Recruiting

Pilates

Sponsor:

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Code:

NCT07464093

Conditions

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

Hypermobile EDS (hEDS)

Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Pilates

Education

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study is looking at whether Pilates-based exercise can help with hypermobility-related symptoms, like pain.

Conditions

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

Hypermobile EDS (hEDS)

Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder

Study ID

NCT07464093

Start date

Jul 9, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ≥ 18 years old;
  • Self-reported hypermobility with confirmed or suspected diagnosis of hEDS/HSD;
  • Self-reported persistent pain ≥ 3 months;
  • A minimum of 3/10 self-reported pain intensity in the past week
  • Able to get on and off the floor without assistance;
  • Able to communicate fluently in English; and
  • Able to provide written, informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Regular ongoing mind-body practice (e.g. Tai chi, yoga, pilates) defined as a regular weekly practice of at least 20min/week over the past 6 months;
  • Recent surgery or acute bone, joint or nerve injury (<6 months);
  • Have a history of a severe or progressive neurological or movement disorder;
  • Pregnant, planning to become pregnant during the study, or currently breast feeding;
  • Unable to get on and off the floor without assistance;
  • Unable to complete study procedures due to cognitive impairment;
  • Unable to provide written, informed consent; or
  • Currently participating in or planning to participate in another physical activity, mind-body or pain-related intervention research study in the next 4 months.

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Pilates

6 weeks of once weekly in-person Pilates-based exercise classes

active comparator: Enhanced Usual Care

6 weeks of once weekly educational seminars pertaining to hypermobility symptom management

Interventions

Pilates

Pilates is a gentle mind-body exercise with an emphasis on muscular control, postural awareness, and breathing that may be particularly well-suited for managing hypermobility. Exercises are mostly floor-based and focus on developing muscular strength and stability which may improve pain and symptom management

Education

Educational seminars pertaining to hypermobility symptom management

Primary outcome measure

  • Intervention Feasibility [ Time Frame: Enrollment to end of intervention (week 6) and follow-up (week 12) ]
  • Acceptability [ Time Frame: Enrollment to end of intervention (week 6) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Stephanie Voss, PhD

6177329181svoss2@bwh.harvard.edu

Locations

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Recruiting

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States, 01467

Contacts

Samantha M Meints

6177329014smeints@bwh.harvard.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Last update posted

Aug 19, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • hypermobility
  • pilates
  • pain

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Brigham and Women's Hospital on 2026-08-19.