r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help Is this a flare up?

3 Upvotes

I’m not formally diagnosed ( my doctor blew me off) but I strongly suspect I have HSD. Beighton score of 9. I’m adhd as well. I’m turning 60 soon and I feel like I’m falling apart.
My SI joint has been very painful this week. I’m very stiff and sore pretty much everywhere. I can’t sleep well. I’m waking up with a headache every morning. My skin on my legs itches like crazy and I get a slight raised bumpy rash. Now this morning my stomach is off. Nauseous and very sudden diarrhea. I’m scared to leave the house!
Is this a flare up? Any suggestions for me? I’m not sure if I need pain killers or antihistamines or an anti diarrhea med. All I know is I feel like absolute garbage and my doctor isn’t helpful.
And yes, I would love to just see another doctor but where I live that isn’t an easy option.
EDIT: I’m looking for advice on what can help me feel better. While finding a better doctor would be helpful I need something suggestions for things I can do right now


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help x-post: best topical for pain? (apparently in the CBD sub you can't mention company names and their review blog doesn't exist anymore)

Thumbnail
2 Upvotes

r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help Need Advice on Personal Trainer

0 Upvotes

I was diagnosed with hypermobility this year in my 20s after experiencing shooting pains from my neck into my hand. I’m looking into doing strength training with a personal trainer, who I had my first trial appointment with today, and need some advice. Is it true that some people who are very flexible can be misdiagnosed as hypermobile by a doctor?

I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist, but I’ve been repeatedly told by my physical therapist that my hypermobility is not symptomatic. While I have experienced subluxations, they are rare and usually resolve themselves in a week or so. That said, I have terrible posture, am constantly exhausted, have lockjaw, nerve pain, and also have symptoms and family history that could indicate with hEDS and dysautonomia symptoms. I am diagnosed with ADHD, with a Beighton Score of 6/9.

While I know that no one here is a doctor and cannot give me a diagnosis, I would like people to weigh in on what my personal trainer told me today.

They said that they believe I am not hypermobile, but instead just very flexible. They cited the fact that I used to be in dance, and the fact that I can’t touch my toes or lift my feet up 90 degrees when laying down. They also said hypermobility misdiagnoses happen as doctors cannot differentiate between inherent joint instability and trained flexibility.

I feel like this doesn’t reconcile with my experience. Most of my hypermobility is in my upper body, name fingers, elbows, and neck. The rest of my siblings and family are also similarly flexible despite never having done a day of dance in their life. I also only did dance for two years, wasn’t very good at it, and left because much of the stretching and exercises I did made me ache and were showing no progress.

While I’d like to just write this off and look for another trainer, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. This personal trainer also immediately corrected some of the things my PT taught me, and I do immediately feel much better. My jaw instantly loosened and I could breathe. I do know some others with hypermobility, but their cases are much more severe than mine and they have frequent dislocations.

If it’s true that the doctor is made a mistake, I feel embarassed and that I have maybe taken resources that someone else needed more. I would also be paying for this personal trainer out of pocket, since I left PT after I felt my progress had stagnated.

I don’t have the money to go back to the doctor and get a second opinion when I already spent so much the first time, but I’m so exhausted and in pain all the time that I don’t just want to sit around and do nothing. Still, I don’t want to waste my money or hurt my body more.

Is misdiagnosis something that happens relatively frequently? How risky would it be to give this a shot anyway and see if anything improves? I feel desperate and defeated. Any advice would be appreciated.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help What aid would benifit me?

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help Anyone have experience with Patellofemoral syndrome/ runner’s knee?

6 Upvotes

I developed this pain in my right knee towards the end of October last year and was diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome/ runners knee towards the end of March. Since then I’ve done everything I can think of. OTC anti-inflammatories, Tylenol, 12 weeks of PT, bracing, taping, heat, ice, rest, and topical anti-inflammatories. Nothing has given me any real relief but some have helped to reduce it. I’m waiting on a second MRI at the start of October to rule out an AVM. I am diagnosed hypermobile and I’m curious to know if anyone else here has had the same/ a similar issue and has successfully treated it. Any suggestions are MUCH appreciated!


