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If you've been told your pain is growing pains, anxiety or just something you need to live with, this episode might be the beginning of finally understanding what's actually been going on in your body.
On this week's episode of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm joined by Alexandra Orfanides, a London-based hypermobility specialist osteopath and founder of Hypermobility HQ.
Alexandra hosts the Help! I'm Hypermobile podcast and is the author of the book of the same name. She believes that "incurable" does not mean "untreatable," and she's on a mission to help the hypermobile community feel seen, supported, and informed.
In this episode, Alex and I talk about the significant overlap between hypermobility and neurodivergence, why so many women spend decades being dismissed or misdiagnosed, and what it actually means to understand your body through this lens. We also get into the difference between osteopathy and physiotherapy, how to recognise signs of hypermobility in children, and why self-treatment strategies are such a crucial part of managing a connective tissue condition day-to-day.
In this episode, we cover:
What hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder actually are, and why the terminology matters
Why growing pains are not a real diagnosis, and what to look for in children instead
The strong correlation between hypermobility, ADHD and neurodivergence
How conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and dysmenorrhea overlap with hEDS and HSD
Why gastrointestinal issues in children should never just be dismissed as IBS
The difference between osteopathy and physiotherapy, and how to find the right practitioner
How chronic pain, headaches and migraines can be connected to hypermobile connective tissue
Why rhythmic movement, including swimming and dancing, can be so regulating for hypermobile and neurodivergent bodies
The importance of self-treatment strategies for people who can't always access clinic appointments
Why a diagnosis is a privilege, and how Help! I'm Hypermobile was written to reach the people who couldn't afford one
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome, and introducing Alexandra Orfanides
01:40 - Alex's personal story: growing up with undiagnosed pain
05:52 - From English literature to osteopathy
09:45 - Why hypermobility patients kept finding their way to Alex's clinic
11:46 - The overlap between hypermobility, ADHD and neurodivergence
14:12 - Osteopathy vs physiotherapy: what's the difference?
17:36 - Terminology: hEDS, HSD, condition vs disorder
20:30 - What patients are coming in knowing, and what they're not
23:57 - Signs to look for in children: growing pains, gut issues and more
28:15 - Endometriosis, PCOS and hormonal conditions in hypermobile bodies
30:39 - Migraines, headaches and the connection to the neck and connective tissue
36:32 - The gatekeeping problem and self-treatment strategies
39:24 - Working as a team with your patients
43:35 - Why Alex wrote Help! I'm Hypermobile
45:42 - How to work with Alex and what to expect
Links and Resources:
Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
Visit Alexandra's website: hypermobilityhq.com
Connect with Alexandra on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest: @hypermobilityhq
Listen to Alex's podcast: Help! I'm Hypermobile
Get Alex's book: Help! I'm Hypermobile: Your How-To Guide for hEDS, HSD, and Life in a Hypermobile Body
Research: Gynaecological conditions in hEDS and HSD (Daylor et al., 2025): https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14165636
Research: Defining growing pains — a scoping review (O'Keeffe et al., 2022): https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052578
Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed women with ADHD find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity, and clarity.
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