Doc Ashton

I’m a passionate Osteopath here to help you! I specialise in Hypermobility disorders and teaching

02/03/2026

If you have hEDS or HSD and struggle with dizziness, rapid heart rate, or feeling awful when you stand, there’s a reason.

There’s a strong overlap between hypermobility and dysautonomia, the most common of these being Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

In hEDS/HSD, connective tissue is more elastic, including in your blood vessels. That means the vessels may not constrict as effectively when you stand, leading to blood pooling and reduced blood return to the heart.

Your body compensates by increasing heart rate. This can lead to symptoms like dizziness, light headedness, fainting, fatigue, headaches and “coat hanger pain”. This increasing heart rate can make things like tolerance to exercise also particularly challenging (for my runners out there)

For many people living with POTS, increasing daily electrolytes (in particular sodium) may help improve your symptoms by retaining more fluid circulating in the bloodstream.

More circulating blood volume = better blood return to the heart = less dramatic heart rate spikes when you stand.

Electrolytes aren’t a cure, and they’re not right for everyone, but for some, they can be a game changer in symptom management.

*this is for information purposes only and is not medical advice. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms speak to your healthcare team to be properly assessed. You can find EDS aware practitioners on the EDS society website practitioner directory.

01/03/2026

I love teaching this course ❤️

Clinical Foundations of Hypermobility Level 1 in Melbourne, the first for 2026 and it was magic 🪄

This cohort included Osteo, Physio, Myo, Exercise Physiologist and Strength Coach’s with clinical experience ranging from 8 months to 20 years in practice!

The learning intentions were diverse, from learning how to identify joint hypermobility to understanding how to start coaching movement and exercise. Everyone engaged, asked questions, shared stories and participated in the practical learning experience that is this course.

A huge thanks you to .dish.osteo for helping with the practical! Keep your eyes peeled for the NEW course we are launching on Lipoedema and Hypermobility, coming SOON! 👀

The teaching calendar has just kicked off, education is the future, follow to stay up to date with upcoming course dates ❤️

15/02/2026

One of the hardest things I’ve done physically and mentally was train for this race.

Now we know, I’m a hypermobile girl, I’ve always maintained an active lifestyle to manage my body. However, last thing that changed. After getting Covid in May, I experienced extreme fatigue after exercise, I was overheating and not sweating properly, I has heart rate that would jump to 180 after a 30 second jog leaving me feeling dizzy and nauseas. It was not good. I was needing naps after the gym, I was wiped out with migraines after attempting to run, I was sleeping 9 hours but feeling exhausted. I was experiencing heightened symptoms of dysautonomia.

I made a change. I started training with a focus on how my body felt. I condensed my gym training. I started monitoring my heart rate with interval sessions (slow ones at that), I wore compression garments, prioritised recovery, and I started fuelling better. I look back now so proud of myself. Easily this is the best my body has felt in years, and I knew going into today that physically I could do it.

Now the mental side. I have a habit of doubting myself and what I’m capable of, especially with my body. I really wanted to prove to myself today that I can do hard things. I spent most of this week visualising how it would feel to cross the finish line, how I would see my husband and my friends cheering me on, how overjoyed I would feel because I didn’t give up on myself. And I did feel all those things.

I’ve never felt naturally “good” at running, but I have realised I don’t have to be good at it to give it a try 🏃🏼‍♀️

Thanks for reading, and thanks for coming along for this journey. ❤️ from this hypermobile runner

12/02/2026

If you’re hypermobile and your joints love to lock out at end range, you’re not alone. This is your bodies attempt at creating stability against the load of gravity.

In EDS/HSD, joints often hang out at end range because we feel most stable here, however in this position we are relying on the passive structures like joint capsules and ligaments to do the work muscles should be sharing.

It feels stable… until it doesn’t, when your passive structures reach their limit of what they’re capable of. Which can lead to aches, fatigue and pain flares.

The goal isn’t to avoid end range, it’s to build muscular control through the middle of the range so your joints don’t have to rely on the “hard stop” for support.

Strong muscles = strong joints

*this is for information purposes only and is not medical advice. For individual assistance please book an appointment through the link in my bio in person in Newport, Melbourne or Telehealth anywhere in the world 🫶🏽

01/02/2026

Today we celebrated my Uncles birthday, safe to say, the day didn’t go to plan 😅

The first day of February felt like a winters day, with the wind blowing a gale and patches of rain. We showed up non the less in our layers and coats, for a party boat cruise down the Yarra, we had a heap of food platters we’d all prepared from home, and some non-alch drinks from

Somehow, all 12 of us from all across Melbourne arrived on time, our boat however, did not. So after 40 minutes of waiting, and trying to find a compromise with the boat company, we decided to instead relocate the party to dry land and share our platter picnic on the patch of grass next to the dock.

Life doesn’t always go to plan, but sometimes you have to roll with it. We had a great time sharing food and stories, having many laughs about the funny situation we found ourselves in.

The reality of life is there are many things in life that are not within our control, we can only control are our actions and reactions.

I had a great afternoon with my family, I’m very grateful to have them all in my life, and I think this will be a celebration we’ll remember for years to come!

Happy birthday we love you ❤️

Address

109 Blackshaws Road, Newport
Melbourne, VIC
3015

Website

http://Www.alphasportsmed.com.au/

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