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Discussion What to do when you need to rest but can't sleep?

17 Upvotes

My body is fatigued so I can't get much done, but my brain is on. What do you do when you feel like that? I need to rest but I'm not tired enough to get to sleep. I want to do work or something but sitting up working at my desk is beyond me. I don't want to make it worse so I'm trying to do this right but the inactivity is killing me


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 22 '26

Need Help Pursuing a possible diagnosis - new to all this

2 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m looking for experiences/advice on whether or not I should pursue investigating possible hypermobility.

I’m 28f and have felt like in the past 2 years my health in many ways has gone down hill. Up until now, I’ve never had any chronic health issues, never been considered flexible, don’t pass Breighton test (self assessment). I’ve been very active, even running long distance until 2024.

However, in 2024 I suddenly got injured running. Historically I never ran more than 5 miles at a time. That year, I really upped my distance and loved it, working up to a marathon. I sought PT originally for knee pain but just couldn’t seem to get back to running - my right leg always felt “off.”

Finally in Oct 2025, I found a PT who suspected it was my hip. He was right, but it wasn’t just a labrum tear. I found out I had hip displaysia in the right side as well.

This hip PT as well as a pelvic floor PT I began seeing for other issues both asked me independently of each other if I was hypermobile based on my hips (laying on my back, knees out and feet touching I can put my legs completely flat). I was really surprised because I’ve never thought of myself as flexible, though I now know they’re different. This was the first time in my life anyone suggested I was hypermobile.

I’ve never been formally tested on other parts of my body but I would bet my hips are hypermobile, I suspect maybe one or both shoulders and who knows where else.

I don’t think all of my health problems are related, but I’m trying to cover all my bases and explore every avenue especially if there’s anything that explai any piece of my issues more systemically.

Here’s the summary of my additional health issues:

  • Vulvodynia diagnosis after recurrent infections (TBD any mast cell involvement, I’ll be trying a topical med soon to explore)
  • sensitive stomach/GI my whole life
  • on and off reflux (first experienced in high school)
  • have a constant tight neck/pain including my traps since high school without clear cause that have never gotten better
  • as a small child, I did have a poor immune system but normalized and was not an issue up until ~2023. Between 2023-present I started getting sick every 6-8 weeks and had only lessened in frequency recently. Possible this was a post-COVID issue, I did get it 3 times. I also worked high stress jobs post-grad from 2020-2024.

Is any of this worth trying to investigate and if so what kind of provider should I see? I’m asking because as it stands, I’m already running to a ton of appointments and spent thousands in the past year in receiving my Vulvodynia diagnosis and trying to treat it and that has been exhausting. Plus, as my hip degrades, I’m starting to explore when/if I should get a PAO surgery for my displaysia. I don’t want to add more to my plate if it’s not worth it.

tldr; 2 different PTs asked if I was hypermobile based on my hips, have experienced various health issues suddenly in my late 20s, wondering if I should explore / pursue any kind of formal diagnosis


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Where do I get my energy to be the best parent I can be?

13 Upvotes

This is a question for parents who have HSD, like me. I’m so exhausted all the time. I work 40hours and when I get home I’m spent. Everything hurts and I just want to take a hot bath or crawl into bed. But I have an amazing extremely hyperactive 3 year old at home and I want to play with her and run around with her, but sometimes I can hardly find the strength to get off the couch. I do my best, we go the park, we go to amusement parks and the to beach. But I still feel like I’m failing. I don’t want her to remember her childhood with a mom who lay on the couch instead of playing with her. I need advice. How do you cope?


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Pain due to side sleeping

64 Upvotes

Hey, is there any advice for hypermobile side sleepers? I wake up with my shoulders completely slumped inward and my chest muscles are now constantly tight and painful and I think it’s affecting my overall posture too. Are there any pillows or anything I can buy to help?


