Hypermobility MD

Hypermobility MD Expert diagnosis & treatment Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. Bendy Bodies podcast host. đźš« medical advice. and others at increased risk of hypermobility disorders.
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Dr. Linda Bluestein has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and has helped countless people restore function and improve their quality of life. As a former ballet dancer and instructor, she has a special interest in treating flexibility athletes (dancers, gymnasts, acrobatic artists, etc.) As an integrative medicine physician with certification in Performing Arts Medicine, Dr. Bluestein tak

es a unique approach to the evaluation and treatment of this highly specialized population. Working with Dr. Bluestein enables you to have less pain and be more accurately diagnosed. Dr. Bluestein is an international speaker on the forefront of research on pain, hypermobility and dance medicine. Professional services include individual telemedicine visits as well as workshops and lectures for groups. Dr. Bluestein received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine followed by the completion of an anesthesiology residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. She is board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Not all CSF leaks show up on imaging - and that’s where things get complicated.On last week’s episode of Bendy Bodies, I...
04/29/2026

Not all CSF leaks show up on imaging - and that’s where things get complicated.

On last week’s episode of Bendy Bodies, I spoke with Dr. Andrew Callen alongside co-host Dr. Dacre Knight of UVA Health about what happens when symptoms strongly suggest a CSF leak… but imaging is reported as “normal.”

For many patients, this is where the frustration begins.

Because “normal” imaging doesn’t always mean nothing is wrong.

CSF leaks can be incredibly difficult to detect - and even with the right expertise, there are times when answers aren’t clear.

But newer research is helping refine how we look closer.

Findings like spinal diverticula, or subtle changes in the optic nerve sheath, can help build a stronger case when a leak is still suspected.

These details matter.

Because they shift the conversation from dismissal → investigation.
From “we don’t see anything” to “what might we be missing?”

đź’¬ Have you ever been told your imaging was normal - but your symptoms said otherwise?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Podcast screenshot carousel featuring Dr. Linda Bluestein and Dr. Andrew Callen speaking into microphones with headphones, discussing CSF leaks and diagnostic challenges.

IBS is not “just a sensitive stomach” but is a condition that deserves to be understood.For many people living with Irri...
04/28/2026

IBS is not “just a sensitive stomach” but is a condition that deserves to be understood.

For many people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the challenge isn’t only the symptoms - it’s being dismissed or told everything is “normal.”

IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction, meaning the communication between the digestive system and nervous system isn’t functioning as it should. Not imagined. Not exaggerated. Real.

In clinical practice, I often see how this overlaps with conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) and autonomic dysfunction - where gut symptoms are part of a much bigger picture.

Care should go beyond dismissal. It requires thoughtful evaluation, individualized support, and - most importantly - listening.

Patients deserve to be taken seriously.�They deserve answers.�
And they deserve care that looks at the whole person.
That is good medicine.

💬 Question: What’s been most overlooked in your experience with IBS?



đź“Ś Medical information for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider

VD: Blue and purple infographic carousel. Slides include: definition of IBS as a gut-brain disorder; common symptoms (pain, bloating, bowel changes); connection to hypermobility and nervous system regulation; common triggers; and a final slide emphasizing individualized care and being taken seriously.

04/23/2026

What if fear—not your body—is what’s keeping you stuck after a CSF leak?

On Bendy Bodies, I’m joined by Dr. Andrew Callen and Dr. Dacre Knight of UVA Health to talk about what recovery really looks like after a CSF leak

Because what happens after treatment is often the hardest part

“What can I safely do?”
“What might make this worse?”

That’s where fear can take over
Avoiding activity
Second-guessing every symptom
Building a longer and longer “do not” list

But recovery isn’t just about procedures or imaging

It’s about rebuilding trust in your body

Your symptoms are real
But so is your intuition

💬 Are you avoiding things because you’re afraid your CSF leak symptoms will come back?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Video clip featuring Dr. Linda Bluestein, Dr. Andrew Callen, and Dr. Dacre Knight discussing fear, recovery, and decision-making after CSF leak treatment.

You were told to do Kegels… so why are your symptoms getting worse?On last week’s episode of Bendy Bodies I spoke with D...
04/22/2026

You were told to do Kegels… so why are your symptoms getting worse?

