Acupuncture and AT for chronic pain from hypermobility and EDS

 Hypermobility syndromes (including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) affect an estimated 1 in 10 people. Symptoms include chronic, generalized pain as well as digestive upset, bladder issues, skin changes, cardiovascular issues. Many hypermobility groups recommend Alexander Technique as a preventive measure to help with posture, movement, and coordination (e.g., see here and here).

With the Alexander Technique, people living with hypermobility syndromes can build coordination skills so they are less likely to injure themselves and less likely to make injuries worse.

Acupuncture is a wonderful complementary tool for all the symptoms mentioned above. Where Alexander Technique is preventative, acupuncture can help repair and re-balance systems that aren’t working as well as they used to.

Other traditional east asian modalities can be very helpful for chronic pain from hypermobility/EDS, for example, moxibustion has been shown to be helpful for chronic low back pain. Cupping and bodywork can also help with the generalized pain often experienced in hypermobility syndromes.

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels.

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