By Alana on Friday, June 02, 2000 - 01:55 pm:

At 14 I was diagnosed with hypermobility as my knees, hips and ankles were giving me alot of pain and on occasion my knees (especially right) would pop out then
relocate either on their own or when I moved. I'm now 19 and accociate my lower back and shoulder/arm pain with this also. I have not done anything much in the
way of sports since I was 12 or 13 but have recently been wondering about what type of activities I could under take to keep up my general fitness up without
causing extra pain? Please help as the doc's aren't very helpful!

By Laura on Friday, June 02, 2000 - 01:55 pm:

TRY PILATES - IT WORKS

By Danielle on Friday, June 02, 2000 - 01:55 pm:

Swimming is a great low impact activity for
people with bad joints.

By Odds on Friday, June 02, 2000 - 01:56 pm:

As far as I know the only thing adviced is a very low-impact training, never stretch ! Although its still a discussion wheter or not to train. Be as carefull as possible.
Right now I'm figuring out the right training, I've been told about a sports-instructor with HMS who designed his own trainingsystem and now after a few years
even says that he most of the time even forgets the fact that he has HMS.
As soon as I've spoken to him, I'll inform you all

By Gyll on Friday, June 02, 2000 - 01:56 pm:

This is something that I am really concerned with.
As a middle aged person I have lived with dodgy joints for a long time. I am worried about the degree of decay, although I am quite lightweight,I have not found an
exercise regime that can help me to retain a significant degree of stamina

By jude on Tuesday, June 06, 2000 - 04:59 am:

I have been advised to do strengthening exercises over the years and I have to say that they really do work. I use the weight machines in the gym (nothign that puts too much strain on the lower back though!) and find the lateral pull down gives me the most satisfaction; I can actually feel the facet joints moving and popping in and out. Be careful of shoulder shrugs with dumbells as I did too much, 20 reps, and ended up with tendonitis. I have to say my motivation only lasts about 3-4 weeks and then i stop going for months until i am suffering again - my own stupid fault!! Although I am not a confident swimmer i do find that my back is pain free having been in the pool for 45 mins or so, but i do suffer from neck pain as I do can only do breast stroke with my head well out of the water. i have been told recently that it's best to kick your legs as in crawl when doing breast stroke as this decreases the risk of overextending the hips too far. Hope that this has helped a little.

By Melissa on Saturday, June 17, 2000 - 04:11 am:

I Work in a special needs school and I have recently been diognosed with hms. I was in the blue about any form of exercise that I was able to do until I spoke to our Physiotherapist that treats some of the children with in the school. She too has hms and finds that swimming ,light wieght and short walks help her as for me,well I am still working out what the best things are for me after breaking my foot shortlty after being diognosed!

By lisa on Wednesday, June 21, 2000 - 07:25 pm:

I am a physical therapist treating some patients with hypermobile joints, particularly the hands. Are there any other therapists out there who are having success with certain techniques, exercises, or taping/bracing regimens? Or, are there any people who have had hypermobile joints and success with PT.

By Bridget on Thursday, June 22, 2000 - 10:28 am:

My HMS daughter is having some success with her new PT. THis PT specializes in HMS, i'm so glad we found her. She does manipulation of various areas, to put them back "in". She even teaches my daughter some moves to put herself back in, and some things i can do too. This PT has her own clinic, and they also do massage therapy and biofeedback, as well asthe usual exercises. My dau will soon have some prolo on her neck, and this PT also knows and works with this doctor who does prolo, the only one in town. I can't tell you how great it has been to be with someone who understands this scenario!!

By Alex on Friday, June 23, 2000 - 02:06 pm:

I am 14 I can semi dislocate and relocate my knees at will, all the joints in my hand continually crack and if I dont crack they give me pain my neck hurts, wrists, ankles (greatly) and sometimes my back. I am a very active Sportsman and playrugby in the 1st team at my school and I am very fit, this hypermobility pisses me off I am not quite sure what to do, can someon email me please.

