Massage and Ehler’s-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
I remember my grandmother’s jello salad. There were a few varieties over the years, but every Thanksgiving she would make some version of fruit suspended in jello to add a sweet bite to our savory meal.
Now as an instructor in Massage Therapy school, I get to share jello salad as an important metaphor for our connective tissue and fascia. We spend months in the training program learning about connective tissue and honing techniques to effect CT as Massage Therapists.
We can think of the base of connective tissue as the watery, fluid jello - we call this the ground substance. It suspends the fruit and creates form. The fruit depends on the needs of the tissue, sometimes there will be elastic fibers for stretch or dense fibers for structure. So sometimes orange slices, sometimes apples or strawberries. When the body needs strength, it creates collagen fibers.
But what happens when a genetic distortion means that there are changes in the production or integrity of collagen fibers? The result is a collection of conditions called Ehler’s-Danlos Syndrome, named after two doctors from the early 20th century who compiled information on and defined the condition. Symptoms can present as hypermobile joints, elastic skin, slow healing, generalized pain, heart problems, and more.
There are several considerations for Massage Therapists when we are working with someone who has EDS or suspects they have EDS. This is a condition where we tailor each session to the needs of the client that day - sometimes that will be about relieving the pain from tight muscles that compensate for hypermobile joints, or helping reduce the stress of having a chronic condition that takes an enormous amount of mental energy to manage.
Considerations we use when working with EDS clients:
Listening first - we will ask questions and truly listen to your answers about what works for you, what feels good and effective for you, and maintain that communication throughout the session.
We respect the reality of chronic pain without judgement
We continue to educate ourselves about the complex conditions we work with and how these conditions affect our clients’ health
If you or someone you know has EDS, Massage Therapy can be a valuable addition to address the stress and pain that comes along with this genetic condition.
MMT Shrewsbury