Course Description:

Hypermobile Connective Tissue Disorders (CTDs) affect an estimated 1 in every 600-900 people, but they are not commonly diagnosed and treated. Individuals with symptomatic hypermobile CTDs have more than “stretchy joints,” often experiencing multiple affected body systems and significant participation restrictions. Allied Health Professionals play an important role in recognizing, screening for, and managing the plethora of symptoms associated with hypermobile CTDs, to improve recognition of these disorders, and most importantly, improve patients’ quality of life. This course is for clinicians who want to improve their ability to recognize and support patients with symptomatic hypermobile CTDs by understanding commonly associated comorbidities such as dysautonomia / Postural Orthostatic Tacchycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and/or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). We will discuss how the presence of each comorbidity may require modifications to exercise prescription, patient education/self-care strategies, and manual therapy approaches.