Bendy Bodies with Dr. Linda Bluestein

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 navigating her dance career while addressing her body’s unique needs with hEDS. Jazz discusses her diagnosis and what led her to seek one, and shares how her diagnosis changed how she seeks treatment.Jazz speaks openly about her decision to reveal her hEDS publicly, documenting her latest injury and nearly year-long recovery process on social media. She shares her maintenance routine outside of dance, and the lessons she’s learned about her body and her hEDS during her rehabilitation. Finally, Jazz encourages other dancers on their own journeys, addressing the importance of finding people who will support and advocate for you.An inspiring story of cultivating your own resilience through injuries, this podcast is full of encouragement and motivation for everyone struggling to move forward in spite of obstacles......#BendyBuddy #Bendy #EhlersDanlos #Dancer #ZebraStrong  #ChronicIllness  #spoonie #Zebra  #Disease #ArtisticAthlete #Disability #EDS #JointStability#Bendy #hypermobile #HypermobilitySpectrum#BendyBallerina #BendyBallet #Ballet #Movement --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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?For this conversation, we put Bendy Bodies founder, Linda Bluestein, MD, in the hot seat. With her many years as a practicing anesthesiologist and her long career treating people with hypermobility disorders, she’s been in a unique position to research, diagnose, and treat these complex conditions.Dr. Bluestein defines mast cell disorders and ways they may present. She explains why people with hypermobility should be aware of mast cell disorders, and reveals the prevalence of pain associated with mast cell issues.Dr. Bluestein shares her techniques for evaluating pain in a patient, and offers advice on treating pain in a patient with mast cell issues. She suggests ways to communicate with a medical professional about your own pain, and shares her wish list of ways she would address mast cell disorders on a large scale.With practical advice for both medical practitioners looking to improve patient care, and hypermobile people searching for ways to mitigate their own chronic pain, this episode is filled with tips and insight into a complex problem.Additional notes:  Excipients:  All medications have excipients (“inactive” ingredients in medications that may cause problems in susceptible people). Mast cell disorder testing:  Tryptase is just one mediator that is important to check (both at baseline and within four hours of a flare).  I provide lab slips to my patients that they can take in for testing as needed.  Tryptase levels can be helpful (especially if they are elevated) but a normal level does not rule out a mast cell problem. Pain sources:  People with EDS and comorbidities (like mast cell disorders) can have all the types of pain.  These include nociceptive (coming from actual or potential tissue damage), neuropathic (problem within the nervous system) and nociplastic (dysfunction of how pain signals are processed). .....#BendyBuddy #HypermobilityMD #JenniferMilner #MastCell #Disease #ChronicDisease #Hypermobile #Histamine #FoodIntolerance #ChronicPain #ButYouDontLookSick #MCAS #MastCellActivation #ComplexIllness #EhlersDanlos #DoctorsOfIG #ChronicIllnessSupport #LowHistamine #Histaminintoleranz #MastCellActivationSyndrome --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Physical therapists Aiko Callahan and Stephanie Greenspan discuss the creation of the Hypermobility Screening Tool for artists. They emphasize the importance of understanding the artist's needs, addressing joint stability, and screening for systemic issues. The speakers also highlight the significance of building a support team and providing comprehensive care for hypermobile individuals.