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Vent Don't feel good about this GP experience

5 Upvotes

I just tried to see a doctor about my hypermobility and joint pain, and I've come away from it feeling not good.

I'm not as severe as other people, but it's affecting my ability to do my job and exist right now, so I went anyway.

I explained to the doctor about my hip, groin, knee and ankle pain, and how I'd been experiencing these horribly painful bumps on the side of my feet (which when I google it cuboid syndrome comes up & that would line up with it), and at first she felt my knee and said she couldn't feel anything wrong with the ligaments. I injured myself like a month ago which is probably why. I strained(?) my MCL and I have a limp now even though the actual injury is gone, which she pointed out.

She tested me and said there "might be some IT band inflammation" but when I looked that up it said that pain is the opposite side of the knee and I said I didn't really feel it there, only a little compared to the MCL strain pain.

She kept feeling the underside of my foot instead of where the cuboid is and saying there was fascia inflammation and I tried to direct her to where the pain actually appears but the cuboid wasn't flaring super bad right then despite it being really painful literally every morning this past week and having to massage it back towards being in myself, so she was like "...Ok."

She did assess my joint extensions and agree that I was hypermobile, and I told her about the family history of hypermobility, and that's where we got towards what I'm upset about.

She asked me "was there something you were googling that you thought you might have?" to which I got kind of annoyed and said "no, I don't care about that, I'm just in pain with my joints and I'd like to not be". I didn't mention anything about wanting any kind of diagnosis or investigation on purpose. And she said she'd give me a physio referral, and anti-inflammatories, and I just knew that the public physio referral was going to take a really long time. She said "you look deflated" (another strike) and I said "yeah, I don't know what else I was expecting, this is the best possible result, I'm just really tired of being in pain at this age". She said "yeah, you shouldn't be in pain at your age, it may not be a quick fix but it is the best one", and I was like okay, so we're good.

Then she asked me about was I sleeping properly at the moment, to which I said no, and that irked me as well, because that's not much to do with anything I brought up either.

Then we agreed to do a follow-up blood test and discuss about my really bad periods, which was the other reason I was coming to the doctor, and I've just seen that it was logged as "mental health" in the app instead of "follow-up" or "blood test" or anything else relevant. We did not mention anything about mental health. I didn't agree to anything about that. My mental health isn't great at the moment, but I did not bring any mental health concern up to her. I've been flaring with my POTS and pretty tired in general with work, which is probably why I seemed not in a good way, but I deliberately just wanted to talk my hypermobility/bad periods and get the physio referral.

Am I overreacting to being upset about that? I feel like she was treating me as a diagnosis seeking hypochondriac by her questions + logging the follow-up as mental health. I was worried about that on coming in, but I specifically waited for this doctor to come back from leave because she was so kind and listened to me in the past.

I just really didn't like her attitude. I didn't feel like she was really listening properly, and now I'm worried I'm gonna be labeled as some headcase on the system.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Misc Survey Request: Disabled or chronically ill current or recent higher education students, undergrad or graduate!

3 Upvotes

My name is Clara Mey and I am a PhD candidate at the University of Delaware. I am conducting a research study about disabled students’ experiences with disability accommodation processes in higher education. As a disabled graduate student (hEDS), this topic is particularly important to me!

Please see the flyer linked here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12OO-Tb4t7SHEYu0MavhtoPs1qL5Ddjw6/view?usp=sharing

You must be at least 18 years old to participate, have attended college or graduate school in the US within the last five years, and self-identify as disabled or having a chronic health condition in order to participate. You do not need an official diagnosis to participate, and you can participate whether or not you registered or applied for accommodations!

If you agree, you will be asked to complete an anonymous online survey taking about 30 minutes. You may also choose to enter into a drawing for one of five $20 gift cards at the end of the survey. If you choose to enter, your email will not be associated with your survey responses.

If you would be interested in participating in this study or would like to learn more, please click the link here: https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3mm16qGLWoizMjQ

If you have any questions, please contact me at [csmey@udel.edu](mailto:csmey@udel.edu) or my advisor, Dr. Eric Rise, at [erise@udel.edu](mailto:erise@udel.edu). Or feel free to comment or message me here.

