How to Exercise Safely With Hypermobility
Exercise can be valuable for hypermobility, but the dose, range and progression matter. These principles help make training more controlled and sustainable.
Work in a controllable range
The goal is not to prove how far a joint can move. Use a range where you can maintain control and avoid deliberately hanging on passive end range. If a joint starts to feel as though it is slipping, giving way or becoming less controlled, reduce the demand.
Start with a dose you can repeat
A useful starting dose is one you can recover from and repeat with similar quality. That may mean fewer repetitions, lighter resistance, a smaller range or a more supported position. More exercise is not automatically better if recovery becomes progressively worse.
Know when to stop
Stop and reassess for sharp or escalating pain, a sensation of slipping or dislocation, new numbness or weakness, unusual breathlessness or chest pain, marked faintness or greying vision, or loss of coordination and technique. These are different from ordinary muscular effort.
Progress gradually
Increase one variable at a time and judge the response during the session and afterwards. Progression should be driven by control, symptom response, fatigue and confidence rather than pressure to reach a particular level by a particular date.
A more detailed physiotherapy resource
For a much more detailed resource, see the Complete Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder & Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation & Self-Management Guide. It brings the wider rehabilitation approach together in one 227-page digital guide with 39 adaptable exercises across four pathways, practical self-management sections, trackers, worksheets and linked exercise videos.
Related reading
This article provides general physiotherapy education and does not replace individual assessment, diagnosis or treatment. New, severe or rapidly changing symptoms should be assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional.
Comments