Hypermobile Singers: From Pretty Impressive to Pretty Painful

I’ll start with repeating the quote by Celest Pereira and adding the second part of it:

“Hypermobile people are like the canary in the coal mine. They feel if something is bad for EVERYBODY before others feel it. We need to listen to them to give us guidance!

• • Not eating well
  • Too much stress
  • Not resting enough
  • Pollution
  • Not enough hydration

They can do fascinating things with their bodies. They thrive if given the right foundation:

• • Enough proprioceptive stimulation
  • Enough neuromapping of where their body is in space
  • The right tools to manage anxiety
  • Being taught that they are a superhero and resilient, not that they are fragile.”

And how about this quote by Adam, The Fibro Guy?

“Your body isn’t broken and doesn’t require repair; rather, it just requires understanding.”

So… What’s good for you – and every body, not just the hypermobile ones?

• Make sure that all the therapists, trainers, teachers and health care professionals you’re working with understand hypermobility. What’s good for a non-hypermobile body might be unhelpful or even damaging for a hypermobile body. Maybe send them this blog post?
  
  
• Regular physical therapy. Hypermobile people often have cranial cervical instability. So be careful with work at the base of the skull, the suboccipital muscles and the myodural bridge. Releasing the suboccipital region could destabilise your whole body.
  
  
  • Osteopathy
  • Craniosacral therapy
  • Other therapies that regulate your nervous system

• Somatic approaches – Remember to adapt your practice to your hypermobility! And educate your teachers on your body.
  
  
  • Alexander technique
  • Feldenkrais method
  • Tai chi & Qi gong
  • Pilates – Especially reformer, tower, chair & cadillac, as they offer a lot of “reference” for your brain.
  • Yoga – Be mindful with the kinds of yoga that focus on flexibility, like Yin Yoga.
    
    
• Massages are proprioceptive stimulation for your brain, so a good thing! Experiment with what works best: deep tissue / light touch / vibration / hot / cold/ sharp / dull.
  
  
• Be mindful about going to all kinds of extremes like the limits of your strength and flexibility. Low and slow is your mantra! Start with low level of challenge and progress slowly.
  
  
• Strength training of your whole body, with a focus on the muscles around your vulnerable joints.
  
  Train reflexive stability (context-dependent activation of your muscles) and avoid rigid core-training. If you’ve been taught by certain teachers or trainers that you should be holding in your belly at all times: The pelvic floor is not evolved to be lifted and gripping all the time! A constantly engaged core is not a more stable structure. We create better lumbar stability with movement.
  
  Train a lot in mid-range. When your body is ready, also train toward the end range of active motion, but against resistance (an isometric) and with a reference like for example the wall (closed-chain). Focus on slow, controlled movements. The goal is to shrink the gap between the active and passive ranges of motion, as this lowers threat for your brain. A muscle isn’t just about how it contracts and shortens to strengthen something, it has to have the appropriate length-tension relationship.
  
  Do not go for passive stretching. Instead, work on active and dynamic stretching. Active stretching focuses on muscle engagement rather than ligament stress, providing flexibility that’s supported by strength​. Dynamic stretching is repeated, controlled movements (e.g. gentle leg swings). This improves flexibility without destabilizing joints.

If you want more explanation on all of these concepts of appropriate training for your hypermobile body and get right to work:

• • Read my blog post (Non)sense about training your core as a singer.
    
    
  • Or dive right into these exercises, subscribe to The singsing! Sofa Library and watch the recordings of these 2 webinars:
    
    Core Training for Singers – The Vocal Resilience Cylinder by Christine Schneider.
    
    Core Workout for Singers by Christine Schneider
    
    
• Short-term use of braces / kinesiotape to support unstable joints.
  
  
• Since syndromic hypermobility is linked to collagen deficiency, protein consumption is essential.
  
  
• People with hypermobility often require higher fluid and salt intake (regarding electrolyte balance) to manage symptoms related to blood pressure and circulation.
  
  
• Monitoring by a medical team to prevent and / or manage complications.
  
  
• Psychological counseling.
  
  
• Find strategies to deal with anxiety.

Read my blog post Psychological Flexibility: Use ACT to Reduce Performance Anxiety for an explanation on Acceptance and Commitment Training.

If you want to dive right into these exercises, subscribe to The singsing! Sofa Library and watch the recording of the webinar Acceptance & Commitment Training for Improved Mental Health & Enhanced Performances by Dr. David Juncos.

• Help your brain feel safe by:
  
  
  • Developing your sensory perception, with extra focus on your auditory and visual system.
    
    
  • Training your interoception, with extra focus on your kinesthetic feedback.
    
    
  • Training your proprioception, with extra focus on your vestibular system.

Read my blog post Is it Safe to Sing? Hack Your Brain and Sing with Ease!
 for a more detailed explanation on all of this!

If you want to dive right into these exercises, subscribe to The singsing! Sofa Library and watch the recording of the webinar Is It Safe to Sing? Brain-Based Exercises for More Ease, Stability, and Efficiency in Your Voice.

• Last, but certainly not least, another quote by The Fibro Guy:
  

  “Many people with hypermobility find it frustrating when they are told to “be careful,” “stretch more,” or “move less.” However, those general suggestions completely miss the mark. They ignore the delicate equilibrium your body is attempting to preserve, where flexibility, strength, and stability must all coexist.”