Al.............

By Beth on Friday, June 23, 2000 - 04:51 pm:

There isn't much you can do. Physical therapy and NOT dislocating anything on purpose would be a start.

Hugs Beth

By Gwen on Saturday, June 24, 2000 - 02:06 pm:

As Beth says, don't dislocate on purpose and avoid activities that are likely to put extra strain on your joints. Walking, cycling, aquatherapy, swimming, yoga and tai-chi all seem to have been successful for people with joint disorders. If you must play sports consider using braces or tape to support your joints.

By Michaela on Monday, June 26, 2000 - 04:56 pm:

I disagree with not stretching, though I do mean in a very gentle manner.
I get much worse pain if I don't do gentle stretches , Feldencreis (sp?) is good, as is yoga.
Anything that eases pain has got to be good, especially if you can do it yourself.
I've started Stunt Fighting, which perhaps isn't the most gentle of things to do, but I guess I'm a little like Shelby in Steel Magnolias, and do things to spite my condition.
But, I've had to alter their routine to make it work for me, like most of you, or the people you write on behalf of, I have days where I can sit in the splits without too much warming up and other days, or weeks can barely touch my finger tips to the floor from standing. On those days I stretch ever so carefully and make sure I'm wearing very warm clothes so the joints aren't too brittle.
Anyone else feel like this?
I've only been abole to describe the feeling in my hips/back etc as being like an old elastic band, can stretch further than a new tight band, but is more fragile and can break more easily. And on cold days the time to breaking point is much shorter.
But again, I suppose, there is a different path for different people, and if stretching does hurt you, don't do it;).
I've pulled my hamstrings too many times, at least once a year, so should know better, but often I don't feel it happen. So extreme caution should be taken.
BTW, I'm looking into Pilates, apparently Lucy lawless uses it too;)

By Gretchen (Gretchen) on Friday, June 30, 2000 - 04:30 pm:

I have found Aquatics and deep water exercise classes wonderful. They offer a great aerobic work out and is very low impact. Espically the deep water. you never touch the ground. I also found them to be a great social outlit. Bike riding is also good. According to one of the founding fathers of Prolotherapy Dr. Earl Gedney there are three great exercises for your back Swimming, Bike riding and Sex. (this is hear say from his daughter)

By Andrea on Tuesday, July 04, 2000 - 05:27 pm:

Dear all out there!

Yes, what should we do in terms of exercise?? When I was diagnosed with HMS in December 1996, ten months after my daughter's birth I could barely move. My then rheumatologist told me not to do any stretching or anything too relaxing, like yoga, as this would aggravate my condition. By the time I started seeing a PT who specialises in HMS this year in Spring I was so stiff that I was told I had become IMmobile!!! And the biggest irony of it all is that I have a teaching degree in physical education!!!!!! What an idiot I was! I could have worked out for myself that NO stretching and NO relaxation would cause stiffness causing (more) pain. I am now gradually starting to loosen up a bit thanks to stretching and relaxation (massage), but to reverse this stiffness might take me up to 18 months, my PT thinks. However, what my rheumatologist did tell me to do at the time was to take anti-inflammatories ... and promised me that my condition would get better, "believe me". I did. I held on to that straw. And I took ibuprofen until I wrecked my stomach. As Michaela says: anything that eases the pain has to be good for you, especially if you can do it yourself.

By Michaela on Tuesday, August 08, 2000 - 06:06 pm:

Yeah, I hope noone thinks I was advocating being pulled and tied into knots;)
Stretching doesn't mean to your absolute maximum.
And there are so many different types of massage that don't involve being beaten to a pulp.

Gentle and what feels comfortable are the key words.