On last week’s episode of Bendy Bodies I spoke with Dr. Brooke Winder about one of the biggest misconceptions in pelvic health: that strengthening is always the answer.

The pelvic floor isn’t just about strength—it’s about coordination, length, and the ability to relax.

Many symptoms like pelvic pain, painful s*x, urinary urgency, or tampon discomfort are often linked to too much tension, not weakness.

On the other hand, postpartum recovery, pelvic surgery, or nerve-related dysfunction may require targeted strengthening.

And here’s where it gets important: if Kegels are making your symptoms worse, that’s not failure—it’s feedback.

Pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t one-size-fits-all. It requires understanding your body’s unique balance of strength and relaxation.

These conversations matter because so many people are doing the “right” thing—and still feeling worse.

💬 Question for you: Were you ever told to just “do more Kegels”? Did it actually help?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Podcast screenshot slides featuring Dr. Linda Bluestein and Dr. Brooke Winder discussing pelvic floor dysfunction, Kegels, and the balance between strength and relaxation.

Pain doesn’t stay in one placeIt spreads.It adapts.It recruits.What starts as one problem can quickly become many.That h...
04/21/2026

Pain doesn’t stay in one place

It spreads.
It adapts.
It recruits.

What starts as one problem can quickly become many.

That hip pain? It can increase pelvic floor tension.
That neck or back pain? It can change how your entire body moves.

Because the body doesn’t isolate pain.
It compensates.

And over time, everything gets louder.

This is why treating pain in isolation so often falls short.

On Bendy Bodies and in the Bendy Bulletin on Substack, I break down the full-body picture. Because real progress comes from understanding how everything is connected.

đź’¬ Have you ever treated one area and noticed relief somewhere else?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

ID: Clean, minimal quote graphic featuring “Pain anywhere exacerbates pain everywhere” on a purple and teal ombre slide.

Excellent post by Cortney Gensemer, PhD! There are different types of joint hypermobility (see below for more). While s...
04/19/2026

Excellent post by Cortney Gensemer, PhD!

There are different types of joint hypermobility (see below for more). While some people with hypermobile joints never have problems, others have multisystemic effects. 🧬

In my clinical practice, I see the whole spectrum. 👩‍⚕️

I’ve seen people with generalized joint hypermobility without symptoms who want to be proactive. 🌟

Other patients struggle with severe fatigue, recurrent injuries that are slow to heal, gastrointestinal symptoms, and so much more. 💔

My patients who meet criteria for hypermobile EDS (hEDS) are so different from each other.

Anecdotally, the immune system research totally fits with my clinical experience (eg: Dr Anne Maitland’s work on the epithelial barrier hypothesis).

Peripheral JHM = hands and feet only
Localized JHM = limited to a few joints
Generalized JHM = multiple joints, usually 5+ (axial skeleton & extremities)
Historical JHM = was hypermobile but not anymore (can be assessed by the 2003 five point questionnaire by Drs. Hakim and Grahame) 

I have many patients with the trifecta (hEDS or HSD, POTS & MCAS) and while they have many similarities, they also have so many differences. It’s fascinating. 🩺🩻

It will be exciting to see what the future research shows! 🔬

04/16/2026

How can you be both hypermobile and dealing with pelvic floor tension at the same time?

On today’s episode of Bendy Bodies I’m joined by Dr. Brooke Winder to break down this paradox in hypermobility and pelvic floor dysfunction.

In conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders, ligaments (which provide joint stability) are more lax—so the body often compensates.

That compensation? Your muscles.

Pelvic floor muscles may become overactive, fatigued, or hold more tension to try to stabilize what the ligaments can’t.

Which means you can feel “tight” and “weak” at the same time.

This is why pelvic floor dysfunction in hypermobility isn’t just about strength—it’s about understanding how your body is compensating.

These conversations matter because so many hypermobile patients are told conflicting things—and left without clear answers.

đź’¬ Question for you: Have you experienced both muscle tightness and weakness at the same time?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Podcast clip featuring Dr. Linda Bluestein and Dr. Brooke Winder discussing hypermobility, pelvic floor dysfunction, and muscle compensation patterns.

