EDS | Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Specialized Physical Therapy for EDS & Hypermobility Conditions
EDS and Hypermobility conditions are commonly undiagnosed by most clinicians. Most people with EDS are put into categories unrelated to the presentation of EDS symptoms. This results in compromised progress and high risk of injury due to improper selection of exercise and treatment programs.
Have you been told that you can’t exercise because of your condition? Or that you need to do strength training but always seem to get hurt? Whether your situation is home bound or not working, physical therapy services is necessary for recovery. It begins with regulating your internal system so that your external systems works properly.
At PARR PT, you’ll work with kind and dedicated therapists who are EDS experts and fully understand this condition including secondary diagnosis’. This includes conditions related to Cranial Cervical Instability (CCI), Chiari malformation, POTS, or Tethered Cord Syndrome. Using our “3-Systems” approach, this allows for a safer and more effective recovery with longer lasting results by targeting the brain for better connections to our body. Each person is a “Zebra” (one of a kind) so each program is uniquely designed and individualized. At PARR PT, we do not believe in a “one size fits all” or “protocol” approach.
Experienced EDS Specialists in Austin & Houston, Texas
Our experience of over 15 years of medical graded exercise programs allow for safe and effective exercise routines that consider heart conditions, autonomic dysfunction, hypermobility, and autoimmune conditions. We understand the most EDS clients are fearful of doing exercises due to easy bruising, fatigue, injury, or previous subluxations. You’ll need one of our more thorough assessments that includes:
- “3-Systems” assessment:
- Autonomic regulation assessment
- Vestibular system assessment
- GI Assessment
- Static and Dynamic Postural Assessment
- Functional Movement Screening
Our specialized therapy includes a series of autonomic physical therapy methods that begin to normalize the body’s response to activity and day to day tasks. Specific gut physical therapy that includes hands on techniques, nerve re-balancing, and spinal alignment to improve and normalize pain and function.
In the following section, you’ll learn about our innovative physical therapy recovery program. The PARR PT Method or the 3-systems approach, provides optimal performance, ideal movement patterns, and recovery.
PARR PT Method for EDS, Dysautonomia & POTS using a distinct 5-phase approach:
- Autonomic Regulation: Regulating the body’s vital system by improving postural alignment, improving fascial mobility within the viscera and reducing biomechanical compensation to reduce hyper-sympathetic responses.
- Body Awareness: Providing the right stimulus to vestibular systems to allow eyes, head, and body to adapt to normal and variable environment. Focus is providing the right environmental awareness and reactions using balance, tracking, and coordination to reduce strain, or compensation.
- Stability: Beginning to focus on the small muscles responsible for larger movements. These muscles are the missing link in stability, performance, and recovery. Effectively targeting the right stabilizers reduce hypermobility and other faulty movement patterns that lead to risk of injury.
- Strength: Once that the body is stable, time to transition to functional and progressive strengthening for higher level activities and performance. This phase continues the process of continuation of stabilizing joints and building strength specific to your functional needs.
- Endurance: As soon as the body is both strong and stable, the body requires further training to tolerate longer bouts of activities. This training begins to improve cardiac function for extended activity tolerance while minimizing risk for autonomic episodes, strain, or pain.
EDS Testimonial
Katelyn C | Houston, Texas
As someone with EDS, it can be difficult to find doctors and specialists who know how to deal with the pains and side effects of the disorder, and finding people who not only know how to help us but actively teach you how to strengthen your body was an unexpected blessing. I went in with complaints about knee pain, and they have fixed everything else, too: shoulder pain, neck pain, back pain, and more.
Their specialized at home program is tailored to your specific needs, is quick and easy to understand, and helps correct problems you didn’t even know you had. I feel confident going into college knowing that I won’t be fighting pain from dislocated joints and other problems because of my time spent with Renee in physical therapy. And I haven’t even started on talking about how compassionate and understanding they are. I cannot tell you how many times Renee has made me laugh while I was being adjusted or how many times he has helped cultivate my interest in medical sciences. They not only care about your health needs but how you are doing as a person. You’ll never meet a better group of physical therapists that genuinely care about you. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped me (especially Renee), and I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants the best care available anywhere.
Dysautonomia
Dysautonomia, known as a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, causes many problems related to our vital functioning. Due to it’s various types and complexity, many people do not know how to approach this condition. Whether its extreme dizziness, severe constipation, or exercises intolerance, physical therapy is key. Specialized physical therapy treatments and programs can provide a stronger foundation required for optimal healing and recovery.
At PARR PT, we have a progressive or “slower” approach that allows to body to get used to new stimulus without sending it into over drive. Typically, exercise regimens can be very aggressive at first or just be formatted in a way that the body is not ready for at that moment. The focus is on creating the mind body connection prior to advancing to more strenuous and more complex activities. Using this method, multiple systems begin to regulate resulting in the body becoming more prepared for new information. Once the reconnection has been completed, the body can then apply the new information required for proper nerve activation for optimal muscle activation. This in turn results in significant improvement with pain, fatigue, and awareness.
As the these responses improve, the body will respond with more stability and strength for functional movements without actually having performed “true” strength training. In addition, this will begin to minimize the “flight or fight” response therefore regulating autonomic function.
Dysautonomia Testimonial
Jeniffer H | Houston, Texas
PARR PT has been a great decision for my daughter. She was offered basic therapy with minimal knowledge of POTS/Dysautonomia at another therapy hospital. Jonathan spent time asking questions and assessing a personal program to address her autonomic challenges. He addressed lingering concussion effects that doctors dismissed. Within the first session, she felt immediate relief from an ongoing symptom and learned tools and techniques to self heal. Jonathan & Renee have a clear understanding of how the brain communicates throughout the body in a long term non-invasive way. They have both shown upstanding professionalism. I cannot wait to have my own evaluation done after seeing my daughter’s improvements.
POTS | Postural-Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome, also known as “POTS”, is a condition that is becoming more prevalent throughout the US. Whether it’s from a concussion, pregnancy, a traumatic event, chronic illness, or long Covid, POTS can present in various ways. POTS affects the blood flow throughout the body primarily when transitioning to upright or standing positions. Normally, when a person stands, blood vessels constrict and the heart slightly increases its rate to maintain steady blood pressure and circulation. However, in POTS, this process is dysregulated which can result in a drop in blood pressure, dizziness or fainting, and a rapid heart rate even with minimal exertion.
At PARR PT, we have over 15 years of experience in exercise physiology creating safe and effective exercise programs for POTS. We specialize in how to appropriately moderate exercise intensity and position a person based on the severity of symptoms. Each individual receives a program made from scratch that is tailored to their symptoms and needs. Although it is a slower progressive journey, these programs have led to longer-lasting results with overall improvements in exercise tolerance.
Because Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) often overlaps with POTS and EDS, we take extra care to adjust exercise plans in ways that minimize symptom flare-ups, considering factors like environmental triggers, histamine sensitivity, exertion tolerance and overall autonomic dysfunction.
POTS Testimonial
Kendall S | Houston, Texas
You are working with the best of the best. I have been to around 20 different doctors for help with my POTS/EDS and this is the only place that has been able to make me feel better. I don’t know what I would do without them.