Speaking of which, I am in desperate need of a good relaxing bath to warm the tissues and then a nice back massage might not go astray.. I may need to spend some money on this;)

By Frank S. on Tuesday, August 08, 2000 - 06:12 pm:

Often a theraband exercise program will help (theraband is what physical therapists use). The idea is to strengthen your muscles to compensate for the lack of strength/looseness of your ligaments.
You might want to check out:
www.jointhealing.com
while there isn't a lot about hypermobile joints in general there, they do sell rehab kits for many different joints (knee, shoulder, etc.)

By maud on Monday, August 28, 2000 - 03:22 pm:

Hi

I'm 22 and was diagnosed with HMS 4 years ago. My first symptoms, however, started when i was 15. I was misdiagnosed; the advise my doctor gave me was to quit all of my sport-activities etc. Wrong!!!! My symptoms worsened and i got scared to do anything at all. Now it's going better.I switched from physical therapie to chiropracty and I'm trying to get my exercise by doing just ordinary things. Go shopping, dancing, biking, but just don't drive yourself over your own limits. It will not only relief your pain, but also your mood. The worse thing you can do is doing nothing at all.

best wishes for you all

By emma on Sunday, September 10, 2000 - 05:13 am:

Dear all,

Having just been diagnosed with HMS, I'm obviously at a loss as to what I can and can't do now. Would a regular jazz dance class be a bad idea, particularly as it would involve a lot of stretching?

Hope you can help

Best wishes

Emma

By Bianca on Sunday, September 10, 2000 - 09:52 am:

I would be very very careful with Jazz Dance, because same movings are stretching and also sometimes very quick and sometimes you go with force in the end of the movment.
Maybe you can do it, when you have a very good teacher, who knows about HMS and analyze every new movment in the beginning, so that you can learn where the end of the normal movement is and when you start a hypermobile movement. Sometimes People with HMS can dance and so, but you must have a very good muscle control and be aware that the risk for injuries is higher than for normal people.
And listen very caredul to your body. Your body can tell you whether you do too much or not.
I did it also some ten years ago, when I knew nothing about HMS and had my best time with my joints. It had an interesting effect because I had always problems with my coordination because I have a very bad feeling for in which position I have my limps. And this became better with Jazz dance.
If you try I wish you a lot of success and be careful.

By Maria on Monday, September 18, 2000 - 03:12 am:

please help me... i recently discovered an article on HMS in the paper, and was interested, so i read on...i completed the test at the end of the aarticle, and scored a full 9/9. i guess that i am hypermobile. reading the article amde everything sound very familiar, and it scared me to read that i may not be able to walk by the age of 38, as i am very sporty, presently representing scotland for some sports. i live i nscotland, and am wondering where my nearest centre is, and what i can do to keep the situation at rest, as so far, i have not had too many problems...any ideas/advice? i presently play hockey, lacrosse, and athletics at very high standards, and like to do pretty much everything else..help me...M

By Eppie on Monday, September 18, 2000 - 09:09 am:

I don't want to sound harsh, but be very careful when you start a family. I was also very "sporty" and probably hypermobile, and getting pregnant (hormones) sent me over the proverbial edge. Note, however, that some hypermobile women have very few problems during and after pregnancy...just wanted to give you a heads up.

By Kathy on Monday, September 18, 2000 - 06:52 pm:

I'm a professional dancer, recently diagnosed with HMS. My doctor told me to quit dancing, but I can't accept that as the only solution. I have found that careful weight-training, and regular non-impact aerobic exercise, under the guidance of a physical therapist, has been very helpful in minimizing my pain. I'll be starting graduate school in physical therapy next summer, and will pass on anything else I learn that might be helpful.

By amraff1 on Saturday, September 23, 2000 - 07:15 am:

I am 28 and have recently benn diagnosed with HMS. I am very much into Health and fitness. I usually work out at least 5 days a week. I am also weight conscious. I have started PT, but she has only given me minimal exercises to do.
What can I do? My regular routine is to do a 1 hour tape and an ab tape, or ride my bike, use the treadmill for an hour at 4mph, Tae Bo, and some weight training at home. I am at a total loss because anything i regularly do I am told not to. I have only had one major injurty to my shoulder. All of my joints ache at different times, but I find if I rest 2-3 days I ache worse. Please tell me what i can do to stay in shape without hurting myself. Do pilates really work?

