I help hypermobile people live an active lifestyle

@Aj Carver I was labeled with hypermobility spectrum disorder (but likely hEDS) & I’m an OT. My 168 is also geared towards peeps with EDS

I’m an OT in Pelvic Health living with HSD. I help people with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) & Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) Pains/Frustrations: 1. Unable to do things they love 2. Feel that docs/therapists don’t listen to them 3. Spend lots of money on healthcare 4. Often labeled as hypochondriacs/“crazy” 5. Often socially isolated 6. Sick of going from provider to provider who don’t help them get results 7. Fatigued, in pain, pass out (POTS), sensitive (MCAS), many sublux frequently, high rate of depression in this population Worries/Fears: 1. I won’t be able to work 2. I’ll go broke 3. My friends won’t want to hang out with my because I keep canceling 4. I feel useless 5. My spouse might leave me because I’m disabled now 6. Fear of subluxing, pain, injuring themselves further 7. “My traveling days are over. I can’t even sit through a car ride” Goals/Desires: 1. Be able to participate in activities they love 2. Be heard by docs/therapists 3. Be financially OK 4. Feel validated by providers 5. Have a robust social life 6. Find a provider that actually helps them & that they can trust 7. Have a pain free, active lifestyle 8. Be happy Dreams: 1. Have a great job 2. Be wealthy 3. Have a robust & satisfying social life 4. Feel like a useful person 5. Have a great relationship with their spouse 6. Not have to worry about injuring themselves 7. Be able to go wherever they want, travel, & have a great time

1. Jeannie Di Bon 2. Dr. Linda Bluestein aka the hypermobility MD 3. Dr. Emily Rich, OT, PhD 4. Edsel Bittencourt, PT 5. Dr. Kate Bacigalupo, PT

Wow, so you knew about GT before the Pelvibiz event where we met. As you may remember, I was unfortunately the only OT there. I know you’re starting the program soon & you seem set on PT but what I’m hearing from your why sounds like it’s is based on your social environment of needing to provide for your family. Are you passionate about helping others with financial management in your clinical practice? You may be surprised to hear that financial management is within the scope of OT practice in addition to health management, functional mobility, ADLs, leisure, etc. As part of my clinical rotations I developed a program for people living in group homes struggling with mental illness to increase their independence with money management. Program planning was huge in my program (which seems to differ from PT programs). Manual therapy, functional mobility. & exercise may be used as treatment as a means to improving occupational performance. So theres overlap with PT as well as speech therapy & psych. Nowadays I’m a manual therapist/Myofascial Release & Pelvic Therapist with a trauma informed approach thanks to my mental health & OT background, so you see how broad the field is. I am not trying to discourage you from PT (some of my best friends are PTs & my own sister is a PT) if you’re wanting to focus more on biomechanics, mobility, & physical fitness. But the OT scope is much more broad than PT (which I get why this broadness in scope can also be seen as a negative). I chose OT because I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do either & I value the OT roots in mental health & the moral treatment movement. Correct me if I’m wrong but for someone who is not quite sure as to why they want to do something, other than to be more financially secure you might find yourself in a confusing place later. And you need that passion for what you’re doing in the long run. Maybe consider shadowing some OTs before your official start date if you haven’t yet since our programs are usually shorter & less expensive at this point (unless you have a full ride scholarship! Then go for it!). Though many OT schools are now transitioning to entry level doctorate programs too. At this point a masters suffices entry level into the field for OT. But with your start being so soon in the program, totally understand wanting to dive into it.

Welcome!!