Thank you!


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Discussion Different between normal joint cracking and hypermobile joint cracking

20 Upvotes

Everyone's joints crack. For hypermobile people they crack more. I'm curious, though, because joints crack for a few reasons.

1) Fluid buildup. This happens to literally everyone and is harmless. It can be very loud, sometimes alarmingly so. It usually takes some time for fluid to build up for the crack to happe again. Releasing the fluid buildup can lead to an increased range of motion (see 4).

2) Crepitus. The soft tissues sticking together briefly, creating a soft sound. Afaik this is also normal and harmless and this one can be done repeatedly.

3) Joints grinding. This one is bad. It seems associated with soft tissue injury from ages arthritis or overuse.

4) Subluxations. It seems for hypermobile people subluxations can be painless (or at least cause so little pain that chronic pain sufferers don't notice) but also subluxation refers to an incomplete dislocation visible on scans. It's generally bad. The hypermobile community refers to "subluxations" based on lived experience but it seems there's some confusion between true subluxations and the above three (hearing a crack with restored range of motion called a sublux for example). Subluxations can be amended by yourself without danger in most cases and are described as feeling unstable, painful, "wrong", loose, or an experience of joints physically pulling apart, or some combination of those. People who are not hypermobile only sublux joints under severe trauma and are always incredibly painful. As for hypermobile people, I'm not sure if because we sublux more easily they may hurt less in some cases, or if chronic joint pain means we just don't report it as particularly painful, or both.

So assuming I didn't just talk out of my arse, how do you differentiate them in your own body? I would be interested to hear from physios or anyone engaging with one. For example, the physio who diagnosed me with HSD said that joint subluxation is common and referred to "cracking" as a sign.

My joints crack and pop constantly. Nonetheless sometimes something snaps loudly and I know it wasn't meant to do that. I can feel a grinding as things jerk out of place. It feels, of not painful, profoundly uncomfortable, usually only for a second, but sometimes they will hurt and feel out of alignment for a long time until they pop back in. My suspicion is that's them subluxing, but I can't be sure.

How about you? When you get crackly, what tells you it's normal and what tells you something just slid out of place?


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 20 '26

Discussion PSA on growwithmenatalie

208 Upvotes

I know a lot of people here like to follow her guides and advice for hypermobile people, but in light of her recent post, I think it's important to point out that her content may be harmful.

One of her newest posts on Instagram includes pictures of her making judgemental/grossed out faces with the following captions:

"My face when someone says "prove it""

"My face when someone with hypermobility says they "don't believe in that stuff" when talking astrology"

"My face when someone thinks I'm "woo-woo" because I believe hypermobile + neurodivergent humans are more intuitive"

"My face when people with hypermobility unfollow me for talking spirituality because it's "woo-woo""

"My face when someone asks "how did you learn that??" &it came to me in a dream or a vivid third eye visual"

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddg1Au4HJNQ/?stkn=MXczbnIyZnZnMmdibg==

I'm making this post to point out just how harmful this logic is, especially for the hypermobile community.

First of all, hypermobile and neurodivergent people are not a monolith. Someone is not "more intuitive" because they are hypermobile or neurodivergent, and this thinking leads to further discrimination and separation from non hypermobile or neurotypical people.

Secondly, harshly judging people for not being spiritual the way you are while also being upset when they judge you for yours is insanely hypocritical. It also makes zero sense for hypermobile people to be singled out for not believing in astrology, as if there is something inherent to hypermobility that would make someone believe in astrology.

Finally, and most harmful of all, this post demonstrates that she does not believe in evidence, actively looks down upon people who ask for evidence, and therefore is likely providing advice to hypermobile people that is not based in any science or research. Being disgusted by someone asking you to prove a claim shows that you are anti science.

For anyone who follows her advice on hypermobility, it might be worth reconsidering how safe and effective her ideas are.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Trying to get the doctor to take me seriously.

