Charlotte Nolan

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If you've got issues in your tissues, or just need an autumn destress, I'm here for ya 🙌🏻Whilst I'm on break from uni I'...
12/09/2026

If you've got issues in your tissues, or just need an autumn destress, I'm here for ya 🙌🏻

Whilst I'm on break from uni I'm available for soft tissue therapy, my place or yours, evenings and weekends. Get in touch to book in quick before I go off grid again! 📚👩🏻‍🎓🩺💪🏻🏋🏻‍♀️🩻👩🏻‍⚕️

Deep Tissue Massage | Sports Massage | Soft Tissue Therapy

26/08/2026

Hypermobility, HSD or hEDS — what’s the difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably online, but they aren't the same thing.

Joint hypermobility simply means that one or more joints move beyond the typical range. Lots of people are hypermobile, and being hypermobile doesn't automatically mean you have a problem.

Some people experience symptoms alongside their hypermobility, such as pain, instability, recurrent injuries or difficulties with certain activities. This can be described as symptomatic hypermobility.

Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) is used when someone has joint hypermobility that is causing symptoms, but they don't meet the criteria for another specific diagnosis such as hEDS.

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is a specific heritable connective tissue disorder with its own diagnostic criteria. Being flexible or having a high Beighton score alone does not mean someone has hEDS.

So:

Hypermobile ≠ HSD ≠ hEDS.

And importantly, not having an hEDS diagnosis doesn't mean that someone's symptoms aren't real or don't deserve appropriate care.

Our understanding of hypermobility is continuing to develop, and the diagnostic criteria and classification of these conditions are currently being reviewed. So it's important to remember that a diagnosis is not the whole picture.

Throughout this series, I'll be using "hypermobility" broadly when talking about movement and exercise — because the right approach should be based on the individual, their symptoms, goals and current capacity, rather than a label alone.

Educational information only, this post is not a diagnostic tool.

This week a client described my habit of asking “Is it okay if I touch you?” as a bit “woke”.It made me think about why ...
25/08/2026

This week a client described my habit of asking “Is it okay if I touch you?” as a bit “woke”.

It made me think about why I’ve always done it, and why, actually, I think it should be completely normal in movement teaching.

I first became particularly conscious of consent and physical boundaries when working with children and vulnerable adults. You can't assume that someone wants or needs physical contact just because you're the person teaching them. That principle has stayed with me.

And there’s a natural power imbalance in a teacher–participant relationship. We are the person with the knowledge and expertise, and participants may feel pressure to trust us, comply with suggestions or avoid saying no. Not saying no isn't necessarily the same as actively consenting.

There are so many reasons someone might not want to be touched, sensory needs, previous trauma or abuse, cultural or personal boundaries, physical sensitivity, or simply because they don't like it. They shouldn't have to explain why.

That doesn't mean touch is bad, or that movement teachers shouldn't use it. Some brilliant teachers use lots of hands-on guidance. Others are completely hands-off. Both approaches can work beautifully.

For me, the important thing is that touch is a tool, not an assumption.

Consent also isn't a one-time checkbox. It can be checked before we touch, during an adjustment, and at any point afterwards. Someone can say yes and then change their mind.

We teach people to listen to their bodies. I think that should include making space for them to listen to their boundaries too.

“Is it okay if I touch you?” shouldn't be a radical question.

JUST DIAGNOSED? START HERESo… you've just been told you're hypermobile, or you've been diagnosed with HSD or hEDS. What ...
11/08/2026

JUST DIAGNOSED? START HERE

So… you've just been told you're hypermobile, or you've been diagnosed with HSD or hEDS. What now?

Firstly: you don't need to suddenly stop moving.

Hypermobility exists on a spectrum, and having hypermobile joints doesn't automatically mean you'll have pain or problems. For people who do experience symptoms, management is usually about understanding your individual presentation and finding ways to build capacity, confidence and function.

Exercise and movement are important parts of managing hypermobility, but there isn't one magic exercise, one perfect programme or one form of movement that works for everyone.

The aim isn't to make you less flexible.

