Medical Episodes

Dr. Linda Bluestein interviews Dr. Julie Robinson-Smith about jaw pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). They discuss the difference between TMD and TMJ, the importance of understanding TMD for everyone, and the prevalence of jaw joint problems in the general population. They also explore how hypermobility can contribute to jaw pain and the role of ligaments in jaw joint function. Dr. Robinson-Smith shares tips for managing jaw pain, including avoiding open locking, finding a provider who understands TMD, and using ice and smaller food portions. The conversation concludes with Dr. Robinson-Smith's favorite hypermobility hack.

In this episode, YOUR guest is Patricia Stott, DPT , physical therapist with expertise in Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and related conditions. Dr Stott and Dr Bluestein presented together on integrative approaches to pain management at the EDS Society Global Learning Conference in August 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. Dr Stott is the founder of Elevation Wellness , and is also trained in visceral manipulation, neural manipulation, fascial Counterstrain, Craniosacral Therapy, and is certified in Reiki. Sh...

In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, guest host Kate Colbert interviews Dr. Linda Bluestein about the evolution of her hypermobility EDS podcast (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes). They discuss Dr. Bluestein's career trajectory, her transition from aspiring dancer to anesthesiologist to EDS expert, and her passion for helping people with symptomatic joint hypermobility. They also explore the challenges of specializing in a certain kind of patient and the importance of healthcare providers having expertise in connective tissue disorders. Dr. Bluestein shares her motivation for starting the Bendy Bodies podcast and highlights recommended episodes for new listeners. They also discuss the balance between managing expectations and the realities of healthcare. In this conversation, Dr. Linda Bluestein and Kate Colbert discuss various topics related to hypermobility and patient care. They emphasize the importance of patient-provider collaboration and the role of patients in educating healthcare pro…

The lower extremities must bear the weight of our whole bodies. Problems in the hip may cause a chain reaction of aches, imbalances, or chronic issues that could manifest in the knee, ankle, or somewhere else along the kinetic chain. Continuing our series on pain with Dr. Pradeep Chopra, we explore the hips, knees, ankles and feet, diving into multiple possible causes of issues in these joints. Dr. Chopra discusses why rolling of the ankles is unhealthy, even if it’s asymptomatic, explains how p...

Joints of the upper extremity (eg: shoulders, elbows, fingers, etc) can be prone to subluxation and dislocation in those with joint hypermobility and/or joint instability. As we continue our discussions on common causes of pain throughout the body with Pradeep Chopra, MD, we focus on an often-overloaded area of the body: the upper extremities. Dr. Chopra breaks down the shoulder joint and its inherent instability. He gives advice on how to have hard conversations about sports that push an excess...

Connective tissue runs throughout your body, surrounding and connecting every system. This is what makes treating issues that arise from connective tissue disorders so difficult: when everything is connected, it’s hard to find the root cause of something. We’re in the midst of our summer series with Dr. Pradeep Chopra, renowned expert on connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. In this discussion, Dr. Chopra talks through several common causes of head, neck, and chest pain in...

Abdominal pain is an extremely common finding in people with connective tissue disorders, like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS). Similar to other issues patients face with EDS or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD), getting answers can be challenging. Often, people go from specialist to specialist, trying to get help. Gastroenterologists, allergists, nutritionists, and pain specialists may look at abdominal pain from very different points of view. So getting complete information can be elusive ...

Travel comes with a lot of uncertainty: flights get canceled, hotel reservations are lost, luggage never turns up. But add the complications of traveling with a chronic disorder like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and voyaging becomes even more complicated. How can you plan for contingencies, guard yourself against flares, and still have a fantastic time while traveling? The Bendy Bodies team shares their favorite tips on traveling during this round table discussion. We share suggestions for actions to...

Symptomatic joint hypermobility can be difficult to understand and can present in so many different ways. Recently, Victoria Daylor, Dr. Cortney Gensemer, Dr. Russell Norris, and Dr. Linda Bluestein published a CME two-part series titled “Hope for Hypermobility - An Integrative Approach to Treating Symptomatic Joint Hypermobility”. We were able to sit down with Dr. Gensemer, Ms. Daylor, and Dr. Bluestein to discuss their research and the results. They share how the collaboration came about and t...

