Who We Are & What We Do
We support hypermobile people and the professionals who work with them. We provide validation, support, education, and self-management tools that are so desperately needed, whatever the hypermobility-related diagnosis (or lack of diagnosis).
The HMSA is run by 2 paid, part time staff and around 30 volunteers - with many of the team affected by a hypermobility syndrome. This lived experience and insight, combined with an ethos of practical self-management, enables us to provide a level of validation, support, and practical advice that cannot come from theoretical understanding alone.
There's room for every bendy body under our umbrella!
What does the HMSA do?
Support and advice for patients
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Free Helpline for support and advice via telephone, email, and social media.
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Local support groups, run by trained volunteers*
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Facebook groups – secure places to ask questions and gain valuable peer support, moderated by trained volunteers.
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Residential conferences and workshops, offering a chance to improve understanding of hypermobility syndromes and their management.
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Educational Support Facebook group for parents to get advice on accessing the support available to their child.*
*a members only benefits
You can find our pages specifically for patient support here.
Support and advice for health and social care professionals
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The HMSA Educational Model - providing educational events and opportunities, resources, and a sample process to follow to help improve local service provision.
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Access to advice from qualified medical, health and social care professionals who work for, or with, the HMSA.†
†Professional membership benefits
You can find our pages specifically for health and social care professionals here.
Awareness
The HMSA works to raise awareness of hypermobility syndromes amongst professionals, patients, and the general public.
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Stands at various events, both local and national, across the country, and at relevant medical conferences, such as the British School of Rheumatology conference
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Social media and website campaigns
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Posters and awareness leaflets for GP surgeries, hospitals etc.
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News stories and press releases.
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Contributing to and consulting on national policies, NICE guidelines etc
Information
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Evidence based website and literature (produced in accordance with the NHS 'Information Standards' quality mark), including a bi-annual journal, posters, leaflets and booklets on living with hypermobility, fatigue, and an educators guide to hypermobility.
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Videos of relevant lectures and information.
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Specific Kids area of the website – with information at a level which children can easily understand, and schools can also find useful.
Education
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Patient focused educational events and residential conferences, which can include lectures on various aspects of hypermobility and it’s management, as well as physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions.
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Professional Masterclasses aimed at medical professions including consultants, GPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, dieticians and psychologists, who wish to advance their knowledge and understanding of the hypermobility syndromes in all their forms.
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The option for schools and healthcare providers and professionals to book a speaker on hypermobility syndromes and their management.
Research
The HMSA supports many research projects each year, and help the researchers recruit participants. We also help spread the word about the latest findings relevant to our communities.
Click the here to see the research projects currently recruiting.
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