Holistic care of hypermobile dancers: Neuromuscular coordination, breathing, fascia & tendon loading

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

8:00-10:00pm

Course Description:

This session will provide interdisciplinary approaches to holistic care of dancers with

hypermobility. Dancers with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS)/hypermobility

spectrum disorder (HSD) experience muscle and joint pain, coordination and balance

difficulties, anxiety, and many medical comorbidities, but focused treatment for dancers with

hypermobility is often overlooked as these dancers appear healthy. Imbalance of muscle

length, asymmetry of muscle firing patterns and movement coordination can lead to pain and

chronic injury related to hypermobility. Optimum movement coordination and connective

tissue loading in this population can be achieved with attention to breathing techniques,

corrective postural loading, and developmental positions connected to dance-specific

movement. Additionally, medical comorbidities must be taken into consideration in how they

affect dance performance, and a multidisciplinary approach for management of these

conditions is necessary.

Course Objectives:

Following this webinar, the participant will be able to:

• Classify dancers with hEDS/HSD and discuss comorbidities and interdisciplinary management as they pertain to dancers with hypermobility.
• Assess the connection between the upper and lower quadrant as related to dance movement and movement coordination.
• Analyze and improve movement coordination and dance movement via breathing, posture, and developmental positioning.
• Discuss external bracing, nutrition, tendon training and loading, manual therapy techniques, danced-based prehab/rehabilitation, and interdisciplinary referral and collaboration in hypermobile dancers.

Schedule:

August 20^th

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.      Presentation and Q&A

Speakers:

Annette Karim, PT, DPT, PhD

Dr. Karim teaches in the PhD and DPT programs at Azusa Pacific University, where she serves as PT department chair. Karim is a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist, and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. She has served APTA Orthopedic as a director for 4 years, and as Performing Arts Special Interest Group president for 6 years. Karim’s goal is to develop diverse leaders in equitable and inclusive clinical, research, and teaching environments, and by doing so, shape the future of physical therapy practice. As a researcher, her focus is driven by questions developed in dialogue with the dance community—she investigates movement patterns and motor control among dancers, with the goal of performance improvement and occupational sustainability. Her studies involve dancer screening, health-related quality of life, and functional change in a wide range of ages of the population with degenerative and idiopathic neuromusculoskeletal conditions.

Clare Frank, PT DPT, MS

Dr. Frank received her physical therapy degree from Northern Illinois University. She then, her Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy & Biokinesiology at University of Southern California and then, her post-professional doctorate degree from Western University of Health

Sciences, Pomona, California. Her clinical career has been greatly influenced by Dr. Shirley Sahrmann from Washington University, and the Prague School of Manual Medicine.

Dr. Frank is the director and founder of Movement Links, Inc., She also serves as a clinical instructor and preceptor for the Spine Rehabilitation Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles. She has served on the medical team for the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, rehab & performance team at the Chinese Olympic National Training Center in Beijing, China between the years of 2010-2018.

Dr. Frank continues to maintain a limited private practice in the Los Angeles area and teaches in the U.S. and internationally.

Tina Wang, MD

Dr. Tina J Wang is board certified Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation medical doctor and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda School of Medicine, University of California Riverside, and the Southern California University of Health Sciences. She is core faculty for the musculoskeletal curriculum including the use of ultrasound based diagnosis and interventions. Her published research focuses on ultrasound characteristics of fascial dysfunction to improve clinical understanding, diagnostics, and treatments of myofascial pain syndromes, Ehlers Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders. Her research on fascial dysfunction has awarded her full membership with Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. Dr. Wang serves on the board of the Fascia Research Society and co-chairs the Scientific Programming Committee and a member of the Commission on Standards for Fascia-Oriented Sonographic, Indentometric, and Palpatory Assessments. Dr. Wang is also active with the Performing Arts Medicine Association and is a member of the research committee. Dr. Wang is a yoga practitioner and continues her studies under the lineage of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikacha and studies Ayurveda with Dr. Anupama Kizhakkeveett at the Southern California University of Health Sciences.