This weekend was the 2015 Winter Symposium by the British Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine (BIMM) and the Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM). This year the topic was Challenging Joints - Management of Laxity, Instability, and Hypermobility.
I was honoured to appear on the front and back cover of the programme with a photo by the wonderful Simon Richardson. I was also honoured to be able to attend the symposium and listen to the excellent and informative presentations given by some of the leading experts in the field of hypermobility.
Although I am now a full time performer, I graduated from university with a degree in physiotherapy, and my interest in physiotherapy still strongly exists. One of the topics that absolutely fascinates me is hypermobility symptomatic and asymptomatic.
Although in my current working life I see, work with, and teach many people who could be classed as hypermobile as they are crazy flexible and score great on the Beighton scale then they are not symptomatic. There is a management side of when I'm teaching them, but they are the lucky ones as generally they do not have one of the symptomatic hypermobility syndromes that can affect others so severely. (On the subject of the beighton scale then interesting fact is that I only score 3. Yet my knees are officially hypermobile, hurt each day, and from puberty to about until 3yrs ago subluxed/dislocated regularly, I also have a few of the systemic symptoms).
This symposium looked at those who have symptomatic joint hypermobility syndromes. It also looked beyond the joint at the systemic problems that can occur.
For me I listened and absorbed information on each and every talk. Usually if I'm up at 6am after not very much sleep then I am flagging by midday and sitting through lectures would send me to sleep. I was so interested in this subject that I never once flagged or felt tired till I got home!
As well as learning a tremendous amount then the day did a few things to me. It taught me to be aware of the extra symptoms of joint hypermobility disorders, as someone who deals with flexible people on a daily basis I think it's good to have an awareness of these. Secondly it encouraged me to read further about certain aspects that were highlighted on the day that I found interesting. And thirdly it made me want to be back into the physio world treating and helping people. That route would be long and tremendously hard as I haven't practiced since I graduated, but maybe one day... if performing taught me anything it's that not many things are impossible if you are willing to work hard and believe.
A big thankyou to BIMM and SOMM for organising such an amazing day and allowing me to attend :)
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