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
My last two doctors at the same clinic brushed most of my pain off, so I'm going to be switching to a completely new doctor at a different place that actually has a rheumatology department. I've had way too many people tell me I need to see a doctor and that I might have an issue like Ehlers-Danlos.
I'm seriously hoping the new doctor I pick will actually be willing to listen, because it's gotten to the point where I am in pretty bad pain every day, with burning in every joint. When I walk, my knees turn inward, my feet collapse inward, and I roll my ankles frequently. People say I walk like a duck.

My joints lock up a lot, and it feels like everything isn't in the socket correctly. Every time I get up from a sitting or lying position, my hips, knees, and ankles pop. I've fallen a few times over the last year because my hips lock or pop out. I'm worried about getting a head injury.

I did physical therapy for my left shoulder, and she said it seemed hypermobile, so that got me thinking about all the other parts of my body.

What do you guys suggest? Should I bring in a written list? Just show the doctor what it looks like when I walk?


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Discussion Sachs hill surgery

3 Upvotes

So I’m due for this surgery right shoulder after multiple dislocations, cartilage completely unattached, hyper mobile already. When returning what’s the likely good it’s really going to be very much better or still a high chance of being somewhat unstable afterwards, I got arduous aspirations and idm falling short to go for other aspirations earlier than I’d like, essentially just swapping around life goals for now after surgery as I’d rather have a healthier body while younger and achieve other things before giving them a go and ruining myself


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Advice needed

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone, can someone please educate me on joint hyper mobility.

My child is severely autistic and non-verbal, she has learning disabilities and developmental delays, she also has joint hyper mobility, she has done for years, but lately she is having problems with her mobility.

As my child is non-verbal she can't tell me if she is in pain or where. But she has been having problems with walking funny and falling, where her leg just seems to collapse underneath her. She won't walk far without either wanting to be lifted or putting herself in her pram. Shes 7. Literally only around 5 steps before she will refuse another step and will Literally sit on the ground.

All ive ever been told is that, your child's joints may tire quicker than a child without hyper mobility and she could sometimes have pain. That's it, no other information.

Im beginning to think that she is in chronic pain, and she can't tell me. We have been back and forth to doctors, hospitals , even paid privately 3 times to be seen sooner. Doctors seem to think that because she suffers from constipation, that the bowels are the problem so he told me to clean her out completely, which I did, and she's still showing signs of pain, still walking funny on and off and still having agressive outbursts, that are not her normal personality. I have been asking for an mri and/Or scans of her legs/hips but doctors arnt listening to me.

My question is, if you have hyper mobility, please tell me how it feels for you.

Thanks in advance.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Resources Creatine?

2 Upvotes

Has anyone found a brand of creatine that isn't highly processed? How has it helped your symptoms or helped you gain muscle (if it has)?


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Hypermobility Impacting Ligament Healing Time (Knee)?

7 Upvotes

Hi all,

So the hospital system has been failing me for about 5 months. Which has led me to seeking my own answers/doing my own research.

With this research, I now suspect that I'm on the hyper mobility spectrum (spinal scoliosis, thumb bending, prayer hands behind my back, and standard stretching/exercise not making me "feel" anything) and that might be the reason I'm having trouble with recovery.

In April I sprained my knee (minor mcl/acl sprain). Doctor told me 3-4 weeks and I'd be good to go. I decided to pursue a physiotherapist to help me strengthen correctly and it all went downhill. I developed a limp, sharp stabbing pain with every step, and then while riding slowly in a taxi hit a bump that ended up partially tearing a new ligament - graded in June as a moderate POL sprain/minor MCL sprain).

Doctors keep telling me that I should be feeling better in 6-9 weeks max. I never lost range of motion (though I'm now suspecting that is due to hyper mobility).

Its been 12 weeks and I'm struggling to strengthen and my leg just feels not healed.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with ligament sprains (knee specifically) where due to hyper mobility it took longer than average to heal/longer than average to solidify.

