Hypermobility

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What is hypermobility – is it just being flexible? The answer is no. Actually it affects the whole body, and it’s not just one joint or a couple of joints that are more flexible than others. Actually when you are hypermobile, the collagen fibres in your body behave differently, adn they are naturally a bit stretchier than in someone who isn’t hypermobile. So that means that many joints in the body can be affected, they can be more flexible in other areas that involve connective tissues, too, so sometimes your skin can be more stretchy, and so on. Sometimes it can affect dizziness, sometimes it can affect your digestive system, and all sorts. 

 

So if you are hypermobile, usually it means that many joints in your body are more flexible than normal. That can be a benefit in ballet, because we like to get into extreme positions, but the downside is that it means you need more strength and control of this extra movement that you’ve got, and being hypermobile sometimes makes it a little bit harder to build. 

So whenever someone asks me: “Is that a good thing or is that a bad thing?”, I tell them that it’s not a good thing or a bad thing – it’s just “a thing”, and it’s good that we know about it so that we can then help to plan how you strengthen or how you support or how you use this hypermobile body of yours.    

 

So I hope that clears that up and I look forward to seeing you in the next chat. Bye!

Learn more about Luke

Luke developed his passion for helping ballet dancers achieve their greatest physical potential during his six years at the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden, London. Learn more about his extensive experience in the ballet field.