explain things to patients and clients so that we do not create fear, misunderstandings, or a sense of vulnerability.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutesI’ve told the story many times of my first visit with a physiotherapist after the birth of my second son. I was experiencing terrible shoulder pain and loss of power down my left arm. He took one look at me and told me I was hanging off my joints and had a terrible posture. 

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: 9 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).

Estimated reading time: 7 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!).