Show Notes
In this episode of Zebra Talks, I get to chat with Jess Gregory, an Australian disability advocate living with hEDS. Through her work through Delicate Little Petal, Jess gives voice to those living with chronic health conditions such as hEDS that aren't well understood by the medical community. In this conversation, she shares insights about the unique challenges of navigating life with an invisible and dynamic disability. Some highlights of this episode include: Jess’s personal experience with hypermobility and advocacy work through Delicate Little Petal Unique challenges of having an invisible and dynamic disability The stigma many experience around using mobility aids Risk of burnout when managing a chronic health condition Why self care must be tailored to each individual’s unique situation How to resume your exercise routine after a flare up or illness Reasons bendy people love to stretch The movement and physical therapy approaches that have been most helpful for Jess Why manual therapy techniques can be so important for bendy people Our shared appreciation of dry needling as a manual therapy technique How our habit of pushing harder gets in the way of sustainable self care practices The importance of cultivating safety and agency for hypermobile patients Key characteristics of practitioners who cultivate a positive experience for bendy people The importance of allowing space for grief as you navigate life in a bendy body
More from Zebra Talks: Living Your Best Bendy Life
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes Jennifer Parkinson, a certified functional nutrition practitioner and founder of EDS Nutritionist, who supports people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, MCAS, and POTS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes physical therapist Dr. Laura Glazebrook to discuss scoliosis, especially its overlap with hypermobility. Laura shares her own history of rapidly progressing scoliosis, undergoing a spinal fusion at age 11, and later realizing she likely falls on the hypermobility spectrum.
Dr. Libby Hinsley welcomes menopause specialist and nurse practitioner Vanessa Weiland, founder of Phases Clinic and creator of Bendy Menopause, who also has hypermobile EDS and MCAS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley interviews Abbey Phillipson, a classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) advocate and Paralympic strength and conditioning coach at the University of Michigan. Abbey shares her experience with early signs, diagnosis via genetics (COL5A1), and serious complications of Classical EDS.
Host Dr. Libby Hinsley interviews pelvic floor physical therapist and author Dr. Amy Stein, founder of Beyond Basics Physical Therapy. Stein discusses the strong overlap she sees between hypermobility and pelvic floor dysfunction (estimating about 70% of her patients), including patterns of pelvic floor gripping used for stability, pelvic pain, prolapse, hernias, constipation/IBS symptoms, possible pelvic congestion, and bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction across all genders.