In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, guest host Kate Colbert interviews Dr. Linda Bluestein about the evolution of her hypermobility EDS podcast (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes). They discuss Dr. Bluestein's career trajectory, her transition from aspiring dancer to anesthesiologist to EDS expert, and he…
The lower extremities must bear the weight of our whole bodies. Problems in the hip may cause a chain reaction of aches, imbalances, or chronic issues that could manifest in the knee, ankle, or somewhere else along the kineti...
Connective tissue runs throughout your body, surrounding and connecting every system. This is what makes treating issues that arise from connective tissue disorders so difficult: when everything is connected, it’s hard to fin...
Travel comes with a lot of uncertainty: flights get canceled, hotel reservations are lost, luggage never turns up. But add the complications of traveling with a chronic disorder like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and voyaging becom...
Symptomatic joint hypermobility can be difficult to understand and can present in so many different ways. Recently, Victoria Daylor, Dr. Cortney Gensemer, Dr. Russell Norris, and Dr. Linda Bluestein published a CME two-part s...
Eating disorders are complicated and not uncommon in artistic athletes. Common comorbidities of symptomatic joint hypermobility (SJH), like mast cell activation disorder (MCAD) or gastroparesis, may contribute to disordered e...
Upper cervical instability (UCI) occurs quite commonly in the mild form and more rarely in the severe form in those with symptomatic generalized joint hypermobility (S-GJH). Both can be impactful and are frequently missed. ...
Thriving as a professional artist with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can be challenging. Finding a balance between pushing yourself physically and listening to your body when it needs rest is difficult when you are part of a compan...
Living with a chronic illness like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) can be demoralizing. You may not have access to the care you need, loved ones do not get it, and loneliness can be a reality for so many people. Gigi Robinson wa...
Life with multiple chronic illnesses is physically and mentally challenging. Feelings of exhaustion and emotional fatigue crowd in with physical symptoms and can be overwhelming in your daily life. How do you find balance? Ho...
For most artistic athletes, competition is a part of life. Whether you’re a dancer, skater, gymnast, or cheerleader chances are you’re competing at some point. Competitions can be grueling, multi-day events consisting of 14-h...
Dance and other performing arts are, by nature, stressful. Stress can easily develop into anxiety, which is exponentially more common in the hypermobile population than the general population. How can you distinguish between ...
As a young dancer, Jazz Bynum enjoyed the benefits of being “bendy”. Later, she experienced more than her fair share of injuries but it wasn’t clear how these could be connected. A diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syn...
In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss a new hypermobility screening tool with guests, Aiko Callahan, DPT, and Stephanie Greenspan, DPT. Hypermobility is far more prevalent in dancers, circus performers and other ae...
In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss moving with EDS hypermobility & laxity with guest, Jeannie DiBon. Hypermobile athletes and artists are often excellent movers - until they hit “the wall”. Sometimes you hit a p...
In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss the relationship between hypermobility, autism ADHD and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) with guest, Jessica Eccles, MRCPsych, PhD. Evidence shows that neurodivergency occurs at a...
In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss dance athletics and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) with guests, Marimba Gold-Watts, Mariana J. Plick, Kyle Thompson, and Cailey Brandon. Whether you have a connective tissue dis...
In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss the relationship between being neurodivergent hypermobility and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) with guest, Jessica Eccles, MRCPsych, PhD. Neurodivergency occurs at a much higher...
Dancing with a hypermobile body brings its own set of challenges, from a general lack of stability to a slower recovery time. As a young pre-professional, a dancer might not understand why she must find conscious strength bef...
Your DNA holds many secrets. Why do drugs work on some people and not on others? Why are conditions expressed so differently in different family members? How might hypermobility disorders, dysautonomia (like POTS) and Mast...
Traits that can make a dancer so valuable in the dance world - drive, perfectionism, obsessing over details - also put them at higher risk for mental health disorders. And while physical health resources become ever more comm...
While many dancers strive to fuel healthily, making the most out of your meals can be overwhelming. In today’s world especially, dancers need strong immune systems and healthy bodies ready for whatever challenge may come next...
Dancers train constantly to attain peak performance, working long hours to achieve physical and artistic perfection. Unfortunately, mental health is often sacrificed for that perfection. Terry Hyde, former dancer with the Roy...
