94. Support and Bracing for Hypermobile Joints w/ Susan Chalela, MPT, & Guest Cohost, Scott Borjeson

[@AnnHoller]

Years before I was diagnosed with hyper mobility, I studied the Alexander Technique, which has been invaluable in teaching proper alignment.

[@bendybodiespodcast]

Yes, I have heard wonderful things about the Alexander Technique and would love to discuss that on the pod sometime. Have you listened / watched any other episodes?

[@AnnHoller]

Yes, I have viewed several of your episodes, all very helpful. @@bendybodiespodcast

[@maryr7593]

This comment doesn't necessarily go with this video but it is about bracing and supports in general...which was the vid title. (Other vids were specific to body part...so couldn't find the 'right' place for comment. With regard to your amazon products page: The problem with listing 'like' bracing that nobody has direct experience with...is that maybe they are knock-off braces and don't actually provide the support needed. It would be great if Corinne could do a follow-up video comparing the cmc braces that amazon shows as well as the cmc braces that Braceability website shows and tells us if the braces actually do what they are supposed to do. Also other brace/support websites list other braces that are supposed to do similar functions (ie they are labeled cmc joint brace) but they look completely different. Some braces seem to also provide support for the first knuckle on the thumb called the MP joint....is this one that characteristically gives hypermobile folks issues? Like if the cmc is irritated then does the MP get irritated too? (Getting irritated might not be the correct terminology...but I don't know what is for when the cmc hurts when writing. Does it shift out of place, does it hyper-extend somehow...what is the correct terminology for why it hurts so much?) So I found quite a comprehensive website with regarding bracing and supports ...havent seen bracelab's wristibility brace but they have the bracelab push metagrip brace, same price as on bracelab website (cheaper than amazon). Rehab-store website. I'm wondering if product would provide the same stability for the cmc joint as well as wrist? www.rehab-store.com/p-aryse-alphawrap-wrist-thumb-and-wrist-wrap.html any idea? Also the foot lady...if she could do a product comparison of typical braces found online for ankle support as well as orthotics. I know this involves purchasing from those sites...but you guys could say something like...we are doing a product comparison on our channel...giving the virtues/cons of each brace and will list your website as part of the vid if you would volunteer to send us the brace (or loan the brace for the sake of the video). I was trying to figure out if there was a support for the ankle that also had arch support built in? On uneven ground, like my backyard...ankle is always rolling to one side or other...though most of the time inappropriate footwear (slides) is the problem...but somehow I do not have a pair of shoes that I can reliably wear where my feet do not start aching within 10 min of wearing them..except for the slides (no arch supports). I havent understood this dynamic and it's been going on for over 8 yrs. Fallen arches, narrow feet and have absolutely no idea if any joints in foot are hypermobile. (It's not like every joint in the body is hypermobile ...just because you have HSD...is it?) As part of the foot lady's vid, I got to realize that the tennis shoes that were just delivered...are probably not good because they bend too much in the toe. Since I have scent intolerances, actually going to the stores is not something I can do. Buying shoes online without trying them on first or even handling them first...is difficult but better than getting triggered by a very scented sales person or other customer. On your amazon product page, you list biofreeze as a good product. For someone who can't tolerate very scented products...Biofreeze having a menthol scent will trigger someone. I have had good experience with US product Walgreens brand Glucosamine Cream with MSM and Arnica....but it does have a light fragrance. Until the cream is thoroughly absorbed by the skin, I have to make sure my hands are as far away from my nose as possible. I've used it on the thumb and cmc joints when extremely sore and the soreness goes away. This video does explain though why PT hasn't often worked for me. Worse yet is doing exercises at home and doing them incorrectly and coming back in unable to move...way less than before. I tend to get gun shy about doing PT exercises at home and then become the bad patient who doesn't get better because she doesn't do her exercises. Kind of a catch 22.... Does anyone have any experience with this SI compression brace www.braceability.com/products/sacroiliac-si-joint-brace?variant=7676729163829 I do not understand what happens biomechanically but when lifting potted plants or carrying heavier objects...something happens in the lumbar and SI areas such that the lower back completely hurts. Normally I get that area adjusted by the chiropractor but this happens so frequently...daily basis...that I can get relief by bending over on my back a 55 gal barrel lying on its side....so I lower myself down to the ground, put my back on the barrel and slide my body over the barrel so that my head is hanging over the other side and my hands are hitting the ground. You can do it on an exercise ball as well. (My ball lost too much air so it's easier to go outside and use the barrel. ) The barrel was to be used as a rain barrel to collect rain water to use in summer for veggie garden. I didn't end up using that particular barrel so it sits in my yard. My cat likes to sit on it when it is upright on it's circular base. I can get a few pops like the chiropractor gets when they adjust...when I bend over the barrel and the back feels better. I don't think it's a full adjustment...but because I pay cash $50 for each 'maintenance' chiropractor appt...it would add up if I had to go daily for whatever thing I did to get the back to hurt. Not sure if the SI brace would help. I was sold an SI rubber-like squishy belt but I could never get it to stay in place. If I bent over which is apparently what you are supposed to use it for...it always moved up my waist and never stayed on my hips.

[@bendybodiespodcast]

Thank you so much for this extremely detailed comment. I will see what I can do about the suggestions you made and appreciate the websites. Yes, many people with EDS, HSD, and/or MCAS are very sensitive to fragrances but others are not. I never encourage the use of scents that are easily avoided (eg: laundry detergent, scented candles). I wish unscented products were more readily available and for no added cost.