Hypermobility - the little-known 'bendy disease' that causes pain and fatigue
Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) is a connective tissue condition that causes joint instability, chronic pain, and fatigue. Many patients face significant delays in diagnosis because symptoms are often treated as isolated issues rather than a systemic disorder.
Why it matters
Increased awareness of HSD can help patients receive earlier diagnoses and appropriate management for a condition that is frequently overlooked by medical professionals.
Image source, Ella Kipling Image caption, Ella Kipling was diagnosed with HSD in February, at 24
Vivienne Duval has always been flexible. She can do every yoga pose there is, but it was not until she turned 58 that she realised that this bendiness was not a good thing.
In fact, it was the answer to all of the strange health problems she had been experiencing for years - issues with digestion, fatigue, and pain.
Earlier this year, when Vivienne came across a video on social media explaining the symptoms of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, it was like a light bulb switching on.
"I saw myself in everything they were saying," she tells me. "So I armed myself with all the information and went to my doctor."
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