Abstract

Heritable connective tissue disorders have kindled the interest of genetic sciences and physical culture professionals. Joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) and the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility type (EDS-HT), are characterised by an excessive range of motion in the joints, arthralgia, myalgia and deformities of the musculoskeletal system, rendering it impossible for sufferers to perform well in daily and school activities. The author’s overarching objective is to design a physiotherapeutic exercise programme to relieve musculoskeletal system (MSS) pain in adolescents with JHS and EDS-HT. The programme proposes exercises, doses, adapted load indicators and methodological, control and evaluation guidelines to assist in the planning of the affected persons’ physical rehabilitation. The diagnostic includes a survey of 21 experts. A pre-experimental minimal-control descriptive and holistic study for a single group was conducted with a pre-test and post-test in a sample of 20 patients. The subjects attended the Physical Activity and Health Centre of the UCCFD Manuel Fajardo, where they were given initial, intermediate and end-of-programme evaluations. The adolescents who received the programme presented adaptive responses, as evinced in morphology and in improvements in all the indicators evaluated; their MSS pain was relieved and their performance in everyday and school activities improved. The experts rated the physiotherapeutic exercise programme as highly adequate, with a substantial expected effectiveness, and considered it to be novel, effective and useful for society.