Going Crazy!

By Kimberly on Saturday, September 23, 2000 - 07:27 am:

Hi amraff1, I ride my road bike, rollerblade and hike. I find other things cause me more pain. I do have to tell you that my road bike has some modification for my HMS problems. But I can ride it now. Swimming is also a good one, but it's not my favorite thing to do.
Hope this helps
Kimberly

By Anita Hunt on Sunday, September 24, 2000 - 11:02 am:

I couldn't get your 'entry form' page to accept a name or email address, so had to give my actual ones. But the window below seems to be happy to take both, so am entering them. Apologies to anyone whose time may be wasted reading this!

By Bianca on Monday, September 25, 2000 - 04:22 am:

I feel with you amraff 1. When my problems with HMS got worse, I felt very bad, because I lost so much things I liked to do and also same of my coping strategies, because I always went for a walk when I was angry or sad.
Now I still miss the mountain walks and cross country skiing so much, but I can ride again on my bilke for very short distances and I can swim, also when I am bandaged and braced up.
I think the point is to find out what is possible without exacerbating pain and how is it possible. I spoke once with my doc and told him that I can swim but only with wrist braces and he told me to do so, because he also meant it is better to move with support than not to move.
I wish you a lot of power and success to find out what works for you.

By Tracy on Thursday, October 05, 2000 - 02:22 pm:

Hi there

I have suffered from HMS for most of my life. Finally having it confirmed when I was 10. Back then I was not very active and found my joints would cause me a lot of pain. Now I am the exact opposite. I horse ride, I also do tai-chi once week alongside going to the local gym to use the toning tables. I have tried light weight training but found that did make things worse. The toning tables are great you just lie there and they do all the work. So my joints get exercise without any strain. And as far as the horse riding goes. I enjoy it so I do it. My consultant knows about it and says along as I stay away fromn jumping I should be alright.

This is beacuse swimming wasn't for me I found my joints would come out of place very easily, even with support. Plus horses are my favourite animal so I get the best of both world's. It gives me a reason to get up and do something even when my joints are bad.

I have found since I started riding the muscles in my back and legs have become a lot stronger (which my Dr say's has stopped many other problems occuring). My knees still dislocate, but it hasn't stopped me.

Horse riding is not for every one, I understand that but just hunt around and you will find something that is for you. As long as you are sensible and work to your own limits. You can do what you and live life to the full.

Happy hunting.

By liz on Friday, October 06, 2000 - 01:35 pm:

At 18 years of age, I could only walk with crutches because my full body weight(I'm small) would cause my hips, knees & ankles to pop out of their joints. After being hurt by PTs who were ignorant of HMS I started my own exercise program with my fathers help. Isometrics, they require no equipment and cause absolutely no jarring of the joints.

By Tracy on Friday, October 06, 2000 - 02:52 pm:

Hi Liz

Could you give me more info on Isometirics. This sounds like it would be useful when I am not able to do any other form of exercise. Even though I sound very active there are still days (becoming more frequent) when I need to use a wheelchair. And would like some form of exercise to try and reduce the time I have to spend in it.

Keep Smiling
Tracy

By Emma on Monday, October 09, 2000 - 10:44 pm:

Liz

I would also like some information on your isometrics program. I find every form of exercise I have done has made me worse.

By Gwen on Tuesday, October 10, 2000 - 12:59 am:

A musculo-skeletal specialist I recently spoke to suggested Tai Chi as it is very disciplined and aims at co-ordinating movements. It does not jar joints like more vigorous exercise but the intensity of it gives you the same work out as aerobics. Incidentally it is also recommended for older people to improve their balance and prevent falls.

