Hypermobile EDS

Four colorful walking canes decorated with charms lean together in a corner, used as mobility aids for someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

What Helped You After an EDS Diagnosis?

Being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can feel like a major feat to some. Maybe you’ve been advocating for a diagnosis for a while, or maybe this was a shock to you. In both scenarios, sometimes you get to the other side of the diagnostic process and realize it doesn’t just stop there. Now is the […]

Minimalist illustration of a male and female figure shown back-to-back, with highlighted joints and overlapping circles representing shared and differing features of hEDS and HSD.

Does EDS Affect Men Differently? What a New Study Tells Us About Sex Differences in hEDS and HSD

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), and the closely related hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), are commonly thought of as conditions that primarily affect women. Walk into any EDS support group, online community, or clinic waiting room, and the overwhelming majority of people there will be female. But does that mean men are truly less affected, or does […]

Novelty disguise glasses with bushy eyebrows, a large plastic nose, a small mustache, and a drawn frown on a white background.

The Pressure to “Perform Wellness”

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with the joint pain, dysautonomia flares, or GI symptoms. It has everything to do with how you’re expected to present those things to other people, specifically your healthy, able-bodied friends or coworkers or strangers on the street. If you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) or […]

Minimalist graphite sketch of five towering stacks of administrative forms, folders, and clipped papers against a plain white background.

Beyond the Medical: Why Disability Is an Administrative Experience Too

For most of my life, other people told my story. As a teenager, I saw my story appear in newspaper articles, documentaries, and conference presentations, focused on my rare genetic condition, scientific discovery, and perseverance. The stories helped other families find answers and gave people hope, and I remain grateful for the community they created. […]

Minimalist illustration of a laptop displaying an online webinar, with a speaker, microphone, chat bubble, and three participant icons.

CPP Webinars Are Back! And Why We Need Them More Than Ever

Have you ever clicked on the webinar section of our Chronic Pain Partners website and looked through the archives of the presentations featured? In 2013, our founder, John Ferman, started this highly popular educational series with a clear mission to provide free access to emerging research interpreted by experienced physicians. Wow, did he succeed! Looking […]

Illustration of a woman with EDS lying on a gray exercise mat in a bright, neutral-toned home workout space. Wearing a striped crop top, gray shorts, knee-high white socks, and sneakers, she holds two dumbbells above her chest. Kinesiology tape is wrapped around one elbow, with potted plants, folded towels, and storage baskets in the background.

Strength Training with Hypermobility: The Goldilocks Principle

There’s a good chance you’ve heard how important “getting stronger” is for bendy people. And it’s true: bendy people have been shown to generate about 30% less muscular force (i.e. be 30% weaker) at baseline than their non-bendy counterparts. And yet, the bendy body relies even more heavily on muscular support than others, thanks to […]

Illustration of a uterus and ovaries overlaid on a grid of white tiles with a red squiggly line around it all, symbolizing the shift from viewing PCOS as an ovarian condition alone to recognizing PMOS as a complex multisystem endocrine and metabolic disorder.

A Name Long Overdue: PCOS Becomes PMOS, and What That Means for the hEDS Community

  There is exciting news for the recently reported 17% of hEDS patients and 14.7% of HSD patients who experience polycystic ovary syndrome, now renamed to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome.   On May 12th, 2026, a new article was published in The Lancet announcing the name change from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic […]

When Pain Is Real but Tests Come Back Normal: New Research Sheds Light on the Nervous System in hEDS

  For many people living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), one of the most frustrating aspects of the condition is pain that feels impossible to explain — burning sensations, widespread sensitivity, symptoms that seem to involve the whole body rather than just the joints. Standard neurological tests often come back normal, leaving patients without answers […]