Muscle Weakness and Reduced Healing Capacity in Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes

While joint hypermobility is undeniably a huge asset, like most things in life it comes with a trade-off. With this "supermobility" comes a lack of stability in your joints and tissues that can be a disadvantage. Research studies have found that when hypermobile athletes are compared to athletes that are not hypermobile, the hypermobile athletes have more muscle weakness than their stiffer counterparts.

This does not mean that the hypermobile individuals cannot gain strength; rather, that it is more difficult to naturally develop strength like someone that is not as flexible.

have also shown that hypermobile patients may not heal as efficiently, which may explain widened scars and unexplained stretch marks.

Research studies have also found that hypermobile individuals seem to have varying impairments in proprioception compared to non-hypermobile individuals, which some of the earlier signs being delayed crawling, sitting and walking as a baby, or walking on tip-toes in early childhood.

Researchers have found that joint hypermobility syndrome is poorly recognized in children, and that a long delay in time to diagnosis results in poor control of pain and significant disruption of childhood activities such as school and play.

Improving your mobility and performing strengthening exercises can improve connective tissue, tendon, joint, ligaments and even bone strength and tissue resilience. Tissue responds to exercise by thickening, strengthening and improving its capacity to absorb load and stress.

Strength exercises can also improve brain health, circulation mood and pain levels.

Engaging in regular daily exercises even if just a little bit at time eventually will have a cumulative effect and will not only improve your overall health, but also reduce chances of joint subluxations and dislocations, as well as modulate or even eliminate pain overtime.