Jeannie Di Bon

24/09/2025

The Beighton Score Doesn’t Tell the Full Story 😳.

You can have EDS and still score low on the Beighton test.

That’s because the Beighton Score only looks at 9 points of joint flexibility and it doesn’t assess pain, instability, or systemic symptoms. It should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool.

Plenty of people with disabling hypermobility don’t ‘score high enough’ to get taken seriously.
Diagnosis should be about lived experience, not just numbers on a test.

Were you dismissed because of a low score? Let’s change how hypermobility is recognised.

19/09/2025

This week I had the privilege of presenting our research on the Integral Movement Method (IMM) at the .danlos Scientific Symposium in Toronto, Canada.

I presented the qualitative results and Dr Leslie Russek .rsk presented our quantitative data. Our posters shared findings from our pragmatic clinical trial showing how an 8-week online modified Pilates program designed for people with hypermobility can significantly improve function, reduce pain, and decrease fear of movement.

The qualitative poster explored participants’ experiences, showing how this IMM approach supported both physical and psychological wellbeing for people with EDS/HSD.

It’s such an honour to see the IMM — something I first researched and created many years ago for Hypermobile patients — now being recognised in scientific research and shared on an international stage.

I’m deeply grateful to my co-authors and research collaborators for their expertise and dedication, and to all the participants who made this study possible.

18/09/2025

It’s Pain Awareness Month, Did you know there are different types of chronic pain? 🤔

😨 Nociceptive (from tissue damage)
🤯 Neuropathic (from nerve issues)
😖 Nociplastic (when the nervous system becomes overly sensitive)

And EDS / HSD patients can experience all of these in a complex interplay.

And we all experience pain differently, Because pain is a personal experience. It can be sharp, dull, throbbing, or electric — and it’s shaped by your nervous system and your story.

Mind-body practices like breathing, mindfulness, and gentle movement are able to directly calm an overactive nervous system, making them powerful tools for pain management.

This week, we explore chronic pain in detail in my blog. Link in the comments, my website or today’s stories. What’s been your pain management experience?

14/09/2025

Hands up if a doctor ever told you EDS would “get better with age” 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Many of us are told EDS improves with age. But while joints may feel stiffer, EDS still impacts every part of the body’s connective tissue — skin, vessels, organs, fascia, and more.

In fact, the menopause can make things significantly worse for lots of people. I went downhill rapidly at this time and my mast cells decided it was time to party 🥳. I became unwell for several years searching for answers.

So let’s bust this myth - for the majority of people, it does not appear to improve or magically go away with age. If only 🤔.

Share your experiences below.

11/09/2025

Always a pleasure to speak at Ehlers-Danlos Support UK events.

A pain in the hypermobile.....with Jeannie Di Bon.

Jeannie Di Bon, a movement therapist specialising in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and chronic pain has hosted several webinars with us at EDS UK, sharing her wealth of knowledge.

Jeannie kindly put together a series of educational webinars, which we hope to continue in the future, making our way around the different parts of the body! Following the theme of ‘a pain in the hypermobile…’, you can now watch webinars on foot pain and back and pelvic pain.

🦶Foot Pain

In this webinar, Jeannie took a closer look at the form, function and movement of the hypermobile foot. With foot and ankle pain, ‘flat feet’, and ‘collapsed arches’ being common in hypermobility, Jeannie tackled how these issues can be solved. Delving into the possible causes of foot pain, how the foot could be impacting pain further up the body, and why we need a foot tripod to avoid pain, Jeannie used her prop skeleton foot to clearly show the impact these issues can have. Leading on from that, the discussion of exercises to improve the mechanics and strength of the foot was demonstrated.

🗲Back Pain

Moving up the body, Jeannie took a look at the hypermobile back, covering a whole host of topics such as the pathologies of back pain, possible causes for hypermobile back pain, and the importance of alignment. Another well-received and informative webinar, the discussion of the spinal structure and its function, posture and back spasms, and the importance of motor control provided valuable information and insight into the problems patients can face.

How to manage these symptoms taking into consideration how to begin exercising with back pain and building tissue tolerance to avoid flare-ups and core stability was covered with practical and applicable knowledge for attendees to take forward. The webinar covered how other areas - such as pelvic pain and alignment, as well as the feet - can be affected by and also affect the back, the impact they might have, and how to manage this.

Watch these webinars on our member's webinar player: https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/webinars/ If you're not already a member, you can join here: https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/membership-account/membership-levels/

Available to purchase in our shop is the recording of Jeannie's webinar on shoulder pain: https://shop.ehlers-danlos.org/product/jeannie-di-bon-hypermobility-and-eds-specialist-in-movement-therapy/ Jeannie Di Bon talks all things shoulders in this informational webinar including the maintenance of the hypermobile shoulder.

04/09/2025

I wish I had known all this about exercising with Hypermobility when I started out all those years ago!

