Improving support and care for people with hypermobility disorders

Themes Mental health Surgical and orthopaedic innovation

Status: This project is ongoing

Hypermobility disorders are where a person’s joints and connective tissue are very flexible, causing musculoskeletal problems and long-term pain. These disorders are also linked to mental health issues.

There’s plenty of guidance for managing long-term pain, but little targeted support for people with hypermobility disorders.

Project aims

We will look at potential interventions that don’t rely on medication, to improve pain management and mental health for people with hypermobility disorders. Improving mental health is an important part of pain management, so we’ll specifically explore psychological and behavioural approaches.

We will work with people with hypermobility disorders, including Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), and the people who support them.

What we hope to achieve

We hope this initial fellowship project, led by Anna Hurley-Wallace, will lead to further research. Ultimately, we want to improve the support and care that people with hypermobility disorders receive, particularly in relation to their joint pain and mental health.