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, headaches, and chronic pain. She speaks with Bendy Bodies about temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and jaw pain sharing her wisdom on this topic.Dr. Russek describes the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and why hypermobile people should be aware of this commonly misunderstood joint. She illuminates the link between TMD and proprioception, as well as how muscles outside the jaw can cause jaw problems.We learn strategies for mouth breathing, a possible contributor to TMD, hear practical actions for reducing jaw pain, and learn about the link between the jaw and issues such as headaches or tooth pain.Finally, Dr. Russek walks us through her steps for finding a healthy resting position, and talks through the Rocabado 6x6 exercise program for TMD.With practical pointers on addressing jaw pain and dysfunction, this episode is helpful for every bendy body with or without jaw pain.Visit this webpage for handouts and more information about Dr. Russek......#JawPain #TMD #BendyBuddy #PhysicalTherapy #PhysicalTherapist #Hypermobile #Hypermobility #JointPain #Temporomandibular #LockJaw #ToothPain #ChronicPain #TmjDisorder #HypermobilityMD #JenniferMilner #Bendy --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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!Jeannie talks about steps people can take if they’re struggling to add movement into their everyday life. She shares why movement is crucial for people with hypermobility and how she works to improve joint stability in the body.Jeannie offers insight into how deconditioning can happen so quickly and discusses why alignment reeducation is so important. She discusses how to reprogram your posture and shares ways to improve proprioception.Jeannie describes her Integral Movement Method and how it can be incorporated into day-to-day life. And she shares information on her Zebra Club, the importance of having a supportive community around you, and her education courses for dance educators, trainers, and more.Finally, Jeannie stresses the importance of the nervous system being engaged in the movement education process, and reinforces the need to listen to your body and move accordingly.An episode for every Bendy Body, this discussion is full of practical tips and encouragement.To learn more about Jeannie, visit:  https://jeanniedibon.com/....#EhlersDanlos #ZebraStrong #Bendy #BendyBody #Spoonie #Movement #Hypermobile #PainAwarenessMonth #PainCounts #LifeWithPain #Hypermobility #Posture #JointPain #JointStability #MovementEducation #ZebraClub #DiBon  #JenniferMilner#HypermobilityMD #BendyBuddy --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 lines and movement patterns - while still remaining healthy and not pressing the body beyond its limits?Dr. Crane discusses this tightrope walk with Bendy Bodies.She shares her own diagnosis journey as an artist and a medical professional. She discusses how she helps artistic athletes reconcile their connective tissue disorders with their need to push their bodies to the limits.  And she talks about training in a healthy way.Dr. Crane covers how she assists artists with their personal risk vs benefit analysis, and examines predictive variables she may see in people who might have a more successful career. She reflects on the sacrifices artists might need to make, and shares what it’s like to have the hard conversations with artists pushing themselves too much.Dr. Crane discusses the importance of finding a coach or healthcare provider who understands hypermobility, and how to find one. She breaks down current trends she sees in the medical world with hypermobility, and advocates for people to do what they love to do while taking care of their physical health.For anyone who works with hypermobile artistic athletes,or for any hypermobile artist who wonders how to find that safe boundary for themselves.#Podcast #Contortion #FlexibilityTraining #Bendy #CircusLife #CircusEveryDamnDay #CircusCircus #CircusInspiration #Aerial #Aerialist #AerialistOfIG#Ballet #BalletDancer #BalletLife #DancersLife #DanceLife #DancersWorld #ZebraStrong#BendyBack #BendyFeet #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #hEDS #Hypermobility #HypermobilitySpectrumDisorder#hEDS #EhlersDanlos #EhlersDanlosAthlete #EhlersDanlosSyndromeAwarenessMonth #BalletWhisperer #HypermobilityMD --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 trainer.Bonnie specializes in working with hypermobility as well as elite athletes, and she sat down to share her dance experience with Bendy Bodies.Bonnie shares her amazing story of dancing through a brilliant career, starting with winning the Prix de Lausanne, being invited to work with Mikhail Baryshnikov at ABT, and working her way to soloist at the Royal Ballet.  She is open about her injuries throughout her career, and how they shaped the choices she made during rehearsals and performance opportunities.Bonnie discusses how her EDS manifested itself while she was still a young dancer, her reasons for seeking an EDS diagnosis and how it shaped her choices. She shares her first steps into Pilates and injury rehabilitation when dance medicine was still in its infancy, and why she trained as a Pilates instructor before becoming a sports and corrective exercise specialist.  