About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere is no cure for EDS, but treatment can help you manage your symptoms and prevent further complications.
Physical therapy
Your doctor may refer you to a physical or occupational therapist with specific exercises to strengthen your muscles without causing injury. For most people with EDS, strengthening muscles helps to stabilize joints and reduce muscle fatigue and pain. In addition, your doctor or physical therapist may recommend specific braces to help stabilize joints.
Drugs
Your doctor may prescribe medication for joint or muscle pain, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or topical anesthetics.
Surgical considerations
In rare cases, surgery is recommended to repair joints damaged by repeated dislocations. However, healing from any surgery is difficult when you have EDS. Your surgeon may use adhesive tape or medical glue rather than stitches to close up incisions, because stitches may tear out of fragile skin.
- Lawrence EJ. The clinical presentation of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2005;5:301.
- Whitelaw SE. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, classical type: Case management. Dermatology Nursing. 2004;16:433.
- Sheon RP. Clinical manifestations and treatment of the hypermobility syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2010.
- Tong I. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/188281291-3/965853179/2088/208.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00014-9--sc0025_4217. Accessed Feb. 10, 2010.
- Volkov N, et al. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Insights on obstetric aspects. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey. 2006;62:51.
- Voermans NC, et al. Neuromuscular involvement in various types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Annals of Neurology. 2009;65:687.
- Krakow D. Heritable diseases of connective tissue. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/188281291-3/965853179/1807/728.html. Accessed March 10, 2010
Find Mayo Clinic on