A The Nuanced Approach to Pain with Hypermobility & Scoliosis with Kate Bacigalupo

Are you constantly being told to fix your posture, but still dealing with chronic pain?

Do traditional physical therapy exercises feel ineffective or even make your hypermobile joints feel worse?

What if joint instability was only part of the story, and your nervous system was the key to finding pain relief?

If so, that's exactly what we get into in this episode where strength and nutrition coach Nikki Naab-Levy chats with Kate Bacigalupo, a physical therapist who specializes in hypermobility and scoliosis and co-founder of the Elements Collective about navigating pain with hypermobility and scoliosis.

00:04:46 | Why the Traditional PT Model Fails Hypermobile Bodies

00:08:50 | The Problem with Only Focusing on Joint Stability for Pain

00:10:01 | How to Progress Exercise with Symptomatic Hypermobility

00:13:39 | Strategies to Create a Sense of Safety in the Nervous System

00:16:17 | Understanding the Correlation Between Scoliosis and Hypermobility

00:21:50 | Understanding the Contributing Factors to Chronic Pain Beyond Alignment

00:30:11 | Common Myths around Posture and Pain with Hypermobility and Scoliosis

00:34:15 | Why Forcing "Perfect Posture" Can Actually Create More Dysfunction

00:46:01 | The Role of Strength Work in Managing Pain with Hypermobility

Topics covered:

• Why the "traditional" physical therapy model is often poorly suited for individuals with complex chronic pain and hypermobility.

• The role of proprioceptive feedback, closed-chain exercises, and strength work in creating a sense of safety and stability in hypermobile bodies.

• The difference between a hypermobile joint and an unstable joint, and why treating hypermobility as solely instability often fails patients.

• The correlation between hypermobility and scoliosis and what we currently know.

• Why pain management with scoliosis is more than trying to achieve "perfect" posture.

• How central sensitization and medical trauma contribute to the chronic pain experience and strategies to support your body if you have chronic pain.

Connect with Kate

• Name: Dr. Kate Bacigalupo, PT, DPT

• Instagram: @thehyperphysio_kate

• Website: https://www.elementscollectiveny.com/

Connect with Nikki & Resources Mentioned

• Instagram: @naablevyfitness

• Website: naablevy.com

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