Over the years, I’ve seen (and made myself!) many exercise mistakes with a hypermobile body. What works for the average person often leaves us in pain, frustrated, or even injured.

Today I want to share the 10 most common mistakes I see when it comes to exercise — to offer some simple shifts that can make movement feel safe, effective, and supportive again. This post shows Point 2 but you can read all ten by clicking in comments or on today’s stories.

If you’ve ever finished a workout feeling worse than when you started, this blog is for you. Let me know your thoughts. Did I miss anything on this list?

02/09/2025

After years of developing the Integral Movement Method, guiding thousands of people with EDS and HSD, and listening to countless lived experiences (& my own), it’s arrived!

I’m so excited to reveal the cover of my upcoming book: The Integral Movement Method for Hypermobility Management.

This book is my offering to patients, practitioners, and anyone seeking a kinder, science-backed, whole-body approach to hypermobility.

With a foreword by .bloom 🙏🏻 & two special guest EDS expert authors (I’ll save their names as a surprise), I can’t wait for you to read it.

Thank you to for helping us raise more awareness in the treatment of EDS & HSD with the publishing of this book.

📖 Out November 2025 & pre orders are now available. Click in the comments below.

31/08/2025

The problem we have as patients is that too often, EDS gets overlooked or reduced to “just hypermobility.” This misses the bigger picture and leaves patients without answers & help.

EDS isn’t just about being flexible or “double-jointed.” It’s a connective tissue disorder that can affect the entire body, from joints and muscles to skin, organs, and more.

This is why no two people with EDS present the same way. Some may struggle most with joint instability, others with gut issues, heart problems, or fatigue. Some with everything all at once. It’s complex. It doesn’t mean the patient is difficult or untreatable.

It’s means we need to look further than the ‘oh it’s just hypermobility’ statement.

What’s been your experience?

26/08/2025

Why do we feel tight and stiff if we are Hypermobile? Doesn’t make sense 🧐.

If you live with hypermobility or EDS, you probably know how frustrating it is to feel tight and stiff despite having joint laxity.

My blog this week explores why this happens & what we can do about it 🦓💪.

Take a read of the full article in the comments, today’s stories or my website.

25/08/2025

Sometimes I wonder how different would my life would have been if I hadn’t had to wait 35 years for a diagnosis of hEDS, followed by MCAS, POTs.

For so many of us, the journey to diagnosis has been filled with dismissal, gaslighting, and trauma.

But I believe in a future where knowledge is growing, where voices are starting to be heard, and where patients don’t have to fight so hard to be believed. I’m proud to be an educator to help change this situation & improve knowledge amongst therapists and teachers of movement.

✨ Can you imagine that day when we are all heard?

📕 If you’re a teacher, therapist or health professional, you can train with me online .danlos and in person .

👉 Share your diagnosis journey below — how long did you wait?

23/08/2025

All movement counts. It doesn’t need to be or look perfect. Movement should make us feel good 😊.

So many people with EDS and hypermobility live with fear-based biomechanics. We’re told to stand a certain way, fix our joints in place like pulling our shoulders down our back or sucking in our tummy, always worrying to protect our tissues.

Sadly, that message becomes: your body isn’t safe unless you do it perfectly. And that’s just not true. In fact, being driven by fear based biomechanics can actually increase our pain because we’re putting more tension and stress on the body.

But here’s the truth: perfection isn’t the goal. Movement is. Walking by the river or climbing steps on this trip, I wasn’t thinking about ‘correct’ posture or bracing every step — I was thinking about living. About experiencing. About being present.

Stability & awareness matters of course. I’ve learnt that through gentle movement that gives me control. But fear mechanics doesn’t heal or help us move better. It stops people from exploring potential.

If you’ve been holding back because you’re afraid of moving the ‘wrong’ way, start where you are. Small steps count. And celebrate every small win 🥰. Progress, not perfection 🦓💪

19/08/2025

Is Pilates good for EDS & HSD?

People often ask me: ‘Is Pilates safe for EDS or HSD?’ My answer is yes—but with a very big caveat.

It’s super important to know that traditional Pilates was never designed with hypermobility in mind. If we follow it ‘by the book,’ we can easily end up overstretching, going further than we should, collapsing into our joints, or gripping muscles for stability.

That’s exactly what used to happen to me - I was very good at ‘cheating’, pushing past my limits and due lack of body awareness, not aware of what I really needed.

Over the years, I realised we needed a different approach. I started researching and playing with ideas on my own body. And it worked. So I explored more & I developed a fascia-informed, slower, stabilising way of teaching that honours the hypermobile body. It’s the Integral Movement Method (IMM) & the only evidence based movement method that currently e it’s for hypermobility. It’s now helped thousands of people around the world.

👉 I’d love to know: have you tried Pilates before?

My latest blog explores Pilates for EDS & HSD. Link in the comments, today’s stories or on my website.