Hypermobility and Physiotherapy - How can we help?
As a hypermobile person I am all too aware of the affects it can have on your body. However, this isn’t to say you can’t do anything about it. Being hypermobile simply means that some or all of our joints have some extra range compared to what is considered ‘normal’. Some people refer to it as being ‘double jointed’.
Hypermobility is generally diagnosed through a score out of 9. We look at each joint (knees, wrists, elbows, spine and thumbs) to see whether you are hypermobile in that area. To be diagnosed with hypermobility you need to score 5/9. This is a routine test in our physiotherapy appointments to make sure all areas are assessed on your visit!
Now, there are a few very important things to be aware of when we are talking about hypermobility, firstly, it’s very common! You’re not alone. Secondly, there’s plenty of ways we can help you to learn to control the range of movement in your joints.
So let’s work out how we can help…the first thing to consider is whether it’s affecting your day to day life. If not, then that’s okay! Everyone’s body is built differently and there isn’t a ‘perfect’ way to move!
However, if you play sport or find that your joints feel unstable or you don’t have a lot of confidence in some movments then there’s ways we can help you to strengthen the muscles around the joints that have that extra movement. And by strengthening, I don’t just meaning squatting or bench pressing, I mean targeting the smaller, stability muscles that surround each joint and building them up so that they can control your range of movement. By doing this, we can also work on your ‘proprioception’ which is knowing where your joints are in space - this is generally more challenging for someone with hypermobility.
Pilates can also be a really helpful way of building stability and strength around your joints in a safe and controlled environment. At Bloom, all our instructors are very aware of hypermobility and are able to correct accordingly in classes. So if you’re new a foundations class would be the perfect place to start!
Or if you struggle with confidence or you’re not sure where to start or whether you are hypermobile at all, an inital physiotherapy appointment can help you to identify any areas that we can work on together to help grow your confidence in your body.
Head to the physiotherapy or pilates pages to book your appoointment or class!