By Sheena on Wednesday, October 11, 2000 - 02:12 am:

Has anyone actually done Tai Chi? I started it but had to give up. You spend all your time standing, in a position which was not natural for me. The aim is to be as heavy as possible so an attacker could not easily push you over, so you let everything drop. Your shoulders are dropped and rounded a bit and your chest is sunken down. While I was doing it I was having lots of pains in my feet and legs which went away when I stopped.

If you have foot problems I don't think it will help you. When my physio heard about the sunken chest she said it would be wrong for me as she was trying to achieve the opposite.

By liz on Wednesday, October 11, 2000 - 08:07 am:

I've just completed my 4th lesson in Tai Chi and have to stop because my ribs went out and yes I do agree with you about the pain. I explained HMS to my instructer and that I can't hold a position like others and he was very understanding. When I return to class, I will stay in the back row only participating in what does not hurt me, I will wear braces on my knees and ankles and I am considering taping some of my other joints if I can learn to do so properly. I don't know if I will be able to continue Tai Chi but I refuse to give up too soon.

Liz

By Bianca on Thursday, October 12, 2000 - 04:52 am:

Aquafit is a sport that I should try, told me my rheumatologioc doctor.
Now after six lessons I must say that he is right, but I have to be very careful. I have bandaged my problem joints and I do only 30 minutes instead of 60 minutes from a full lesson. And I don't use the special tools to need more force moving.
I start now to feel a bit stronger and have not more pain after the lesson than before.
What is Aquafit? You get a special vest around your upper body so that you can stand in water and also walk. Abd you walk in water most of the time and also do some other movements in the water. The advantage is that you have absolutely no weight on your joints.
Does anyone else have experiences with Aquafit?

By Ginger on Thursday, October 12, 2000 - 12:08 pm:

Bianca,

I've never heard of Aquafit but it sounds like it
would be helpful. Can you tell me where you
are taking this class? Are you in the US? Is it
through a health care professional (pt or ot) as
part of therapy? I tried some water exercises
(with a pt) last year but I guess I was not
ready for them (too weak) because it seemed
to do more harm than good. I don't think I
realized how much effort I was putting forth
and had much more pain as a result.

Would love to hear more about this.

Thank you

Ginger in Connecticut, USA

By Sheena on Thursday, October 12, 2000 - 03:08 pm:

Aquafit (in the UK) is usually a class activity. The classes I have attended in the past don't provide the vests Bianca mentions. The first half of the class is like aerobics but in chest-deep water. You can choose to keep working slowly if you are unfit.

In the second half you use polystyrene floats of various shapes and do exercises like "sit-ups" except that you are floating instead of lying on the floor. There are also some stretching exercises.

My physio has told me not to do it at the moment as I am not ready for it. I was mainly getting neck pain during the floating exercises.

In the UK, if you exercise in water with a physiotherapist on a one-to-one basis it is called hydrotherapy.

By Liz on Friday, October 13, 2000 - 07:50 am:

Emma,

Who asked for more info on isometrics can contact me at hwy584@cancom.net. If I know which of your joints are worse, I can suggest specific excercises.

Liz

By Tracy on Saturday, October 14, 2000 - 01:30 pm:

HI guys

I have just seen comments on tai-chi.

