Muscle & Joint Clinic

Research suggests COVID may trigger or worsen autonomic dysfunction and cause inflammatory damage to connective tissue - both major concerns for EDS patients. Long COVID and EDS share striking overlaps: fatigue, pain, dysautonomia, GI issues, brain fog.

We’re still learning why, but EDS patients may be more susceptible to long COVID. The virus can intensify POTS, worsen hypermobility through tissue inflammation, and create deconditioning-injury cycles that are hard to break.

If you get COVID: rest aggressively, stay hydrated, pace carefully, and monitor symptoms closely. Post-COVID recovery takes longer for many EDS patients, but recovery is possible.

Prevention matters: vaccination, masking in high-risk settings, good ventilation. These aren’t overreactions given increased vulnerability.

Work with providers who understand both conditions. Your concerns about COVID worsening your EDS are scientifically grounded and valid.

We don’t have all the answers yet, but taking COVID seriously as an EDS patient is justified by emerging evidence.

Debunking common EDS myths

Myth 1: Collagen supplements cure EDS. Truth: EDS is genetic - supplements don’t fix faulty genes or change existing connective tissue.

Myth 2: EDS is super rare. Truth: It affects 1 in 2,500-5,000 people, with new studies showing it could even be 1 in 500. Many cases are undiagnosed.

Myth 3: EDS is just flexibility. Truth: It’s a serious disorder causing chronic pain, dislocations, organ issues, and debilitating fatigue throughout the body.

Myth 4: EDS always means stretchy skin. Truth: Hypermobile EDS, the most common type, often doesn’t include significantly stretchy skin.

Myth 5: Nothing helps EDS. Truth: Comprehensive treatment including PT, pain management, and knowledgeable providers significantly improves quality of life.

These myths delay diagnosis and invalidate patients. EDS deserves to be taken seriously.

EDS can make you feel like you’re living a double life.

We hide our how hard things are due to fear of judgment or becoming a burden. But this isolation is exhausting.

Here’s the truth: opening up might surprise you. Start with one trusted person. Join an online EDS community. You’ll find others living similar hidden struggles.

You’re not as alone as you think. At Muscle & Joint Clinic, our healthcare team understands what you’re going through. Reach out for care that sees the whole you.

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EDS flare-ups are body-wide escalations that affect multiple systems

Flares can last days to weeks and vary significantly between people. Because connective tissue is everywhere - joints, blood vessels, digestive organs, nerves - a flare can trigger symptoms in any combination of systems simultaneously.

Here’s what’s important: identifying triggers can help, but it can also lead to self-blame. Many triggers are unavoidable. Sometimes flares happen despite perfect management. That’s not your fault - that’s EDS.

Build your personal toolkit of strategies: pain management, gentle movement, rest, hydration, anti-inflammatory foods, stress reduction. What works varies by person. Pay attention to what helps YOUR flares specifically.

Flares are often unavoidable, but having strategies ready reduces their impact. Be compassionate with yourself.

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There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to pain medication with EDS.

Many medications can worsen GI issues, MCAS symptoms, or dysautonomia. This is why working with pain management specialists familiar with connective tissue disorders is crucial.

What works for you matters most. There’s no shame in needing pain medication. Your body’s response is what guides treatment, not general research alone.

Medication should be part of a multimodal approach including PT, mental health support, and lifestyle modifications. Talk with your doctor about balancing pain relief with EDS-specific risks.

Finding appropriate pain management can be challenging, but comprehensive care tailored to your needs is possible. Visit our website to connect with providers who understand EDS and can help you develop a personalized pain management plan.

Some thoughts about the concept of grieving your “pre-illness” self.

I think that’s this framing of life with a chronic illness can be a helpful tool to start accepting the ways that your life has been affected by your condition, but that drawing too hard of a line in the sand when it comes to your health can ultimately be self limiting, and turn toxic.

EDS symptoms do generally get worse overtime as our bodies age and take on illness, stress, trauma, wear and tear, and more. They can also improve however, and it is important to remember that and factor that into your perspective on your life and journey. While your life may be different and harder than it was before, that does not mean you aren’t the same person, and that all activities and sources of joy you’ve had to give up will never make their way back into your life.

With love and solidarity, Ben Cook

Mental health treatment directly reduces chronic pain

People with EDS and chronic pain have higher rates of anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and mood disorders. Chronic pain changes the nervous system biologically and creates understandable mental health responses to unrelenting symptoms.

Here's what matters: addressing mental health directly reduces pain intensity, not just emotional distress. Therapy changes how the brain processes pain signals. This isn't your pain being "in your head" - mental pain IS physical pain.

CBT and ACT show particular promise for chronic pain management, though more research is needed. Current evidence clearly supports that psychological intervention reduces pain levels and improves functioning.

Mental health treatment isn't separate from pain management - it IS pain management. Using every available tool to reduce pain is smart, not weak.

Chronic pain affects nearly 90% of people with EDS

If you’re dealing with daily pain, you’re not alone. EDS pain is complex and multifactorial. Joint instability, muscle weakness, previous injuries, and proprioceptive issues, all contribute. Often it’s several factors at once.

The causes vary from person to person, which is why treatment must be multimodal. Physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and appropriate medication management work together to address different pain contributors. There’s no single solution.

Finding what works takes trial and error. This can be frustrating and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. But effective pain management is possible with comprehensive, personalized care.

At Muscle & Joint Clinic, we evaluate your specific pain contributors and develop multimodal treatment plans tailored to your unique presentation

You deserve relief. Your pain is real, and it deserves comprehensive treatment.

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EDSPain MuscleAndJointClinic

Chronic pain affects nearly 90% of people with EDS

If you're dealing with daily pain, you're not alone. EDS pain is complex and multifactorial. Joint instability, muscle weakness, previous injuries, and proprioceptive issues, all contribute. Often it's several factors at once.

The causes vary from person to person, which is why treatment must be multimodal. Physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and appropriate medication management work together to address different pain contributors. There's no single solution.

Finding what works takes trial and error. This can be frustrating and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. But effective pain management is possible with comprehensive, personalized care.

At Muscle & Joint Clinic, we evaluate your specific pain contributors and develop multimodal treatment plans tailored to your unique presentation
You deserve relief. Your pain is real, and it deserves comprehensive treatment.