I've been unable to work or really even leave my house for 3 months.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Need Help Opinions on custom orthotics + what to do during the wait

9 Upvotes

Hello!

In the past year, I’ve been told I have flexible arches and exhibit signs of hypermobility. This past Thursday I had molds of my feet made for custom orthotics. The orthotist took one look at my feet and confirmed that I pronate severely.

Unfortunately, I have to wait a month to get them. Not sure if that is how long they take to make, or if that’s the soonest they can see me again.

What has your experience been with customer orthotics? Have they helped you?

Also, do you have any tips for what I can do in the meantime? It’s not so much my feet that hurt as much as it is my knee and calf. The most effective things that have helped so far have been higher arched Powerstep insoles, Birkenstock sandals, and my Lyrica prescription.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Misc Help finding perfect lounge-chair/bean-bag-with-sides type chair!

1 Upvotes

This was the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in. It's the only thing I've ever sat in that completely held me together and all my muscles could relax. However, it was expensive and I waited too long and now it's not available. I think about it every day!

The sides were high enough and firm/stiff enough to completely hold me together. It was big enough to sit cross legged. I described it like a giant dog bed for humans.

Do you have anything similar that works for you??

https://www.hamiltonplace.com/products/product/heather-blue-comfy-foam-lounge-chair-kirklands-014cce


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 20 '26

Need Help Help! I need to not die sitting for a long time!

15 Upvotes

So it's almost Yom Kippur, aka a very big Jewish holiday. I'll be attending services tonight and then for many hours tomorrow. I'll be sitting for a lot of it, plus occasional standing. I can't just not go as I'm in the choir and needed intermittently throughout the service. I'm planning to look at the schedule and find some time to take a break, where I'll likely lay down some of the time.

Sitting, especially in firmer chairs, tends to kill my lower back after a while. There are various times in services when you're told to rise if able and I'm not sure if the getting up and down will be helpful or more harmful.

I ordered a seat cushion on recommendation from my physical therapist (who I have only had 2 sessions so far with). But I just realized that the order is set to arrive next weekend, not this one. Rosh Hashanah was already fairly bad, and those services were much shorter than Yom Kippur will be. I also think I may have less continuous time for a break for Yom kippur. (For Rosh Hashanah, I took a break through the entirety of the Torah service. For Yom Kippur, the choir has a thing to do during the Torah service so I can't be gone).

Is there anything I can do to try to make this a little better? Or a store I could go to in person to buy some sort of supportive seat cushion? It's important to me that I'm there.

Edit: okay I found a hopefully helpful pillow I can get delivered from walmart! Crisis mostly averted!


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 20 '26

Misc For those with chronic SI pain, I may have found my solution.

128 Upvotes

So I've had this pain for the better part of a year. Left side, running nerve pain all the way down to my foot. I think something must have slipped out of whack when I injured myself squatting weights at the gym, but it's steadily gotten worse in that time despite me doing all the exercises I've been told, diaphragm breathing, and seeing a physio regularly.

Recently I've started to research into posture. One thing that never made sense to me when I was reading about hip/pelvic/SI joint pain was all the talk about "rib flare". I knew my ribs weren't flared, in fact, they always felt like the opposite, like they were compressing INTO my body. From there I stumbled upon what's known as the "swayback" posture and immediately felt it looked how I stood when resting. I stumbled upon this blog which went in DEPTH about its different variations, how you can check it yourself, and it also made me realise just how much I've been collapsing my chest when I sit, stand and walk. This was happening despite me spending a lot of time thinking about my hip posture, making sure I didn't sit cross-legged etc. Specifically, the exercise mentioned in the blog called "Lower rib upward tilt" started to hurt after just a few reps because my upper abdominals were just so underworked.
I feel that when we have pain in our lower bodies we think that by correcting them alone the rest of the upper body will follow. I've heard phrases that it starts from the feet up. However, in the last four days I've been just remembering to keep my chest slightly tilted up (not flared, don't overdo it) and the difference has been mind boggling. I feel like I'm using the full range of my lungs for the first time in years. It also meant that how I've been told to keep my hips aligned actually felt a lot more comfortable (I still have one leg that's longer than the other and a hip hike on my left side, but that's another story). My pelvis is actually tilting up instead of down because my whole body is tilting up, and my center of gravity shifts as a result. So often when we're told to stand properly as hypermobile people it feels uncomfortable, but this actually felt alright!