I take part in a ocal class run by the chinese college of phsyical culture (I say tai-chi because it is easier). This involves lots of different things for example a form of chinese yoga as well as tai chi, but within this there is no holding stances for long periods of time (like classical tai-chi). There lots of slow movements and different exerices. Which I have found very benefical. I have also learnt a new form of massage which has helped my joints no end. I am also learning about diet and how different foods can help with different things. If you want any more info please contact me tracy.timney@btinternet.com

By John Carlisle (Johnc) on Saturday, October 14, 2000 - 03:47 pm:

Hi guys
Exercise is vital for those with HMS but these need to be mid-range movements only using only the weights or resistance that you can achieve. Never push, never rush and there must be no pain following the exercises. Water exercises, Pilates, Tai chi can all help but you must select the exercises you enjoy and that are achievable. Do not do any stretching-your body already stretches too much so why try to increase this? Just a word of warning, be very careful about anybody manipulating your joints and never,ever,ever your neck.
johnc

By Bianca on Monday, October 16, 2000 - 11:00 am:

Aquafit (answers to Sheena and Ginger)
I live in Switzerland and here Aquafit is very popular. You can lessons in every public swimbath.
It is a class sport and there is a leader. I think same of them have special medical knowledge and same not. My leader is very good. He warns me before same exercises and tells me that when some exercises are nothing for me or that I should not take same special things to make a bigger resistance in water. He also told me not to do the full lessons and to take bandages or braces to protect the really weak joints. So we speak in every lesson about the program for me. The class is then doing more hard work or other exercises.
I think that it is very important to look that you find a good leader, as it is with our doctors and PT too.
We never float, we most of the time walk in water like we were walking on normal ground but without weight on the legs. Whether they make stretching I don't know because I never stay until the end of the lesson. The aerobic like part we do but at least ten minutes.
I think that one can be too weak for it but it is like my leader say, it is to try and maybe in the beginning only ten minutes or so. And you have to be careful and listening very good to your body.

By Richard on Friday, December 15, 2000 - 07:31 pm:

I am Physical Therapist & a Feldenkrais practitioner. Try awareness through movement lessons taught by certified practitioners. This approach improves mental and physical functioning thru the exploration of body movement patterns and the use of attention. You will acquire alternatives that promote ease and well-being. Try the web site@; www.feldenkrais.com or call 1-800-775-2118. I've used it for 14 years to treat myself and my clients. GOOD LUCK!

By MichelleT on Saturday, December 16, 2000 - 02:38 pm:

Thanks Richard. I've heard of Feldenkrais, but didn't know if it would help HMS. I'll look into it where I live.
I definitely have lack of awareness of my movements (always banging into walls, doors, chairs, people etc..)

By Desert Flower on Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 10:42 pm:

I have hypermobility and used to do step aerobics, yoga weight training. I never had any problems. I continued to do aerobics through my second pregnancy and damaged my knee joint. I realized this after my pregnancy when I tried to do some of the yoga positions that I was able to achieve previously. My knee felt like it was going to pop right out of it's joint. I then started to experience the same kind of pain doing step aerobics. I pushed myself until my knee swelled up like a balloon. Now it hurts all the time. I too am at a loss as to what exercises I should do. Weights strain my already bad hands and wrists which hurt from years of computer use. I tried pilates and they really hurt my neck. All the sit-ups with no neck support. I am afraid to do yoga. I used to love mountain biking but am afraid to do that. I just feel like everything I love to do gets stripped away from me because of my problems. I too am truly frustrated...

By Ryan on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 02:58 pm:

Ok I have a question, I have a fairly exterme case in which every joint in my body is affected severly, I've had 2 surgeries on each knee and have gone through all sorts of physcal thearapy but nothing seems to work i used to have dislocations of everything (Knees elbows shoulders wrists fingers jaw everything) when I would try to do anything and I finally realzed that the only way to not get hurt everyday is to do nothing what so ever physical, well I was wondering if anyone had used an electric muscle stimmulator and if it is a good idea for someone extremely hypermobile. Also I was wondering I have had incredibly painful ingrown toenails that amazed the doctors and I can not get numb no matter how much the doctors do it just doesnt work so Ive had to have them removed while I felt all the pain (they refused to put me to sleep for the surgeries they deemed it to expensive and not nessasary for a toe) also the dentist is the same way for me, anyone have simmilar problems?? Also I please ask that in addition to posting on the message board if anyone has anything that might be benifical to me please email me at Alcooper02@aol.com thank you all very much this message board is a terrific resource. By the way I am 18 years old.