She also discusses her experience with cranial sacral therapy.Finally, Bonnie looks at how far dance medicine has come in supporting dancer health and career longevity, and shares what she wants teachers and choreographers to know about working with dancers with EDS or hypermobility disorders.#ehlersdanlos #balletwhisperer #hypermobiledancers #zebrastrong #podcast #hypermobilitymd #dancer #hsd #bendy #ballet #balletdancer #keepmoving #hyperextension #hypermobility #dance #jennifermilner #dancelife #arabesque #balletteacher #ballerina #technique #pointe #pointework #balletlife --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 from all over the world, takes the opportunity to chat with Bendy Bodies about some of the common difficulties that flexible feet may face.Andrea discusses ankle sprains, and why they may need more recovery time than you might think. She explains the importance of an ankle bone called the talus and shares wisdom on maintaining its healthy range of motion.Andrea looks at stress fractures and how they can occur in artistic athletes, and explains the importance of evaluating the entire body when addressing foot and ankle problems. We discuss bunions in bendy feet, and Andrea shares secrets for working with bunions.Finally, Andrea discusses common tendon issues seen in hypermobile artists, the importance of strength conditioning, and techniques for controlled stretching.Proving that a small area can have a big effect on the rest of the body, this discussion is one to be listened to several times over.#ankle #Ballet #DancerFeet #BalletFeet #BalletDancer #HypermobileFeet #DanceTraining #DancersOfInsta #BalletTeacher #DanceInjuries #BalletLife #hypermobility #hypermobiledisorders #hypermobilitymd #BendyBodies #bendybodiespodcast #hypermobilitydisorders #bodiesinmotion #JenniferMilner --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and specialist in brain-body neuroscience, returns to speak with Bendy Bodies about neurodivergency, hypermobility, and possible links with anxiety and the autonomic nervous system.In February 2022, Dr. Eccles published the peer reviewed journal article,  "Joint hypermobility links neurodivergence to dysautonomia and pain".  She discusses the fascinating results of her research, and explains why neurodivergency, dysautonomia, and pain appear to be connected via joint hypermobility.Dr. Eccles shares her findings of higher levels of musculoskeletal symptoms in the study’s neurodivergent population vs the comparison group, and wonders if this may be a potential reason why people with neurodivergency experience more health symptoms.She explains the importance of raising awareness of the link between joint hypermobility and neurodivergency in the medical community, and discusses how anxiety is linked to joint hypermobility and possibly autonomic nervous system dysfunction.Dr. Eccles shares her work on the ADAPT program, a program aimed at reducing anxiety with a combined brain-body approach in hypermobile people. Still in its early stages, the program (Altering Dynamics of Autonomic Processing Therapy) has fascinating implications.Finally, Dr. Eccles reveals her current research projects and shares her hopes for future research.An incredible, accessible discussion by one of the top researchers in this field, this is an episode not to be missed.#neurodivergency #BendyBrain #dysautonomia #AutonomicNervousSystem #anxiety #ActuallyAutistic #adhd #ADHDAwareness #ASD #AutisticPride #DisabilityInclusion #RedInstead #AutismAcceptance #AutismAwareness #neurodivergent #AutisticAdults #neurodiversity #autistic #autism #BendyBodies #BendyBodiesPodcast #JenniferMilner #ZebraStrong #hypermobility #HypermobilityDisorders --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 nutritional deficits.Kristin discusses how to “control what you can control”, and reveals tips on how to get the most out of every mealtime. She looks at the role of sugar as both a necessary fuel and a possible contributor to fatigue, and explores the possible consequences of restrictive or fad diets on energy levels.Kristin highlights the importance of zinc, B vitamins, and folic acid in supporting a body’s energy levels. She offers ways to figure out what foods might be contributing to fatigue, and shares what role vitamins and supplements may play in fatigue.Kristin breaks down the difference between stimulants and fuel, and how caffeine may actually end up working against you. Finally, Kristin gives guidance on how to find a nutrition specialist to help you on your own food journey.For anyone struggling with fatigue, this episode is packed with great advice......#DanceNutrition #NutritionForDancers #dietitian #FoodRules #NutritionCoach #RDN #DietitianApproved #DietitiansOfInstagram#AntiinflammatoryDiet #ChronicFatigue #ChronicIllness #hypermobility #NourishYourBody#KristinKoskinenRDN #HypermobilityMD #JenniferMilner --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices