A Bump in the Road
Picture the scene: I’m days away from leaving my full‑time corporate role to step fully into the world of teaching… and BAM. I dislocate my left shoulder falling down the stairs. Not exactly the graceful entrance into my new chapter that I had planned.
So now I’m navigating two parallel journeys: rebuilding a very unhappy left shoulder, and stepping into a new job that I’ve been excited about for months. As many of you know, I’m extremely hypermobile, so injuries aren’t exactly strangers in my life, but a full, proper dislocation is a different beast. I’ve rehabbed plenty of shoulders for clients over the years, but doing it with your own body is a whole new level of humbling.
There’s the initial fear of moving your arm. The way simple movements suddenly feel impossible. The rapid muscle loss that happens when your ligaments and joints need rest. The strange mix of frustration and determination that comes with every tiny milestone.
Because so many of my clients and readers are also hypermobile, I wanted to share a little about why this kind of injury behaves differently for people like us, and why the rehab process can feel so unpredictable.
🌿 Why Hypermobile Joints Behave Differently
Hypermobile joints move further than average because the ligaments that should act like firm “seatbelts” are naturally more elastic. That extra movement can be helpful in some contexts, but it also means the joints rely heavily on muscles for stability. When those muscles are tired, injured, or simply caught off‑guard, like during a fall, the joint has far less passive protection.
So when a hypermobile joint is injured, it isn’t just the joint that’s affected. The whole stabilising system around it becomes unsettled, and everything feels more vulnerable and unpredictable.
🌿 Why Rehab Can Feel Slower or More Unpredictable
Rehab with hypermobility isn’t a straight line. A few reasons:
Muscles have to relearn their stabilising role Because the ligaments don’t provide much support, the muscles around the joint have to take on extra responsibility. After an injury, those muscles often switch off quickly, and switching them back on takes time and repetition.
The nervous system is more cautious Hypermobile bodies often develop protective movement patterns. After a dislocation, your brain becomes even more vigilant, sometimes creating fear, hesitation, or “false alarms” of instability.
Strength gains can fluctuate You might feel strong one day and wobbly the next. That’s normal — your body is recalibrating, not failing.
Small setbacks feel bigger Because the baseline stability is lower, even minor inflammation or fatigue can make the joint feel dramatically different.
It’s not that hypermobile people can’t rehab well they absolutely can, but the process often requires more patience, more consistency, and more attention to the subtleties of how the joint behaves
Even though I’ve rehabbed shoulders for clients, doing it with my own hypermobile body means adjusting the approach:
Prioritising deep stabiliser activation first Before I even think about big movements, I’m focusing on the tiny muscles that keep the shoulder centred and supported.
Working in micro‑ranges Instead of pushing for full movement, I’m rebuilding confidence in small, safe arcs that don’t trigger instability.
Slowing everything down Momentum is the enemy of hypermobile joints. Slow, controlled movement gives the joint time to organise itself.
Respecting fatigue more than usual When stabilisers tire, the joint becomes vulnerable. I’m stopping early, not late.
Layering strength gradually I’m treating this like building a house: foundations first, walls later, roof last.
Listening to the “almost” sensations Hypermobile people often feel slipping, shifting, or “not quite right” long before anything actually goes wrong. I’m using those sensations as early feedback rather than ignoring them.
This isn’t just rehab, it’s re‑education. And it’s reminding me, in real time, of the exact challenges my clients face every day. day to day.
I’m incredibly lucky, though. The studios I work with have been nothing but supportive, and my clients, many of whom are also hypermobile, have shown so much kindness and understanding. It’s a reminder that community really does make the hard things feel lighter.
I don’t know exactly what the next 12 weeks will look like. What I do know is that I’ve certainly made a dramatic entrance into this new chapter of my life. And maybe that’s fitting because healing, growth, and change rarely arrive quietly.