15 Products People With Hypermobility Swear By
Editor's Note
We hope the products below, all recommended by our Mighty community members, help you or a loved one in your health journeys. Just so you know, The Mighty may collect a share of sales from the Amazon links on this page.
Hypermobility, in which your joints can extend beyond the normal range of motion, is found in several conditions including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders and Marfan syndrome. It’s typically assessed using the Beighton score, which is determined after performing a series of nine tests that determine how far your range of motion is. Of course, if you live with joint hypermobility, you know a test doesn’t fully capture the challenges of the condition — many people with joint hypermobility experience pain, frequent injuries, falling, dislocations and subluxations, all of which can make everyday activities difficult.
Since no one understands the challenges of hypermobility you may be experiencing better than others who are also hypermobile, we wanted to find out what tools and products they use that make their lives easier. Below, you’ll find the products they recommended that help stabilize joints, reduce pain and increase comfort.
1. Sacroiliac (SI) Belt
An SI belt is worn around the hips to stabilize the sacroiliac joint, which connects the bottom of the spine to the pelvis. Stabilizing this joint can help relieve pain and stress in the low back and legs.
“My SI belt is great for long periods of walking or sitting, and I always have a warm blanket, Epsom salts, a good ice pack and kinesio tape at home. My SI belt is my favorite though. I hate to go without it,” said Alyssa Olson.
“I wear my SI belt very low for my hip instability and it definitely helps my subluxations. I have to wear it super tight though, so it’s not comfortable, but it’s worth it to decrease my hip pain,” said April Drew Bauguess.
Buy the SI belt featured above for $44 from Serola Biomechanics.
2. Compression Leggings
Unlike other leggings, compression leggings are super tight, which helps hold your joints together. They’re tight enough to even wear underneath pants if you don’t want to look too casual.
“Compression leggings! They help keep my knees and hips in place. Plus, they’re almost always on sale at Old Navy, so I have quite a few,” said Michelle Brianna Deveney.
“Leggings… They are great in providing light compression helping tremendously with my proprioception. I wear them under my pants during the winter too. I find wide band, tighter leggings are my favorite because they seem to help with subluxations as well,” said Jacqulyn St. Amand.
Buy the leggings featured above for $32.99 from Old Navy.
3. Smartcrutch
Unlike typical crutches that fit under your armpit, Smartcrutches feature a cuff, arm rest and hand grip so you can release the pressure on your arms, shoulders and wrists while still supporting yourself.
“My Smartcrutch from Smart Mobility Inc. It helps me with my balance, my posture, everything! It’s great,” said Cara Smyth.
Buy the crutches featured above starting at $89.95 from Smartcrutch.
4. Cervical Collar
A cervical collar helps prevent painful dislocations in your neck and keeps your head stabilized.
“My Aspen Vista collar helps me keep my head and neck in the right place,” said Megan McDonald.
Buy the cervical collar featured above for $59.50 from Walmart.
5. RockTape
Kinesiology tape is often thought of as an athlete’s tool, but many with hypermobility swear by its stabilizing effects.
“RockTape. It’s an athletic kinetic tape that’s made to help you stay supported as you move. I don’t know how many times the spiral taping helped my knees and ankles hold during a 10-hour shift (and it heals bruises too),” said Emyle Prata.
“K-tape/RockTape/kinesiology tape. It literally holds me together, but doesn’t restrict my movement too much,” said Karley Box.
Buy the tape featured above for $20 from RockTape.
6. Compression Gloves
Like compression leggings, compression gloves can help hold your joints together, this time on your hands.
“Compression gloves. So much easier to grab without dislocating my fingers,” said Felicia Davis.
Buy the gloves featured above starting at $10.25 from Amazon.
7. Nature’s Rite Bruise-Strain-Tear Repair
Joint hypermobility means you likely get injuries and bruises frequently. This herbal gel helps repair damaged ligaments, tendons and tissues and supports the body’s healing process.
