Muscle & Joint Clinic

Research suggests COVID may trigger or worsen autonomic dysfunction and cause inflammatory damage to connective tissue - both major concerns for EDS patients. Long COVID and EDS share striking overlaps: fatigue, pain, dysautonomia, GI issues, brain fog.

We’re still learning why, but EDS patients may be more susceptible to long COVID. The virus can intensify POTS, worsen hypermobility through tissue inflammation, and create deconditioning-injury cycles that are hard to break.

If you get COVID: rest aggressively, stay hydrated, pace carefully, and monitor symptoms closely. Post-COVID recovery takes longer for many EDS patients, but recovery is possible.

Prevention matters: vaccination, masking in high-risk settings, good ventilation. These aren’t overreactions given increased vulnerability.

Work with providers who understand both conditions. Your concerns about COVID worsening your EDS are scientifically grounded and valid.

We don’t have all the answers yet, but taking COVID seriously as an EDS patient is justified by emerging evidence.

EDS flare-ups are body-wide escalations that affect multiple systems

Flares can last days to weeks and vary significantly between people. Because connective tissue is everywhere - joints, blood vessels, digestive organs, nerves - a flare can trigger symptoms in any combination of systems simultaneously.

Here’s what’s important: identifying triggers can help, but it can also lead to self-blame. Many triggers are unavoidable. Sometimes flares happen despite perfect management. That’s not your fault - that’s EDS.

Build your personal toolkit of strategies: pain management, gentle movement, rest, hydration, anti-inflammatory foods, stress reduction. What works varies by person. Pay attention to what helps YOUR flares specifically.

Flares are often unavoidable, but having strategies ready reduces their impact. Be compassionate with yourself.

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Chronic pain affects nearly 90% of people with EDS

If you’re dealing with daily pain, you’re not alone. EDS pain is complex and multifactorial. Joint instability, muscle weakness, previous injuries, and proprioceptive issues, all contribute. Often it’s several factors at once.

The causes vary from person to person, which is why treatment must be multimodal. Physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and appropriate medication management work together to address different pain contributors. There’s no single solution.

Finding what works takes trial and error. This can be frustrating and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. But effective pain management is possible with comprehensive, personalized care.

At Muscle & Joint Clinic, we evaluate your specific pain contributors and develop multimodal treatment plans tailored to your unique presentation

You deserve relief. Your pain is real, and it deserves comprehensive treatment.

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