Bendy Bodies with Dr. Linda Bluestein

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 stress and anxiety? What can you do to manage your anxiety? When is it time to seek outside help? We asked these questions and more of Jo-Anne La Flèche, a clinical and dance...

As the weather changes and schedules become busier, staying healthy can feel like a huge challenge. Artistic athletes may struggle to keep their bodies at optimal performance level, and fighting off infectious illnesses may seem like an uphill battle. How can we naturally strengthen our immune system, supporting its function for optimum success? We posed this question to Kristin Koskinen, RDN and...

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 Syndrome (hEDS) gave Jazz the information necessary to build the resiliency and strength she needs as a professional dancer with Ballet West. Jazz chats with Bendy Bodies about n...

Mast cell disorders are prevalent in the hypermobile population, but can often go undiagnosed.  Persistent pain can be initiated and perpetuated by mast cells, which have also been referred to as “gatekeepers of pain”.  How can someone who suspects mast cell issues go about seeking relief for mast cell-related pain? How can medical professionals accurately seek to diagnose and treat mast cell pain...

Hypermobility is far more prevalent in dancers, circus performers and other aesthetic athletes. While some hypermobile artistic athletes have asymptomatic joint hypermobility, others have symptoms due to an underlying hypermobility or connective tissue disorder. How can a physical therapist or physician assess the bendy artist, beyond tools like the Beighton Score, and see what the artist might ne...

Jaw pain affects a relatively large percentage of the general population, but is even more problematic for those on the hypermobility spectrum.  It’s not often something we think of addressing, however, until it’s clamoring for our attention. Leslie Russek, DPT, PhD is a practicing orthopedic physical therapist specializing in hypermobility syndromes, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, fibromyalgia, headach...

Hypermobile athletes and artists are often excellent movers - until they hit “the wall”. Sometimes you hit a point where even basic movements become a struggle. How can you continue moving without increasing your pain? Bendy Bodies discusses this important topic during pain awareness month with Jeannie Di Bon, a movement therapist who literally wrote the book on moving pain-free with hypermobility...

As a physical therapist for circus artists and dancers, Dr. Jen Crane regularly treats artistic athletes with hypermobility. As a circus artist and former dancer who is also diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), Jen Crane intimately understands the struggles of these athletes. How does a hypermobile artist use that hypermobility to its full advantage - the long, gorgeous, bendy...

As an elite ballet dancer, Bonnie Moore Southgate danced as a soloist first with American Ballet Theatre, then with the Royal Ballet. Struggling with injuries and pain for years, Bonnie retired from dance and eventually was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Her journey to find treatments and pain relief led to her second career as a neurokinetic therapist, massage therapist, and Pilates train...

Hypermobility can help the artist create aesthetically pleasing lines with one of the most obvious locations involving the foot. And while many artists envy the banana feet that sometimes accompany excessive ranges of motion, having hypermobile feet and ankles can just as often bring complications. Andrea Zujko, a physical therapist who works regularly with dancers from New York City Ballet and fr...

Evidence shows that neurodivergency occurs at a higher rate amongst people with hypermobility disorders.  And we know that anxiety is also prevalent in the hypermobile population. When we look at neurodivergency, hypermobility, anxiety, and dysautonomia, we see hints of lines drawn between them.  Might science soon be able to connect the dots? Jessica Eccles, senior clinical academic psychiatrist...

People with hypermobility often struggle with fatigue.  They want more energy, and know that exercise and adequate sleep can help. But what is the role of nutrition in combating fatigue? Bendy Bodies team member, Kristin Koskinen, RDN, chats with us on how what we eat can influence how we feel. She explores the role nutrition can play in fatigue, and how executive function may contribute to nutrit...

Fatigue is common in people with chronic disease. Pain, fatigue, and depression can feed into each other and become a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break. Combating fatigue can be particularly difficult for those with bendy bodies and comorbidities. Alan Pocinki, MD, specialist in hypermobility and related autonomic and sleep disorders, speaks with Bendy Bodies on this complicated subject. Dr....

Pregnancy can be a time of new physical challenges, and hypermobility may make the season even more complex. Hormones can change tissue elasticity and the body may struggle to adapt. Dr. Shanda Dorff began working with connective tissue disorders in 2008 and has helped countless women through pregnancies and beyond. She imparts her hard-learned wisdom to Bendy Bodies on this complicated subject. D...

Artistic athletes like dancers, gymnasts, and skaters require highly skilled medical care in order to maintain peak health while operating at an elite level. Understanding the unique demands placed on their bodies is crucial for their physicians. And when the artist is competing as part of a team - say, as an Olympic skater or gymnast, or as a company dancer - the artist doesn’t always have the lu...

Hypermobility disorders can be difficult to diagnose, with no one clear path forward. Without an obvious road to walk, people with chronic pain who suspect hypermobility disorders may feel defeated and overwhelmed, struggling to find the help they need. In this episode, Bendy Bodies founder Linda Bluestein, MD opens up about her own journey getting an EDS diagnosis and starting her work as a hyper...

People struggling with a chronic illness often feel overwhelmed at the idea of pursuing a passion. Health issues may seem insurmountable when trying to go after your dream, and you may feel hopeless and alone on your journey. Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020, was diagnosed with Classical Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome at age 11, at the same time she was discovering her love of nature and science. For he...

What is overstretching, and why should we talk about it? As the artistic world seems to demand ever more extreme ranges of motion from its dancers and athletes, many people turn to overstretching  as a way to stay competitive, forcing an artificial hypermobility in some joints. Dr. Linda Bluestein interviews Bendy Bodies’ own Jennifer Milner, NCPT, on the subject of overstretching and forced hyper...

Artistic athletes often push their flexibility to the limit, both for competitive and aesthetic reasons.   Nowhere are limits tested more than in rhythmic gymnastics where hypermobility tends to be the norm. Vita Bachman, former international Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast and now a highly respected coach, speaks openly with Bendy Bodies about her experience in the world of rhythmic gymnastics, both a...

Chronic illness can make your life feel filled with insurmountable obstacles. Pursuing your dreams, even in the face of health issues, may feel hopeless. But moving forward, even in small increments, you can accomplish great things. Just ask gold medalist Allysa Seely. Allysa grew up as a dancer and competitive athlete before health issues tried to sideline her. She spent three years advocating fo...

Navigating medical care can be a daunting task at the best of times, but when you have a chronic disorder that is largely an invisible illness, you may find yourself bewildered and frustrated trying to get the care you need. Often, a diagnosis like Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder can come with co-morbidities such as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndr...

What exactly is dry needling? How is it different from acupuncture? What sort of issues might it be used for? Dry needling can be a vital part of an artistic athlete’s healthcare, but sometimes can be misunderstood. Mandy Blackmon, DPT, head physical therapist for Atlanta Ballet's company dancers also serves as an instructor in the Dry Needling Series for Myopain Seminars since 2014. Mandy explain...

Mast cells: interesting and mysterious. You can’t be born without them, but they don’t show up in blood tests. They’re found throughout the body and can affect multiple systems in vastly different ways. What makes them misbehave? We spoke with renowned Allergy and Immunology physician, Anne Maitland, MD, about the role of mast cells in the body, what happens when they go “off script”, and what we...

Are you suffering from gastrointestinal distress? People with hypermobility disorders have a higher prevalence of GI problems than the general population.  Dr. Leonard Weinstock, board-certified gastroenterologist with expertise in Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) and related disorders, sits down with Bendy Bodies to discuss this very topic. Dr. Weinstock discusses the “unhappy triad" of EDS, postura...

Do you live with a hypermobility disorder? Whether you have a connective tissue disorder like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or Marfan syndrome, or a hypermobility spectrum disorder, you are not alone.  These conditions affect millions of people worldwide and disproportionately impact performing artists such as dancers, gymnasts, circus artists, and more.  What do these have in common?   Bodies that rely...