Emily Rich, OT

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Tucson, AZ
Emily Rich, OT

Occupational therapist | PhD researcher | Empowering people with POTS, EDS & co to thrive through patient and provider education.

01/14/2026

Are you living with EDS, POTS, and/or MCAS in Arizona? Join us for this exciting series of sessions this spring. The first session is this Saturday 1/17 at 1 pm AZ time.

Register at OTEmily.com/communitypartnership

Note: all sessions have been moved to virtual-only.

10/30/2025

Craniocervical instability (CCI) or atlantoaxial instability (AAI)? Or maybe you’re hypermobile and feel like you have a bobble head that is too heavy to hold up. describes this as a pumpkin (head) on a toothpick (neck) 🎃 now that’s spooky 😱 Could this be contributing to dysautonomia symptoms, such as POTS? That’s what we are discussing today for

This post is FULL of incredible research and information. I’m going to let it speak for itself.

We talked about this and more in our live, which can be found right before this post on my feed (from Oct 29th).

I’d love to know, what do you know about CCI/AAI? What have you found to be helpful? What questions remain?

10/27/2025

Pelvic health and implications with dysautonomia: let’s talk about it.

Commonly we see:
🧻 urinary urgency or frequency
🧻 constipation or incomplete emptying
🧻 pelvic pain, heaviness, or pressure
🧻 pain with s3x
🧻 and flares associated with posture, hydration, or autonomic issues

This can all happen with or without hypermobility, SFN, MCAS, or pelvic venous disorders, but they do tend to intensify or make these issues more likely.

Swipe through for more on factors, OT and rehab providers role in care, and some practical tips and support recommendations.

Keep following along as we raise awareness and provide strategies for management this !

Share your experiences or questions in the comments.

10/23/2025

Dizzy with dysautonomia? We are just scratching the surface with this topic for !

Join me and the brilliant for a live on Friday where we will unpack more about the otolith and strategies for navigating the functional challenges that it can bring.

What questions do you have about dizziness? Therapists and patients alike… we are all trying to wrap our heads around this!

10/21/2025

I am exhausted all the time. Everyone keeps telling me to exercise more. But then I feel more exhausted… sometimes with flu-like symptoms and being ill in bed for one or more day(s) after. Does this sound familiar?

Some level of feeling tired is normal after exercise… especially when you have autonomic dysfunction. But there’s a subset of individuals who feel ill after, often delayed and prolonged and out of proportion to the stimulus or event that triggered this feeling.

For example, someone makes cookies or goes to the grocery store and the day or two later isn’t able to get out of bed due to feeling ill for several days.

This is post-exertional malaise (PEM). This requires a different approach to physical therapy. Swipe through to learn more and check out our live with for more!
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Hi! I’m Emily Rich, OT, an occupational therapist specializing in conditions such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders, and related conditions such as MCAS, ME/CFS, long-COVID, and more. Join me here where I share about things I value as a patient, researcher, and a provider.

10/21/2025

Join us Friday 12:30 pm pacific time for a live with all things dizziness and dysautonomia!

Post your questions for Katherine and Jaimy in the comments!

10/18/2025

Hey - have you heard of Complicated? 🎬

It’s a new documentary following four families of children with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as they navigate a healthcare system that fails them at every turn. After premiering at Slamdance and Houston Int’l Film Festivals, Complicated is now under Oscar consideration. The film gives voice to a community long dismissed and misunderstood, while offering hope through groundbreaking genetic discoveries.

We’d love for you to introduce Complicated at an Oscar voter screening in NYC this December. Your openness about living with hEDS and chronic illness has meant so much to this community - your voice could help these stories finally be heard.

Contact:

10/17/2025

I am so excited to bring to . A three time Emmy winner and five time Emmy nominee in her work in journalism, Summer is a courageous, dedicated advocate for the Dysautonomia community.

We teamed up this month to bring you some ideas for how to pitch a story to a journalist to bring awareness, not just during Dysautonomia awareness month, but all year long. We also encourage you to explore how you might fundraise and support education, support, and research efforts, for example through or another 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

We know that each person in the Dysautonomia community has a story to share. A story that is often unheard, representing a substantial number of people in our society, that needs to be told.

Is there a journalist who you think might be curious about your story? Let’s tag the journalists in our communities to spread the word about the many facets of dysautonomia. Who knows, it might be just the story they feel called to share!

10/13/2025

and kids got dys too! There were some requests for content around children and adolescents so I’m excited to team up with on this one!

Perspectives and experiences from a pediatrician and an occupational therapist with POTS.

We know that POTS especially is found in our adolescents, sometimes appearing even before those teen years. It can be challenging to w**d through specialists, symptoms involving multiple body systems, and fluctuating levels of function.

Ultimately, these individuals are best served with a supportive team and a deep, wide, customized toolbox of strategies to manage. Parents play a huge role on this team!

We would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, questions, and experiences in the comments ⬇️

10/12/2025

Day 12: Movement.

Where are the yogis at? If you have POTS, yoga can feel intimidating to start. We have prepared some tips to maximize success for yoga with POTS.

Yoga can be a helpful option for slow, low-impact movement, that promotes breath and can promote circulation while low to the ground. Just like any other practice, modifications are often needed, especially if you’re taking a group class.

Here are a few of our suggestions, but would love to hear from you! What would you share?

Note: for those with hypermobility there are additional considerations for practicing yoga. is a physical therapist and specialist in this area, which is why I’m excited to introduce you all to her today! Check out her content including an upcoming offering for more.

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Tucson, AZ

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http://otemily.com/

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01/14/2026

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10/18/2025

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