We recently had a conversation in The Zebra Club community about flares which led to an important question – how do you even define what a flare is? While I think this will be different for everyone, I think a flare-up is usually a temporary worsening of symptoms. Flares could last for a day or months, but we see a return to baseline. I used to think flare-ups only happened after physical perceived over-exertion. But I now know and see how they can also happen with mental exertion, psychological stress, stressful live events, hormones, and even seasonal weather changes. Not much research exist ..read more

There are two major foot movements that we need to be able to do for healthy foot mechanics – pronation and supination. Pronation sees a flattening of the foot and internal rotation of bones. Supination sees a lifting of the arches and external rotation of bones. Research shows that people with joint hypermobility syndrome can have multiple alterations in walking patterns including reduced walking speed, altered stepping patterns, and stiffened joint movement when walking (probably an effort to avoid pain or protect the joint) (2). This points to a need for gait training and learning how to ef ..read more

Increased self-compassion is linked to less stress, depression, and anxiety (1) Kristen Neff describes it as “a practice in which we learn to be a good friend to ourselves when we need it most – to become an inner ally rather than an inner enemy (2).” It is “being open to and moved by one’s own suffering, experiencing feelings of caring and kindness toward oneself, taking an understanding, nonjudgmental attitude toward one’s inadequacies and failures, and recognizing that one’s experience is part of the common human experience”(3). People who are high in self-compassion treat themselves with k ..read more

Headaches are a frequent complaint among my hypermobile clients and The Zebra Club community. In a recent retrospective study of patients with either hEDS/HSD or another form of EDS, 66% had head and neck problems including headaches, neck pain, facial pain, neck instability, or a combination of these (1). Headache has also been characterized as “one of the most common and disabling types of pain in hEDS (2). The recent National Health Service guidelines on migraine management report that migraines may be responsible for many more symptoms than simply a headache. It is in fact considered an in ..read more

Lots of people with connective tissue disorders experience the world differently. This is more than just anecdotal reports from the hypermobile community – there is a growing body of evidence that Neurodivergence is quite common in hypermobility and EDS. Hypermobility has been linked to Autism, ADHD, and more. Let’s explore this connection. What is Hypermobility? At a basic level, hypermobility is the ability of joints to stretch beyond the normal range of motion. Being hypermobile doesn’t necessarily mean someone has a connective tissue disorder like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or Hypermobil ..read more

Pose Exertional Malaise seems to be a hot topic right now. PEM is a cardinal symptom of ME/CFS. While fatigue is very common in my hypermobile patients, the fatigue experienced with ME/CFS can be different. I know, I have ME/CFS myself as do many of The Zebra Club members. I asked Emily Rich to explain more about PEM and how it may change the approach to exercise. What are the symptoms of PEM The most common symptoms of PEM include swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, orthostatic intolerance, cognitive impairment, and disabling fatigue. Is PEM the same as fatigue? No ..read more

What is Fascia? The fascial system surrounds, interweaves between, and interpenetrates all organs, muscles, bones, and nerve fibers, endowing the body with structure and providing an environment that enables all body systems to operate in an interconnected manner (Schleip et al, 2019) I like to think of this three-dimensional sheet of connective tissue like clingfilm – wrapping around, separating different layers, and protecting various tissues in the body. At the cellular level, fascia is extracellular matrix (ECM) and some cells, mainly fibroblasts. The ECM consists of fibers – mainly collag ..read more

First of all, If you have EDS or HSD and suffer from fatigue, you are not alone. When we began to analyse the responses in our study on the IMM using my Strengthen Your Hypermobile Core video series with Dr. Russek and Jane Simmonds, we found that fatigue was one of the biggest barriers to movement (along with pain). We really believe that fatigue and hypermobility need more attention so that this is taken into account when prescribing exercises and rehabilitation to EDS / HSD patients. What causes fatigue in hypermobility and EDS? Hakim et al attribute the chronic fatigue found in hEDS t ..read more

Through my movement therapy and regular movement practice, I no longer had hypermobility related pain and discomfort. But the perimenopause came with all sorts of triggers that appeared to be giving me new, uncomfortable symptoms and making older symptoms flare up again. Almost overnight, pain returned to my joints and muscles, headaches and migraines took on a whole new level and most distressing of all was experiencing repeated bladder infections and inflammation, that my GP was unable to help with. I was at a total loss physically and my mental health was taking a toll. But why did the meno ..read more

Please do shop around – provided links are used as examples, many members tend to find acceptable and often cheaper alternatives on Amazon. Pro tip from Ambassador Bethany: If buying from Amazon, make sure they are returnable! You can find a few variations to get it right. Comfort Gifts We all deserve to feel comfortable! Here are some community favourites to find comfort and soothing in our day-to-day.  1. Earplugs US: Loops UK: Loops 2. Noise Cancelling Headphones US: Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones UK: Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones 3. Seat Cushion US: Cushion Lab Seat Cushion (So many fu ..read more