The 3 Fundamental Movements for Hypermobility
Learn the 3 ESSENTIAL movements every hypermobile human needs to master to feel strong, stable and in control of their body so they can experience less pain and fewer subluxations.
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Exercise with hypermobility doesn't have to be painful
Movement is so important for anyone living with one of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) or Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder (HSD).
But so often, those with bendy bodies struggle with pain, especially AFTER exercise. This is frustrating and makes it hard to know what we did wrong to avoid this in the future.
Hypermobile humans need special attention when it comes to movement.
As a Physical Therapist and Pilates instructor with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), I've experienced the pitfalls of pain and injury from exercise myself many times!
However, when movement is done the right way for you and your body, it can be a total game changer for managing symptoms.
This is why I created this guide highlighting the 3 most essential movement patterns that I teach ALL of my hypermobile clients!
One of the most common things I hear from my hypermobile clients is that they don't know where to start. They may have even been to PT but felt like it was a prolonged game of whack-a-mole doing exercises for one body part, then another, then another without really effectively treating anything.
In order to avoid that cycle, there's a few essential muscles we need to understand how to use and movement patterns to be solidly familiar with in order to be successful with more complex movements.
When hypermobile people progress the workload of exercise too quickly without a solid foundation to work from, they often end up in trouble.
If you've experienced....
- Frustration due to pain after movements
- Overwhelm about how to build stability and alignment in your hypermobile body
- Been told you "just need to get stronger" or "just do yoga" when you know your body needs a more nuanced approach to feel good.
This guide is for YOU!
When you learn a solid foundation of stability, an entire world of movement options can become possible with less pain, fewer flare ups and subluxations.
Hi! I'm Dr. Melissa Koehl
I'm a Physical Therapist and Pilates instructor, and I live with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).
Growing up, I was a high level gymnast until I experienced a career ending stress fracture to my lower back. This was not surprising since I was the bendiest of all the gymnasts I was competing with, and often got extra points for "tricks" that showcased my flexibility.
After leaving gymnastics, I started to experience even more pain that intuitively I felt it was important to build back the type of strength I had as a gymnast. This alone wasn't quite enough to manage my symptoms, so I also studied Pilates and Yoga, which added another layer of understanding and awareness.
As I studies each of these exercise methods in detail, I learned my body was different than others and I had to do things in a different way to avoid injury.
As a physical therapist, I thankfully learned the rehabilitation and pain management tools I needed to address pain and injuries as they came up (which they sure did! Ever get seriously injured by a massage? Me too...)
I understand the struggle, frustration and despair of hypermobility and chronic illness. Thankfully, there are things you can do that REALLY help, and it's my passion to share what I've learned with my fellow zebras in order to feel strong, stable and in control of their bodies.
What people are saying
"I can't believe no one taught me how to do bridges this way before. It feels so different! I can feel my glutes working and it doing this each day in the morning just for a few reps helps my SI joints feel so much more stable" - Kaitlyn
"Dr. Melissa is an incredible teacher who will help you no matter where you’re starting from. Dr. Melissa also includes tips to how different movements relate to everyday activities. This is beyond helpful in daily life and has led to less injuries from hyperextension and careless movement. This attention to detail is not something I’ve ever seen in any other fitness class or physical therapy session." - Sara
"Could not do this exercise UNLESS I focused on the cues in this guide. Without that focus? Very little motion. I’m just fascinated by this." - Debbie
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The 3 Fundamental Movements for Hypermobility