It's to help you feel stronger, more confident and more capable in the body you have.

Over the next few posts, I'm going to break down some of the things I wish more people understood about movement and hypermobility, including strength, control, proprioception, stretching, Pilates and adapting exercise.

Save this series if you're navigating hypermobility and don't know where to start 🤍

Educational information only, individual assessment and medical advice should be sought where needed.

09/08/2026

A little bit of exciting news ✨

I’ve been really interested in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility for a long time, and it’s an area I’ve wanted to understand much more deeply as I’ve progressed through my physiotherapy training.

So I’m incredibly excited (and still slightly pinching myself!) to have been awarded a scholarship place on the EDS ECHO Healthcare Student Programme. One of just 30 places available worldwide 😮

The programme brings together healthcare students from around the world to learn from experts in the field, and I’m really looking forward to developing my understanding of EDS and hypermobility, the complexities they can present with, and how we can provide better, more individualised and compassionate care.

It feels particularly special to be able to combine something I’ve been genuinely curious about for years with my physiotherapy education. Very grateful for the opportunity, and very excited to see where it takes me. 🤍

5 Evidence-Based Tips for Exercising with Hypermobility Hypermobility doesn't mean you should avoid exercise, it means y...
18/07/2026

5 Evidence-Based Tips for Exercising with Hypermobility

Hypermobility doesn't mean you should avoid exercise, it means your exercise should be targeted.

If you're unsure where to start, a physiotherapist can help design an individualised programme that matches your symptoms and goals.

1. Prioritise strength over flexibility.
Individuals with hypermobility often have sufficient, or excessive, joint range of motion. Rather than increasing flexibility, exercise programmes should focus on improving muscle strength, joint stability, and neuromuscular control to support the joints.
Evidence: Current expert consensus for hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (hEDS) recommends progressive strengthening as a cornerstone of management.

2. Avoid exercising at end-range joint positions.
Repeatedly loading joints at their end range may increase stress on passive structures such as ligaments and joint capsules. Aim to maintain a controlled, mid-range position where muscles, not ligaments, provide stability.

3. Train movement quality before increasing load.
Good motor control and proprioception are often impaired in people with hypermobility. Focus on slow, controlled movement with appropriate technique before progressing resistance, speed or complexity.

4. Progress gradually
Research supports graded exercise rather than avoiding activity altogether. Gradually increasing resistance and training volume allows tissues to adapt while reducing the likelihood of symptom flare-ups.
Aim for:
Progressive overload
Adequate recovery
Consistent training rather than sporadic high-intensity sessions

5. Exercise should be guided by symptoms, not fear.
Some muscle fatigue after exercise is normal. However, persistent pain lasting more than 24–48 hours, recurrent joint instability, or repeated subluxations may indicate that your programme needs modifying. The goal is to build confidence and resilience, not avoid movement.
Remember: Pain does not always equal damage, but it should inform how you progress your exercise programme.

Do you have hypermobility? What's been the biggest challenge with exercise? Let me know in the comments.

27/05/2026

I used to think helping people meant fixing things.

Now I think sometimes it just means helping someone feel a little more at home in themselves.

Movement has always been the place I’ve understood that best.

When I was little, I had one of those children’s books about the human body and I was completely obsessed with it. I’d sit reading about muscles and bones and organs for fun, fascinated by how bodies worked and all the tiny things happening underneath the surface.

Long before physiotherapy, before rehab language, before clinical ✨stuff✨, I was already watching what happened when people started trusting their bodies again. Shoulders dropping. Breathing changing. Someone laughing halfway through movement because they’d forgotten they still could.

That feeling never really left me.

I’ve always been interested in what movement can give back to a person 🩵

Movement Practitioner --> physiotherapy journeyMy background is in dance and community movement work, where I explored h...
22/04/2026

Movement Practitioner --> physiotherapy journey

My background is in dance and community movement work, where I explored how people move, connect and rebuild confidence in their bodies.

I'm now retraining as a physiotherapist, continuing that work in a clinical context.

I don't see this as leaving one identity behind, but expanding it.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey 🤍

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