Eating disorders are complicated and not uncommon in artistic athletes. Common comorbidities of symptomatic joint hypermobility (SJH), like mast cell activation disorder (MCAD) or gastroparesis, may contribute to disordered eating, which can spiral into an eating disorder. For years, eating disorders have been stigmatized and dismissed by many in the health community. To discuss this difficult topic, Bendy Bodies sat down with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-S, FAED, and founder of the Gaudiani ...

Upper cervical instability (UCI) occurs quite commonly in the mild form and more rarely in the severe form in those with symptomatic generalized joint hypermobility (S-GJH). Both can be impactful and are frequently missed. An international team of physical / physiotherapy clinicians and a S-GJH expert rheumatologist recently published expert consensus recommendations for screening, assessing and managing patients with UCI associated with S-GJH. Bendy Bodies sat down with first author, Leslie ...

Headaches and migraines are common in many chronic illnesses, and people with hypermobility often struggle with chronic head pain for a variety of reasons. But what is the difference between migraine and other types of headache? How do you get properly evaluated? What are the best treatments? Bendy Bodies spoke with neuro-ophthalmologist Rudrani Banik, MD in an effort to understand this complex topic. A fellowship-trained neuro-ophthalmologist certified in functional medicine, Dr. Banik special...

Hypermobility disorders can lead to health complications that may require surgery. Joint hypermobility and associated conditions can present complications for surgery, anesthesia, and more. If you’re anticipating surgery, how can you, your surgeon and anesthesia care team be as prepared as possible for those hypermobile “quirks”? Bendy Bodies founder Dr. Linda Bluestein spent years in the operating room as a top anesthesiologist. We asked her for advice on this often-overlooked aspect of deal...

As the weather changes and schedules become busier, staying healthy can feel like a huge challenge. Artistic athletes may struggle to keep their bodies at optimal performance level, and fighting off infectious illnesses may seem like an uphill battle. How can we naturally strengthen our immune system, supporting its function for optimum success? We posed this question to Kristin Koskinen, RDN and Bendy Bodies team member, in this episode. Kristin shares why dancers and other performing artists w...

In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss jaw pain in EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) and hypermobility with guest, Leslie Russek, DPT, PhD. 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, ...

In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss the relationship between hypermobility, autism ADHD and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) with guest, Jessica Eccles, MRCPsych, PhD. 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 ab...

In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss the relationship between being neurodivergent hypermobility and EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) with guest, Jessica Eccles, MRCPsych, PhD. Neurodivergency occurs at a much higher rate amongst people with hypermobility disorders like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders. What’s the connection? Jessica Eccles, MD, senior clinical academic psychiatrist at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and specialist in brain-body neuroscie...

Many conditions found in "bendy" people have a neurologic basis, impacting both the brain and nervous system. In this Bendy Bodies episode, Dr. Ilene Ruhoy, the Medical Director and Founder of the Center for Healing Neurology, walks us through the integrative approach she takes to healing the brain and the body. Dr. Ruhoy discusses the “cross talk” between the gut and the brain and explains how the food we eat and the way we exercise affects our most vital organ, the brain. She covers migraines,...

Your DNA holds many secrets. Why do drugs work on some people and not on others? Why are conditions expressed so differently in different family members? How might hypermobility disorders, dysautonomia (like POTS) and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) be related and how does coronavirus fit into all of this? Listen in as top geneticist, Dr. Paldeep Atwal, shared his expertise on the following: Hypermobility disorders - Why are Bendy people so different from each other yet can also share ma...

PLEASE NOTE***: The following episode was recorded in mid-April 2020, just four weeks after the World Health Organization declared the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the disease known as COVID-19) as a global pandemic. At that time, schools and all non-essential businesses had been closed and people around the world were being asked to stay home. Scientists were learning a lot at this point, but it was unclear how many people would become ill and what the excess mortality would be....

Hypermobility can affect every joint, but perhaps the most complicated one to understand and train is the hip. With a high prevalence of hip injuries in hypermobile dancers and athletes, proper diagnosis and treatment is critical. From hip dysplasia to labral tears, dance science and medicine’s understanding of the hip continues to evolve even as we work to find the most effective ways to treat and strengthen it. Listen in as Dr. Wells discusses his role as a hip preservationist, why educating a...