Totally agree Cortney Gensemer, PhD!! When multiple conditions show up together, as they often do in EDS, MCAS, and POTS...
04/16/2026

Totally agree Cortney Gensemer, PhD!! When multiple conditions show up together, as they often do in EDS, MCAS, and POTS, it usually makes more sense that they’re connected rather than random, though sometimes separate issues can coexist; Occam’s razor may push toward one answer, but Hickam’s dictum reminds us that “ you can have as many diseases as you damn well please.“

Your symptoms are real and can come from one or more than one source, and your experience deserves to be taken seriously, not simplified or dismissed.❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Mast cells don’t just “overreact”—and in many patients, the story is more complex than it seems.On last week’s episode o...
04/15/2026

Mast cells don’t just “overreact”—and in many patients, the story is more complex than it seems.

On last week’s episode of Bendy Bodies, I spoke with Anne Maitland, M.D., Ph.D., alongside co-host Dr. Dacre Knight of UVA Health, about mast cell activation and why simply treating symptoms often misses the bigger picture.

Mast cells play a central role in allergy and inflammation, and in patients with EDS, that response can become amplified—affecting multiple systems at once.

Dr. Maitland explains that approaches like rotating antihistamines or stopping at an MCAS diagnosis can be a disservice if we’re not asking the deeper question: why are the mast cells misbehaving in the first place?

In many cases, it’s not just about calming symptoms—it’s about understanding underlying drivers, including genetic factors and triggers that lead to mast cell activation.

Conversations like this help reframe mast cell activation—not as an isolated issue, but as part of a broader, interconnected process seen in EDS and related conditions.

đź’¬ Question for you: Have you felt like your symptoms were treated, but the root cause was never fully explained?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Podcast screenshot slides featuring Dr. Anne Maitland wearing headphones and speaking into microphones discussing mast cell activation, MCAS, and EDS.

Autism is not something to fix—it’s something to understand.For many autistic individuals, the challenge isn’t autism it...
04/14/2026

Autism is not something to fix—it’s something to understand.

For many autistic individuals, the challenge isn’t autism itself—it’s being misunderstood, dismissed, or forced to mask in environments that weren’t built with them in mind.

Autism is a form of neurodiversity—a different way the brain processes sensory input, communication, and social interaction. Not wrong. Not broken. Different.

In healthcare settings, I often see how easily autistic patients are overlooked or misinterpreted. Sensory sensitivities may be labeled as anxiety. Communication differences may be misunderstood. Masking can make someone appear “fine”—even when they’re struggling.

Listening carefully is not optional. It’s clinical care.

Acceptance means:ďż˝
• Respecting different communication styles�
• Accommodating sensory needs�
• Supporting autonomy�
• Moving away from forcing neurotypical norms

Autistic individuals don’t need to be changed. They need to be understood, supported, and respected.

That is good medicine.

💬 Question: What does true acceptance look like to you—in healthcare or everyday life?



đź“Ś Medical information for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider

VD: Purple and teal infographic carousel. Slides include: a hook contrasting awareness vs acceptance; simple visuals representing sensory processing (light/sound icons), communication differences, and routines; a slide on masking and burnout; a healthcare interaction highlighting listening vs dismissal; and a final slide emphasizing support, autonomy, and acceptance.

04/09/2026

Your body isn’t overreacting—it’s responding to what it’s been taught is danger.

On today’s episode of Bendy Bodies I spoke with Anne Maitland, M.D., Ph.D., alongside co-host Dr. Dacre Knight of UVA Health, about mast cell activation and how the system is actually designed to protect you.

We have a built-in “triad” meant to detect danger, sound the alarm, and call in help—mast cells.

But today’s environment looks very different than what our bodies evolved for.

Dr. Maitland explains the epithelial barrier hypothesis: environmental exposures may be injuring our protective barriers, triggering the alarm system more often than it should.

And here’s what’s fascinating—the first responders aren’t even mast cells.

It’s the nerves.

They detect toxins, signal danger, and then recruit mast cells—amplifying the response.

These systems sit side by side: nerves, mast cells, blood vessels, and barrier tissues—all constantly communicating.

Which helps explain why symptoms can feel so widespread, especially in patients with EDS.

đź’¬ Does this framework change how you think about your symptoms?



đź“Ś Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized care.

VD: Video clip featuring Anne Maitland, M.D., Ph.D. speaking into a microphone, discussing mast cell activation, the epithelial barrier hypothesis, and the connection between nerves, mast cells, and EDS.

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