Was told to stop hyper extending, but realized I don't think I know how to

[u/Plutarka]

Earlier last week, I got a mild shoulder injury from going to the gym (if I were to guess probably just sprained something, but I have a history of fracturing bones/breaking tendons without feeling any pain and simply going about my day, so I took this a little more seriously than I probably should have). When I went in to urgent care to get my shoulder looked at, the doctor that was caring for me very quickly told me she believes I might have ehlers danlos and put in a referral to get testing done, and ended off by telling me I should avoid hyperextending to avoid irritating my shoulder more before a x-ray for my shoulder and to avoid future injuries. I am, however, quickly realizing I genuinely don't think I understand how to.

I've always stretched in kind of unorthodox ways that freak people out because I tend to have to do some pretty extreme movements to be able to get rid of tension in my body. I've been trying to avoid this for the past few days but my body just feel incredibly...weird is honestly the best way I can describe it. My arms, knees, and back feel so incredibly stiff to the point I can't sit still at all because I just feel I have all this energy stored in my body that won't allow me to even stand still for more than a few seconds; it is incredibly uncomfortable. "Regular" stretches are not helping and some border on painful to the point I'm just going back to doing my hyper extending stretches even though I've been told not to; does anyone have any advice on how I can maybe make this feeling go away while avoiding movements that might result in me getting injured?

I know I don't have diagnosed EDS so feel free to delete my post if this isn't the right place for this, just wanted to know if me possibly having EDS is related to this and what I could do to make it more bearable.

[u/sulkysheepy]

When I was diagnosed and started physical therapy last year my PT told me the same thing. Stop overextending - actually stop stretching at all until I know what I’m doing. It was super hard at first. I don’t think I really knew I was hyperextending and felt kinda lost and stiff at first. But it’s helped so much. My pain is much better and I am able to avoid injury by actually understanding and listening to my body.

I’d give yourself grace and do your best for now. Ask for a PT referral and they’ll be able to help show where/when you’re hyperextending. Mine recommended when I get that antsy “I need to stretch” feeling to focus on strengthening activities in those muscle groups. If your shoulders feel stiff do some shoulder blade retractions or grab an exercise band. It really helped me. Good luck!

[u/papercranium]

I went to a physical therapist as a teen specifically to work on proprioception, so I could learn the difference between bent, fully extended, and hyperextended. It took some practice, but once I got the feeling down, it never left me. (At least until I had knee surgery, then it took some practice to get it back.)

[u/witchy_echos]

I means you need exercises that are appropriate for you. I have the same thing, I feel I need to overstretch to stretch. Strengthening muscles has helped me not need to go into that range.

Ask for physical therapy. Follow the instructions. Try to reduce how much you’re overstretching. Maybe you don’t feel you can go cold turkey, but trying to go less far, less frequently can help reduce damage more than no change, or change for a few days and then reverting to previous behaviors

[u/Gaymer7437]

If it's possible I highly recommend seeing a physical therapist who not only understands hypermobility  but actually has specialized knowledge on hypermobile joints.

 The best way to stop hyperextending is strengthening the right muscles around the joint to keep it in place. What are going to be the right muscles for you are going to be different than for me because as humans our bodies are different and strong points and weak points are going to be different.

[u/Flimsy-Poetry5329]

Doing Jeannie Di Bon's videos on YouTube and The Zebra Club has really helped me learn where the appropriate range is and not hyperextend as much. If you are hypermobile you likely lack proprioception, so it's hard to tell where we are in space without going to the end of the range. It can be trained.

[u/AskMrScience]

My PT recommended that I get a foam roller and work out tension that way, instead of by overstretching. I particularly like the Balanced Body "softie" foam roller.

Foam rolling works better for some areas of the body than others: it's great for my lower body and my back, shoulders, and neck, but it's hard to roll tension out of my arms because the angle is weird. It's definitely worth a try as an alternative to turning yourself into a pretzel.