Jeannie Di Bon

Jeannie Di Bon Hypermobility Specialist x 16 years. Movement Educator. Founder & CEO of The Zebra Club. Creator of the Integral Movement Method. Author x 3 published books.
(3)

New book out now 📕.

Hypermobile elbows: if you’re hyperextending them during exercise and everyday movement, you’re not alone and there’s a ...
03/04/2026

Hypermobile elbows: if you’re hyperextending them during exercise and everyday movement, you’re not alone and there’s a reason it’s so hard to stop.

For people with hypermobility, hEDS, or hypermobility spectrum disorder, hyperextending the elbows is one of the most common habits I see. It feels like stability. But I call it false stability, because the moment you hyperextend a hypermobile elbow joint, the surrounding muscles stop working and the joint takes all the strain.

It can also affect the shoulders, neck, and lumbar spine. One habit with several knock-on effects through the whole chain.

The good news: elbow hyperextension is a habit. And it can be retrained.

I’ve written a full guide on hypermobile elbow joints covering the research, why we hyperextend, and where to actually start with changing it.

You can grab your copy below on the comments.

In memory of Professor Rodney Grahame. A pioneer in EDS research, education & advocacy. I feel incredibly grateful to ha...
31/03/2026

In memory of Professor Rodney Grahame. A pioneer in EDS research, education & advocacy.

I feel incredibly grateful to have met Professor Grahame in 2017 at my first ever .danlos conference. His work has shaped so much of what we understand about hypermobility today.

I’ll never forget how he came to one of my hypermobility workshops in London shortly after our first meeting and I remember how much that meant to me. Not in a loud or showy way, just a quiet moment that stayed with me, knowing that someone who had contributed so much to the field was there, listening, supporting. And he quietly whispered afterwards - “you’re doing a great job”. He gave me the confidence to push ahead with my education work.

His legacy runs deep, and I feel honoured to be part of the path he helped create. I was honoured to visit him at home after his retirement and share a lovely tea & cake.

Thank you Rodney ❤️‍🩹🙏🏻🦓💪.

28/03/2026

Do you ever shake?

If you notice a small shake when you move slowly and with control, it’s easy to assume something is wrong.
Many people interpret shaking as weakness or instability. But in many cases, it reflects increased neuromuscular demand.

When movement is fast, the body can rely on:
• momentum
• larger muscle groups
• compensatory patterns

These strategies allow the movement to be completed, even if control is not precise. I used to do big, uncontrolled moves but was always getting injured. My body/brain didn’t understand or sense any capacity for sensitivity in controlled moves.

But when you slow the movement down, those options are reduced.

Now the system has to rely on:
• accurate joint positioning
• coordinated muscle recruitment
• timing between muscle groups
• stabilising muscles who may have been sleeping 😴

This then increases the demand on the nervous system. And that can be a new challenge for many of us.

That small, controlled shaking often reflects:
• motor unit recruitment increasing
• the system refining coordination
• the body working within a new range of control

In hypermobility, where joint feedback may be less consistent, this process can feel more noticeable.
It is not a sign that you are doing something wrong. It shouldn’t hurt.

It is often a sign that you are working in a range where your body is building control. There’s a reason my motto is Go Low, Go Slow.

Over time, as coordination improves and the system becomes more efficient, the shaking usually reduces.

It is important to distinguish between:
• small, controlled shaking within tolerance
• and large, uncontrolled movement that feels unsafe.

If the movement feels manageable, repeatable, and does not trigger a flare, that small shake is often part of the process. Control is not built through speed. But going Slow.

With the IMM, we’re not just teaching exercise. We’re reprogramming the whole system. Now that’s exciting 🙌.

Knee pain 😩? Hypermobile knee pain in hEDS and symptomatic hypermobility is not just a strengthening problem. It’s a who...
26/03/2026

Knee pain 😩? Hypermobile knee pain in hEDS and symptomatic hypermobility is not just a strengthening problem. It’s a whole-body problem. We’re often treated in a single body part way, but we’ve got to examine the whole body relationships.

Not “just strengthen your quads.” Not “push through it.”
I spent years standing with hyperextended knees without understanding what it was doing to the rest of my body. When the joints above and below the knee aren’t supported, the knee pays the price. The knee joint is the middle man - pretty much always impacted by the foot or the hip, unless you’ve had a direct knee trauma.

💬 Full article in comments below including exercises, bracing, the nervous system connection, and why proprioception always comes before strength.

There’s something incredibly special about being in a room with people who truly care. This is the kind of passion our c...
23/03/2026

There’s something incredibly special about being in a room with people who truly care. This is the kind of passion our community needs.

This weekend in Cork, Ireland, I had the privilege of teaching physiotherapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists on Saturday and host two patient groups on Sunday and I’m feeling deeply grateful.

To the practitioners: your curiosity, openness, and commitment to working with this community is powerful. You’re changing the experience patients have in healthcare.

To the patients: your courage, your willingness to show up, to learn, to reconnect with your bodies… it never stops inspiring me. And I always learn so much from your shared lived experiences.

This work is built on passion, empathy, and advocacy and to witness that shared across both sides of the room is something I never take for granted.

It is truly an honour to do this work. Thank you for trusting me, for showing up, and for being part of this movement. And huge thanks to Sara for inviting me & hosting the events so beautifully. I have never taught in such a wonderful setting. My nervous system is truly happy 😌.

