June 3rd, 2024

Managing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome through Exercise

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?

April 17th, 2024

Understanding Hypermobility Foot Mechanics and Pain Management

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).

October 15th, 2023

The 3 Types of Hypermobility Pain by Dr. Leslie Russek

Pain is a signal from your brain that it perceives danger. There are 3 types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, and neoplastic.

April 4th, 2023

Thanks for sticking with me when things got tough

“Thanks for sticking with me when things go tough”. I received this at the end of an email from a lovely EDS client. I work with some very complex cases. There are always going to be ups and downs. A condition like EDS or HSD is never linear. I am prepared for the unexpected.

November 8th, 2022

Should I Squeeze my Glutes when I exercise with hypermobility?

Squeezing, pushing, pulling – all words I try to avoid when teaching my hypermobile clients. Why – because they tend to put more tension into the body rather than helping someone move with ease and less pain.

October 11th, 2022

Relationships and Chronic Pain

I recently did a post about pain management. Someone raised the question on the post of ‘how can I communicate my pain to my partner effectively?’

May 19th, 2022

The Lonely Chronic Illness Life

Living with a chronic illness can sometimes be lonely. It can be difficult for friends and family to really understand how we are feeling and why we don’t ‘get better’. It drives me crazy when people say ‘you just need a good night sleep’ – like it’s a miracle cure.

April 18th, 2022

What people don’t see when you live with a chronic illness

What’s it like when you go out out – if you do go out out? Is there a lot of preparation and organisation involved? I have friends who don’t have EDS or chronic illness. They fill their weekends with activities from morning till night – doing multiple things in one day. And they don’t seem that tired.

January 25th, 2022

Living with Ehlers-Danlos – A Life in Two Halves

Like many of us, I used to see my life in two halves. Pre motherhood, I lived with symptoms on a daily basis like muscular pain, daily migraines, digestive issues (diagnosed as IBS aged 12). I thought everyone had issues every day.

November 4th, 2020

Join my new podcast – Finding Your Range. Hypermobility and Chronic Pain Uncovered.

I never imagined I would be speaking openly on social media and interviews about my pelvic floor history or recurrent UTIs due to mast cell activation. My upbringing was such that certain things are private and definitely not a topic of conversation. And yet here I am. The reality is this is what life can be like with a condition like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

September 14th, 2020

The Neglected Stress Impact of a Chronic Illness

“Psychological factors can trigger a breathing pattern that might be appropriate to an emergency situation, when no such emergency exists”. This is an extract from a book on breathing pattern disorders. I became so interested in breathing patterns the more I worked with our hypermobile community. It’s now a passion of mine and it is why breathing is the number one principle in my Integral Movement Method for Hypermobility. Breathing comes first. Movement second.

April 16th, 2020

Home exercise has never been easier

I hope you are safe and well during these unusual, challenging times.

I have been thinking of ways I could help to keep you active and enjoying movement safely at home. I am sure your regular exercise activities and classes are closed. Where do we turn for reliable, safe and effective information for chronic pain or hypermobility issues?