Many hypermobile dancers spend years hiding symptoms.
Not because they're injured.
Not because they're weak.
But because they're afraid of being seen as difficult.
On the most recent episode of Bendy Bodies, dance medicine experts Jennifer Milner and Dr. Moira McCormack discuss a challenge many hypermobile dancers face long before an injury occurs:
Being understood.
Hypermobile dancers often need more recovery time. They may benefit from a more individualized approach to training, conditioning, and learning choreography. Not because they're less capable, but because their bodies work differently.
The problem?
As Moira explains, many dance environments aren't designed to accommodate those differences.
If you're cast, you're expected to perform.
Conversations about hypermobility, injury risk, fatigue, recovery, and accommodations aren't always welcomed in settings where everyone is expected to train and perform the same way.
As a result, many dancers feel pressure to stay quiet, push through symptoms, and hide struggles that deserve attention.
The more we understand hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, and injury prevention in dancers, the better we can support long, healthy, sustainable careers in the performing arts.
💬 Have you ever felt pressure to hide an injury, pain, fatigue, or symptoms in order to keep performing?
#Hypermobility #DanceMedicine #DancerHealth #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #BendyBodies
📌 This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not establish a physician-patient relationship. Please consult your own healthcare professional for personalized medical care.
VD: Jennifer Milner and Dr. Moira McCormack discuss why many hypermobile dancers feel pressure to hide symptoms and why greater awareness of hypermobility may help support longer, healthier performing careers.