22/03/2026

Do you want to stretch the same areas all the time?

If you find yourself repeatedly stretching the same area like the hamstrings, hips, neck, back and it never seems to stay “free,” you are not alone.

Tightness is often interpreted as a lack of length. But in hypermobility, muscle tension is frequently related to support rather than restriction.

When joints have less passive restraint, muscles take on a greater role in stabilisation.

That increased demand can feel like:
• tightness
• pulling
• stiffness
• restriction

Even when the muscle itself is not actually short. Stretching may temporarily reduce that tension. But if the underlying demand for stability remains, the nervous system often restores the tension. It’s a form of protection.

This creates a common pattern:
stretch → relief → return of tightness → repeat.

This is your system maintaining support in the way it currently knows how.

In some cases, repeated stretching without improving control can:
• increase reliance on end-range positions
• reduce available joint stability
• reinforce the cycle of tension returning

This doesn’t mean stretching is always inappropriate. It means stretching in isolation may not address the reason the tension developed.

Lasting change often comes from improving:
• joint control
• movement coordination
• load distribution
• tolerance within mid-range

When the body feels more supported, muscle tone often reduces without needing to be forced. I no longer have that burning need to stretch anymore. It takes time but it’s possible to build overall muscle tone and support.

Nearly 4 in 10 autistic people meet the criteria for EDS or hypermobility. If you have both, research is now beginning t...
19/03/2026

Nearly 4 in 10 autistic people meet the criteria for EDS or hypermobility.

If you have both, research is now beginning to explain why and the connection runs deeper than most people realise.

The link between hypermobility, EDS, and autism is something this community has spoken about for a long time. Science is finally catching up.

In this carousel I’m sharing what the latest research tells us, including why so many autistic women go undiagnosed for hypermobility, and what proprioception and interoception have to do with it.

Full blog post in comments.

Hello 👋. I realised it had been three years since my last introduction. So much has happened in that time and there are ...
18/03/2026

Hello 👋. I realised it had been three years since my last introduction. So much has happened in that time and there are new followers to my page. I wanted to share a little update from me.

Thanks for reading, for following. What hasn’t changed in these last three years is my commitment & dedication to supporting the Hypermobile community through evidenced based movement education.

Please say hello back in the comments 🙏🏻❤️.

51% of neurodivergent people have hypermobility. Research into the connection between hEDS, HSD, autism, and ADHD is gro...
17/03/2026

51% of neurodivergent people have hypermobility.

Research into the connection between hEDS, HSD, autism, and ADHD is growing and it’s changing how we understand both conditions.

If you live with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorder, there’s a good chance your nervous system, brain, and body are more connected than you’ve been told.

How long did it take you to connect the dots between your hypermobility and neurodivergence? Let’s share in the comments & raise awareness about these journeys.

Swipe through for the research & send this to someone who needs to see it.

We are sharing this for Neurodiversity Celebration Week 💜❤️with love for our neurodiverse Zebra community.

16/03/2026

Many hypermobile people recognise this seated posture immediately. Have you ever done it?

Sitting with legs tightly crossed, wrapped, folded, or twisted into what people often call a “pretzel” position can feel surprisingly comfortable. But to someone watching, it may look unusual or excessive.

For the person sitting that way, it often feels stable. One possible reason for that is sensory input.

Joint compression and increased contact between body segments can enhance proprioceptive feedback, the information your brain receives about where your body is in space. And we know people with hypermobility lack proprioceptive awareness.

When connective tissue is more lax, joints may provide less passive tension and restraint. In those situations, the nervous system sometimes seeks additional feedback from other sources.

Positions that increase pressure, contact, or compression around the hips, knees, and ankles can provide that extra information. This may help the body feel more organised. It can also reduce the amount of subtle muscular effort required to maintain posture.

That doesn’t mean everyone with hypermobility sits this way, and it doesn’t mean the position is inherently “good” or “bad.” Like many postural habits, it is simply a strategy the body has discovered.

Over time, as joint control, endurance, and movement confidence improve, people often find they naturally vary their sitting positions more.

If we can start to build enough internal support through movement and overall muscle tone, the body has more options available.

What’s your favourite seated position?

13/03/2026

Sleep isn’t a luxury. it’s essential for healing and regulation. And yet many of us struggle with it so much.

For many people living with EDS and hypermobility, sleep disruption is incredibly common.

Pain, joint instability, nervous system dysregulation, and conditions like Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome can all make it harder for the body to settle and stay asleep.

When sleep is fragmented, it can worsen pain, fatigue, cognitive fog and autonomic symptoms.

That’s why supporting the nervous system through pacing, gentle movement and breath regulation can be an important part of improving sleep over time.

Today for World Sleep Day, I am sharing my top three sleep 😴 strategies. What are yours?

Should exercise hurt if you’re Hypermobile? 😕I know it does for many. I know people develop fear of movement because of ...
12/03/2026

Should exercise hurt if you’re Hypermobile? 😕

I know it does for many. I know people develop fear of movement because of previous poor exercise experiences.

The narrative we’ve been told to push through, ignore the pain, no pain, no gain really doesn’t help a Hypermobile body. And not being listened to when we say this hurts or doesn’t feel good just contributes to poor outcomes.

I’m exploring the new rules for hypermobility exercise in this month’s newsletter and answering the question - should my exercises hurt?

If exercise has ever hurt you, you’ll want to read this one. Link to be on the list in the comments.

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