By Julie on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 03:36 pm:

Hi Ryan - I read something about not being able to go numb through injections on the website www.hypermobility.org under research. Apparently lots of hypermobile people find that but they do not know why yet. I have never had a local anaesthetic with drugs but had teeth out using gas (pretty ancient method) but that worked - it knocks you out completely but isn't the same as general anaesthetic i think - perhaps suggesting using that next time and see!

By sharon on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 05:11 pm:

Ryan,
I have my teeth done under General Anasthetic as well as any other medical/surgical work. I just demand that they do it as the other (local) doesn't work for me.
Hope this helps.
Sharon

By Sal on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 08:41 pm:

Hi,

I also have HMS and i'm in complete pain all the time. I suffer from it in every joint in my body. My feet are really bad because they're so flexible I can stand on the top of them. This makes wearing normal flat soled shoes very hard, but wearing higher shoes makes my knees and ankles pop out. Also I'm suffering from really bad back and shoulder pain which is intensified by studying (which i do about ten hours a day), does anyone know which exercises i can do that will help?? I have tried swimming but everything pops out and i cant horse ride anymore because of the same problem. I am only fifteen years old and i feel my life is falling apart. If anyone can give me any hope i would very much appreciate it.

Thanks
Sal

By hamfist on Sunday, October 27, 2002 - 10:58 am:

Sal,

With the hyper flexible feet/ankles you need to get some support either from elastic type bracing or wear support shoes. Yes, this sounds terrible for such a young person, but it does help.

Swimming is usually a best exercise for backs but is clearly not for you. But you need to get better back muscle tone by resistance exercises and you need to keep excess weight off!

Best regards, Ian (mercedes_nz@yahoo.com)

By Nicola Thomas on Wednesday, November 27, 2002 - 06:58 am:

Well hello all
I too have HMS and have been trying to find advise on do and don'ts for exercise.
I have now being doing Tai Chi (Chung) for nearly 3 years, thoroughly enjoy it and feel that it has defiantely benefited my health. It was only when I started doing kickboxing and other external martial arts that I first started having pains, even when simply walking. Has anyone else found this probably with kicks? I am now doing Tai Chi, the gym as a bribe (recommend by my Phsiotheripst) for Wing Chun and Wushu (but being careful). However I don't think Wing Chun is suitable as can be intense on certain muscles. I believe the smooth and relaxing movements of the Tai Chi to be good, remembering to make your body feel comfortable - it knows best. I have found that it has improved my posture and body awareness. I have being doing the Yang forms, tai chi sword (a slow form) Pakua, Vising-I and Qigung (pronounced Chi Kung).
I recommend Qigung, especially for strengthing on hands/arms - This has minimal movements, deep breathing and makes you feel great! Like you've just had massage. The Tai Chi forms, yang and sword too, are good as they are very slow and it flows (v. pretty). Pakua, I have to be careful on the feet. And Vising-I can be short and sharpe, movements so I'd avoid that.
If anyone has any questions or comments/advice they like to give, I would be most greatful.
Nicx

By katy anderson on Thursday, February 13, 2003 - 05:00 am:

hi,
i am a podiatrist that works for the nhs. i see a lot of children with hms. When treating these children, i use orthotics to help stabilise their feet which in turn can improve muscle imbalances and help to stabilise other joint throughout the kinetic chain, such as knees, hips and lower back. This can really help a lot when doing weight bearing exercises. if anyone has any further questions or comment i would be most grateful. katy

By Alison on Sunday, March 09, 2003 - 01:47 pm:

Hi Katy,

How do i get refered to a NHS podiatrist, my GP hasn't even diagnosed me with hypermobility although everyone else has. Which is surprising considering the pain and injuries I have had in the past two years.

Would I need to be refereed by my GP? If so how long would this take