As owner of New Moon Physiotherapy (a Physical Therapy practice passionate about treating bendy bodies), I know that if you live with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), most forms of exercise come with a mental checklist: Will this dislocate something? Will I pay for this tomorrow? Is my body even up for this today? Swimming is one of the few activities that consistently shows up on “safe and beneficial” lists for hypermobile bodies — and for good reason. But “good for you” doesn’t mean “risk-free,” and the pool has its own set of EDS-specific landmines worth knowing about before you dive in.

Why Swimming Is Often Recommended for EDS

The core appeal of swimming for people with EDS comes down to one word: buoyancy. Water supports body weight, which means joints that are unstable on land – shoulders, hips, knees, that one finger that pops out when you open a jar – get a break from constant gravitational stress.

A few specific benefits:

• Reduced joint loading. Water removes most of the compressive force that walking, running, or standing puts through lax joints.
• Resistance without impact. Water provides natural resistance in every direction, which helps build the muscle support joints need, without the jarring impact of pavement or gym equipment.
• Full range of motion, controlled. The water itself acts as a mild external stabilizer, which can help people move through ranges they might not trust on land.
• Cardiovascular conditioning that plays nicely with dysautonomia. Many people with EDS also have POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) or other forms of dysautonomia. Horizontal positioning in water can be easier than upright exercise on a body that struggles with blood pooling and orthostatic intolerance.

The Catches Nobody Mentions

This is the part that often gets left out of the generic “swimming is great for EDS!” advice.

• Hypermobile joints don’t get a total pass in water. Buoyancy reduces load, but it doesn’t prevent a shoulder or kneecap from moving past its safe range during a stroke. Freestyle and butterfly in particular ask a lot of shoulder rotation — exactly the joint many EDS folks sublux most easily. Breaststroke’s whip kick can be rough on hypermobile knees and hips.
• Temperature regulation can be a genuine problem. Dysautonomia often comes with poor thermoregulation, and pool water — especially cooler lap-swim temperatures — can trigger disproportionate chills, fatigue, or circulation changes. Warm therapy pools (around 88–92°F) are often far more tolerable than standard competition pools (78–82°F).
• Getting in and out is an injury risk. Ladders, pool edges, and slippery deck surfaces are common places for hand, wrist, and shoulder injuries in hypermobile swimmers, sometimes more so than the swimming itself.
• Post-swim crash is real. Between the cardiovascular demand, temperature shifts, and joint work, it’s common to feel wiped out for the rest of the day, or even into the next one. This isn’t a sign you’re doing it wrong; it’s a sign your body needs pacing.

Simming and EDS: Practical Adjustments to Make It Work

All of those catches can sound terrifying! Here are some practical adjustments that make it work:

• Choose your stroke deliberately.
  • Backstroke tends to be gentler on the shoulders than freestyle for many hypermobile swimmers, since it avoids some of the internal rotation strain.
  • Modified breaststroke (a narrower, gentler kick) reduces knee and hip stress compared to a full whip kick.
  • Consider a kickboard or pull buoy to isolate upper or lower body work, so you’re not stacking joint demands all at once.
• Warm up gradually, and know your joints’ limits before you push range. A slow entry, some gentle floating, and a few minutes of easy movement before real strokes gives your nervous system a chance to “check in” with joint position. Proprioception is often already impaired in EDS, so this matters more than it might for a non-hypermobile swimmer.
• Look for warm-water or therapy pools when possible. If dysautonomia is part of your picture, a warmer pool can be the difference between an energizing swim and a day lost to post-exertional crash.
• Use equipment at pool edges. A step entry, handrail, or even a pool lift can meaningfully cut down on the wrist- and shoulder-strain risk of hauling yourself out over a ledge.
• Pace, don’t push. Shorter, more frequent sessions tend to serve EDS bodies better than occasional long ones. Fatigue and joint instability compound quickly, and swimming through pain or “just one more lap” instinct is a fast way to end up sidelined.

A Note on Individual Variability

EDS is not one thing. Someone with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) navigating joint instability has a different set of considerations than someone with vascular EDS (vEDS), where tissue fragility raises separate concerns, including around exertion intensity. If you have vEDS or another EDS subtype with vascular or organ involvement, talk to your specialist before starting any new exercise program. The calculus is different, and this post isn’t a substitute for that conversation.

More broadly, this is general information, not medical advice tailored to your body. Working with a physical therapist or physician who understands EDS — ideally one with experience in hypermobility disorders specifically — is the best way to build a swimming routine that helps rather than harms.

 I have the honor of working at Bethesda Physiocare, a Nationally Recognized EDS Center of Excellence, as well as New Moon Physiotherapy, where I can bring my expertise to the Baltimore area.

The Bottom Line

Swimming can be one of the kindest forms of movement available to a hypermobile body — low impact, joint-supportive, and adaptable to whatever your day allows. But it works best when you swim with your EDS in mind, not despite it. Choosing gentler strokes, respect temperature needs, protect vulnerable moments like pool entry and exit, and pace for the crash that might come after. Done thoughtfully, the water can be one of the few places an unpredictable body gets to feel steady.

Why You Need an Expert on Your Side

Let’s face it, EDS and hypermobility patients get gaslit. A lot. At New Moon Physiotherapy, I specialize in EDS, and can’t wait to help you on your journey to wellness.