02/25/2026
✨Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Physical Therapy with Dr. Sean O'Connor✨
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is the most diagnosed, however many others exist. While joint hypermobility by itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, when it is accompanied by pain and fatigue it can become difficult to live your normal lifestyle. When a joint becomes so flexible that it loses its stability, it can lead to joint sprains, subluxations, dislocations and many other injuries. It is estimated that up to 1 in 3,000-5,000 individuals can be affected by Hypermobile EDS, though exact numbers are hard to report due to the difficult nature in diagnosing accurately. EDS is a genetic condition, meaning it is a trait that is passed down within families via variations in genetics. At its core, physical therapy can help strengthen muscles around unstable joints, which helps provide support that the connective tissues may lack. It is important when seeking treatment for these conditions that people seek out clinicians with experience treating these disorders. Oftentimes, clinicians take a “cookie-cutter” approach to treating joint pains by blindly strengthening and stretching muscles that appear affected, but when the problem is in the joint more so than the surrounding muscles it takes a much more patient and understanding approach to properly recognize and treat. While under-recognized in many aspects of the world, it is important that those with EDS and other hypermobile connective tissue disorders receive proper treatment, guided by experienced clinicians.
📚Sources:
What are EDS symptoms?. Cleveland Clinic. (2026, January 9). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17813-ehlers-danlos-syndrome
What is EDS?. The Ehlers Danlos Society. (2025, November 7). https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/
Physical Therapy. The Ehlers Danlos Society. (2024, February 6). https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/physical-therapy/ #1706105085758-d9c4b030-92db
