July 1st, 2024

Managing fatigue and it’s impacts

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes First of all, If you have EDS or HSD and suffer from fatigue, you are not alone.

June 24th, 2024

What is chronic pain?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage”. Pain is considered chronic if it lasts for longer than 3 months (1).

June 17th, 2024

Understanding hypermobility in the neck

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Neck pain is a common issue faced by those of us with hypermobility. Proprioception and muscle endurance of the neck are essential for functional stability (1). This is often lacking in hypermobility due to joint instability, muscle strains, poor posture, and ligament laxity.

June 10th, 2024

Understanding double-jointed elbows

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Why write a whole blog about the elbow joint? Well, the elbow joint is like the knee joint – it is impacted by both the action of the wrist and the shoulder. It is the middleman and often ends up taking the strain for poor mechanics elsewhere.

June 3rd, 2024

Managing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome through Exercise

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes Have you been told to exercise to help manage your EDS or HSD? Perhaps you have been given no instruction on how to exercise with this condition. Or perhaps you’ve been told to just do pilates or go swimming. Or maybe you’ve been sent to a physical therapist who doesn’t understand hypermobility and makes things worse?

May 28th, 2024

Hypermobility and Stretching

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes We know feeling tight is a common experience in hypermobility. When we have looser joints, our muscles often tighten up to try and stabilize. It can feel good at the time to stretch them. We must remember that our muscles are tight for a reason.

May 14th, 2024

Rib subluxations are common in hypermobility

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes I know it can be a common thing in hypermobility and it is very painful. It can make us anxious about exercising as we fear a subluxation.

May 10th, 2024

Sleeping with hypermobility: A comprehensive guide

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes Whilst much of the discussion around hypermobility and EDS focuses on movement, a common source of anxiety, frustration and stress for those living with such conditions comes from the other half of our lives – sleep.

May 1st, 2024

Understanding shoulder hypermobility

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes Almost every client I’ve worked with has problems with their shoulders. 4 in 5 people with symptomatic hypermobility have shoulder problems (1). Even in the general (not necessarily hypermobile) population, it is the most commonly dislocated joint in the body (2).

April 24th, 2024

Understanding flare-ups in EDS

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes Can we ever really be prepared for a flare-up? And when they arrive, how do we manage them? They can be as unpredictable as the rain. You dress for the sun and a sudden downpour arrives. Sometimes we definitely know rain is coming and we can pack an umbrella but sometimes rain, like a flare-up, can appear when the sky seemed so blue. We just weren’t expecting it.

April 17th, 2024

Understanding Hypermobility Foot Mechanics and Pain Management

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes I always start at the feet.

The foot needs to be stable and mobile at the same time for good foot mechanics. It is super important to understand the relationship between the foot and the rest of the body. The foot will impact the knee, hip, lower back, and upwards from there. Even asymptomatic hypermobile feet and ankles can contribute to pain all the way up the body (1).

April 12th, 2024

What is coat hanger pain?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes Coat hanger pain is a pain in the neck and upper back, specifically the suboccipital and paracervical regions. It has been described as a “charley horse” kind of sensation in the back of the neck and shoulders. This pattern mimics the shape of a coat hanger with the hook in the neck and the body spreading out across the upper trapezius muscles and shoulders.