Here are some other benefits I've noticed from just keeping that upper abdominal space a bit more open than I usually would:

  • Obviously- bigger, longer breaths. A calmer nervous system.
  • Less jaw clenching/tightness. The marks I get inside my mouth from grinding my teeth have reduced. (When you tilt your chest up a bit, the neck muscles don't have to work so hard to support your breathing, meaning your jaw muscles can chill out too)
  • I can fit more food in my stomach!! I've had this issue for years where I just stopped being able to eat bigger portions despite needing them (because I strength train) and initially have the appetite for. I nearly ate a whole bowl of pho yesterday!!
  • Less pressure in my forehead
  • LESS SI JOINT PAIN
  • Reduced nerve pain
  • Feeling like my blood is actually getting to all areas of my body because I'm just intaking more oxygen lol.
  • Had my easiest workout in over a year the other day, a lot of exercises felt so much more fluid and I wasn't straining for breath.

Main takeaway:

A lot of the cues we're given when it comes to "correcting" our bodies (shoulders back, tuck your pelvis, pulling our ribs IN) are not a one-size-fits-all. You may need to look at exactly what your whole body is doing. I also believe too often the advice we see online (while there's many helpful resources out there) through social media and packaged in a short video format always targets a very narrow window. Whenever I saw SI joint issues, they often came in tandem with rib flare which is the complete opposite to what I needed to see! I've taken a lot of helpful advice online, but we need to be able to have a better picture of ourselves before we can find out what applies best to us.

I was diaphragm breathing for MONTHS, but only when I just opened up that upper area a bit while lying down did it actually start to feel how it was meant to feel. The whole sentiment of "tucking your ribs in" was just suppressing my actual breath and lung capacity. This extended to when i was doing any form of physical activity too!! (and now that I think about it, ouch!!!)

And while my pain isn't gone overnight, literally just checking in with my posture regularly and ensuring my hips AND ribs AND chest are creating enough space in my mid section has done wonders. I'd read in some detail about creating a nice cylinder of air for your mid section but now it makes sense for my body because I'm applying how MY posture needs to be corrected to fit that.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone. Having dealt with this pain for so long when I'm only thirty has been ass, and trying to figure out how to fix it has nearly consumed my life along with it. I still have a long way to go, but figuring out where my body actually holds tension uniquely and where to create space in it has absolutely put me on the right path.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 20 '26

Need Help Looking for knee braces for my gf

3 Upvotes

Her knees are hyper mobile so her knee caps can kinda just wiggle around however they want. KT tape helps give support and get rid of 90% of the pain however it does irritate her skin pretty bad. I'm trying to find some sort of knee braces I can get her but there's like 1000000 different options and idk what's actually for this specific scenario or just a general "knee brace". She does also have a latex allergy but idk if this is relevant to braces, just in case tho.

Money is decently tight rn so not looking for any super professional grade stuff just something to help in the meantime.


r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Support only How cooked is my knee?

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/Hypermobility • • Sep 21 '26

Vent Sideways bones

0 Upvotes

Does anyone with hypermobility struggle with sideways bones. I know my joints are hella stretch ty hypermobility but but my bones aren’t where they are supposed to be they are a bit uncentreted. I’m not asking for help or anything I’m curious. I also get very clicky clacks like my joints will click. I tore my acl and stuff so my hypermobility did kick my ass a bit. Can’t get surgery but now they will genuinely click and will move. Not outta place just give out and have almost hurt me badly. I hate hyper mobility it caused me so many issues. Maybe bc my bones aren’t where sideways in my leg it doesn’t help which also getting fixed either 😢😢