EDS Physical Therapy Delivered Differently

Physical Therapy for people with EDS is now available in Chicago in-person or via live, secure video conference!

Wendy 4 Therapy understands how you feel and what it takes to FEEL BETTER. With a visit to W4T, you will spend focused, one-on-one time with a licensed physical therapist who will listen to your health story with a trained and compassionate ear. Your therapist has EDS, POTS, MCAS and cranial-cervical instability...she gets it. You will leave W4T with a clear understanding of your symptoms and a concrete PLAN for how to find your own, personal road to wellness. This is not your typical PT session because you are not a typical PT client.

 You may have Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) or hypermobility form of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) if you experience…

Joints: Joint instability, sprains and strains, feel like you need to brace things just to keep them in place

Pain: Joint pain (particularly ankles, hips, knees, jaw, hands/fingers/wrist, jaw), neck pain, abdominal pain, frequent headaches, numbness/tingling in extremities, pain that doesn’t seem to correlate with imaging

Headaches: Persistent headaches resistant to treatment, migraines, neck pain, headaches that worsen with the position of your body

Dizziness: Dizziness when you stand up (orthostatic intolerance), poor balance and coordination, fainting or near fainting

Heart: Rapid heart beat, palpitations that come out of nowhere, difficulty regulating your body temperature, blood pooling in your legs, flushing of the skin

Fatigue: Disabling fatigue, need to rest more than your friends and family, difficulty standing still, difficulty maintaining upright position at a desk, poor posture because it requires a lot of energy to stand upright, poor sleep quality, difficulty tolerating social outings

Cognition: Brain fog, difficulty concentrating for long periods of time, memory loss, difficulty with word finding

GI/Digestion: Chronic constipation, pain after eating, bloating, poor gut motility and absorption, chronic nausea, food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies, difficulty gaining weight

Immune system: Sensitive skin, food sensitivities, flushing, hives, itching, inappropriate immune response to what should be benign

Psychosocial: Been discounted by friends/family/medical community, anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD, unable to tolerate school or work, feel like you are in a constant state of “fight or flight,” considered suicide due to pain and fatigue, feel socially isolated, been told you are exaggerating your symptoms

Been diagnosed with: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), dysautonomia, craniocervical instability, Chiari malformation, tethered cord, gastroparesis

Do you ever say to yourself or others…

I’m fine.

I’m used to the pain. It’s a part of my life.

I’m flexible and have a lot of seemingly unrelated medical issues

I used to be able to do that, but I can’t anymore because it hurts or I don’t have the energy

I have to stay close to home so I can eat, drink, rest and avoid things that will likely trigger and flare my symptoms.

Doctors don’t believe me when I tell them about my symptoms. Especially because all of my tests come back “normal.”

I’m sorry, I can’t do that…I don’t feel well. Again.

I don’t like taking pain medications. They just don’t work for me.

Isn’t everyone in pain and exhausted all the time?

I’m too tired to exercise.

I’m afraid to exercise because when I exercise, everything hurts more.

I’ve been to PT before. It didn’t help or it worsened my symptoms.

If these symptoms sound familiar, contact us to find compassionate care and to learn more!

After your initial visit with W4T, you will get answers to the questions…

what’s included with a comprehensive Physical Therapy Evaluation for Hypermobility/EDS?

Services