“Nature’s Rite Bruise-Strain-Tear Repair — it’s magic,” said Unity Monday.
Buy the Bruise-Strain-Tear Repair featured above for $19.99 from Nature’s Rite.
8. TiLite Wheelchair
Two members of our community recommended the TiLite brand wheelchair, which offers models with lightweight aluminum frames that are easy to fold and maneuver. Shay Koyama also recommended adding a SmartDrive, a device you can add to your wheelchair to give it more power.
“My TiLite wheelchair and SmartDrive. I have a lot more freedom with my wheelchair. It allows me to do more things, stay out longer and go further distances with a lot less pain. My SmartDrive helps when my shoulders are unstable and dislocate,” said Koyama.
Buy the TiLite wheelchair featured above for $1,624 from SpinLife.
9. Ring Splints
Finger splints help keep those pesky joints in your fingers from hyperextending.
“Silver Ring splints, my Aspen Vista Collar and KT tape! All of these help me keep things more in place and be able to do more than normal,” said Catherine Anne Miller.
Buy the ring splint featured above for $89 from Silver Ring Splint.
10. Braces
Braces are, unsurprisingly, a great friend to many with hypermobility. You might find that it’s helpful to keep several on hand for various body parts, so you always have some support available.
“I’m all about the braces. They help me to keep my joints semi in place. Knee braces, ankle braces, wrist braces, shoulder braces, elbow braces… all the braces,” said Tara McDowell.
Buy the wrist brace featured above for $24.99 from Better Braces.
11. Heating Pads
Heat can help dull the pain of an injury or just the everyday pain that often comes with hypermobility. There are tons of different types of heating pads, like electric blankets, moist heat pads, microwavable packs and click heaters, so experiment to figure out which kinds you like the most. Our community has recommended their favorite heating products, portable heating devices and DIY heating products.
“My homemade rice sock. The heat penetrates much better than any traditional heating pad. Fill a tube sock with rice, sew up the end and pop it in the microwave,” recommended LeAnne Bartell.
Buy the microwavable stuffed animal featured above for $18.95 from Amazon.
12. Foam Mattress Topper
Sleeping can be one of the most frustrating and painful parts of hypermobility — finding a comfortable position is often difficult and it’s all too easy to roll over and dislocate something. A foam mattress topper can help you feel more supported while you sleep.
Buy the queen size foam mattress topper featured above for $27.99 from Target.
13. Spenco Shoes
Non-supportive shoes make pain everywhere worse, from your feet to your legs to your hips. Orthopedic shoes like Spenco are specifically designed for comfort and support.
“Spenco shoes, [love] them so much,” said Dani Brown.
Buy the shoes featured above for $39.99 from Spenco.
14. TENS Unit
TENS units allow you to connect small electrodes to painful areas, then turn on the electrical impulses which stimulate nerves and can help reduce pain. Many models are portable, so you can use them while you’re out and about.
“My TENS machine is gold for helping me deal with the pain from hypermobility (in conjunction with many other tools and meds),” said Box.
“My Intensity 3 TENS unit, since it has the body parts on it, I just choose the part I’m having problems, stick the electrodes and away I go and it has both battery and power cord choice of power,” said Melissa Ortega.
Buy the TENS unit featured above for $29.99 from Amazon.
15. Shower Chair
For many in our chronic illness community, showers are exhausting, and with hypermobility, you may be even more inclined to want some support in the shower where you could easily fall or get tired after repeatedly lifting your arms. A chair may be a great addition to your shower or tub.
Buy the shower chair featured above for $42.99 from Amazon.
Erin is the former senior editor and chronic illness editor of The Mighty. She joined The Mighty in 2015 and previously worked at Inside Weddings magazine, Mic, and The Huffington Post. She was also the features editor at The California Aggie, UC Davis' student newspaper. She is honored to be a part of the Mighty community!
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