Preventing hypermobility

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Why prevention matters

Hypermobility means joints move farther or more easily than usual. For many people this is harmless, but when hypermobility causes pain, repeated sprains, or fatigue it can make daily life harder. Left unaddressed, weakness and poor joint control can lead to repeated injuries, more pain, and less confidence in moving. Exercise and simple habits can reduce those risks and help you stay active and independent.¹

Managing hypermobility: what can trigger flare-ups?

People with symptomatic hypermobility often notice that certain things make pain or instability worse. Common, manageable triggers include:

Sudden increases in activity or heavy lifting: jumping up training load or lifting without preparation can overload joints and soft tissues.²
Prolonged end-range positions: repeatedly using extreme joint positions can stretch soft tissues and invite sprains.²
Inactivity and deconditioning: weak muscles and poor endurance reduce the body’s ability to protect loose joints.²
Poor movement control or technique: unsafe movement patterns transfer load to passive tissues and increase injury risk.²
Fatigue, poor sleep, or emotional stress: these reduce pain tolerance and movement quality, and can make flares more likely.³
Untreated dizziness or nervous system
Aggrevated symptoms: problems like intolerance to standing up can limit safe exercise and raise fall risk if not managed.⁵

Knowing these triggers helps you and your clinician plan realistic ways to lower flare-ups.

Did you know?

Most people with symptomatic hypermobility avoid surgery and improve with active rehabilitation and self-management. Trials and reviews show that targeted strengthening and movement training improve stability, function, and confidence.⁴

Habits that help prevent flare-ups

Follow these practical, easy-to-use strategies. Each is short, plain, and actionable.
1. Move regularly, not only when you hurt — short, frequent sessions of gentle activity keep muscles ready to support joints. Aim for small daily sessions rather than one long session that leaves you tired.⁴
2. Build strength around your loose joints — focus on steady, controlled strengthening for the muscles that support problem joints, for example hip, quad, and hamstring for knee problems and shoulder stabilizers for shoulder symptoms. Start light and add time or load gradually.^{2 4}
3. Train joint control and balance — balance and proprioception (body's ability to sense movement, action, and location) exercises help you sense joint position and avoid positions that cause injury. Practicing these in safe ranges reduces giving-way episodes.^{2 4}
4. Progress activity slowly after a flare — use a stepwise plan: reduce painful movements briefly, then return to gentle controlled exercises and gradually rebuild. Avoid rushing back to full intensity.²
5. Use temporary supports wisely — braces or taping can protect a joint during a flare or during high-risk tasks, but use them as a short-term boost while you strengthen, not as a permanent crutch.²
6. Plan for energy and symptom management — pace activities, schedule rest breaks, improve sleep habits, and treat dizziness or heart-rate problems with medical guidance when present. These help you keep exercising safely.⁵
7. Check movement technique and ergonomics — small changes to how you lift, sit, or work can lower repeated stress on vulnerable joints. Ask a clinician or movement coach for quick setup tips.²

How Sword supports ongoing strength and mobility

Move is a guided movement program designed to help you stay active by building strength, improving mobility, and supporting stable movement patterns over time. It’s often used after recovery from a flare-up to help maintain progress and support long-term movement health.

Sword offers movement support that fits into daily life, helping you continue building strength and mobility over time. Programs are guided by expert insight and supported by technology designed to help you stay consistent.

Focus on strength, mobility, and stability
Designed to support movement between flare-ups
Guided programs you can follow on your schedule
Non-invasive, evidence-informed approach

Clinical insight

Exercise and education are the foundation of care for hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Long-term function improves when care focuses on strengthening, movement control, and pacing rather than resting the joint.²

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Footnotes

Malfait F, Francomano C, Byers P, et al. The 2017 international classification of the Ehlers–Danlos syndromes. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2017;175(1):8–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31552

Engelbert RHH, Juul-Kristensen B, Pacey V, et al. The evidence-based rationale for physical therapy treatment of joint hypermobility syndrome/hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2017;175(1):158–167. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31545

Demmler JC, Atkinson MD, Reinhold EJ, et al. Diagnosed prevalence of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder in Wales, UK. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e031365. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031365

Buryk-Iggers S, et al. Exercise and Rehabilitation in People With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl. 2022.

Mathias CJ, Owens A, Iodice V, Hakim A. Dysautonomia in the Ehlers–Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2021;187C:510–519. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31951

Cui D, et al. Randomized-Controlled Trial: Digital Care Program vs Conventional Physiotherapy for Chronic Low Back Pain. NPJ Digit Med. 2023;6:121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00870-3

Pak SS, et al. Comparing Digital to Conventional Physical Therapy for Chronic Shoulder Pain. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25:e49236. https://doi.org/10.2196/49236