Pilates and Hyper-Mobility
Generalised joint hypermobility is a condition in which a person has a range of movement beyond what would be considered normal.
Signs to look out for
Common signs to look out for include:
Hyperextended knees and/or elbows
Extreme hip rotation
Extreme plantar flexion of the feet
Winged shoulder blades
Supinated or pronated feet
Hyper flexible lumbar spine
Many people may also suffer from congenital hypermobile conditions such as Marfan's syndrome where the connective tissue is also loose, or Ehlers-Danos syndrome, which produces pain, instability and excessive flexibility in the joints.
These can severely inhibit strength and cause clients to fatigue quickly. The general lack of proprioception is also a factor in this, with a higher level of perceived effort on their part.
A shorter, modified session may therefore be required with more rest periods included, focusing on stabilising the joints whilst making the body more aware of its movement perimeters and exertion.
The common misconception is that all hypermobile people are flexible in all areas of the body. This is not the case and imbalances and postural problems are often prevalent.
The above article is from
Pilates for Hyper-mobility
Dealing with Hyper-Mobility
by Roy Isacowitz
By Sheri Long
We often think about clients with tight muscles and how to make them more flexible. But we tend to think about the clients with hyper-mobile joints and their specific needs a lot less often.
I became very interested in this subject when a woman came to me after straining her Achilles tendon while doing prances on the reformer.
Always wanting more flexibility in my own body, working with an extremely mobile person was slightly foreign to me.
And I didn’t find a lot of information on the subject in the Pilates literature I consulted.
What I did know was that I needed a better understanding of hyper-mobility in order to help my client. So, the first question I had to answer was “What is hyper-mobility?”
Hyper-mobility is a joint or joints that stretch further than normal. A hyper-mobile person’s limbs may be capable of moving into positions that others might find impossible.
Hyper-mobility is found more in women than in men, because female hormones increase flexibility.
There can be many different causes for hyper-mobility, including genetics, muscle tone, loose connective tissues in the joints or simply how the joints move.
As we all know, we tend to practice what we are good at or what feels good, so the tendency of many hyper-mobile clients is to stretch, and stretch some more. And, yes, it is good to stretch and even a client with hyper-mobile joints should do so.
But many of the problems and/or imbalances that we see in the hyper-mobile client are due to unstable joints, and what the hyper-mobile client needs more is stabilization, strengthening, proper alignment, and balanced muscular activation.
At times you may need to reduce the range of motion only to where the client can move in a stabilized manner. You may also need to decrease tension due to weakness in the muscles.
The goal is to retrain the muscles to work in a balanced manner, to co-contract; an example is the quadriceps and hamstrings, so the knee cannot go in to hyperextension.
The first time my client was able to do standing calf raises, she started to cry. A little concerned that something was wrong, I asked her why she was crying. Her response was that it was the first time in many years that she could do this movement with strength and confidence.
We began our journey together with many modifications and assists. I can now say it is rare that we need to modify an exercise and I am so proud of my strong, stable client.
The above article is from
https://www.basipilates.com/community/blog/2011/05/sheri_may/
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