STABLE Pilates for Hypermobility

NCT07464093 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2026P000203
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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

Keywords

hypermobility; pilates; pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Intervention Feasibility

  Recruitment, Retention, Attendance

  Enrollment to end of intervention (week 6) and follow-up (week 12)

• Acceptability

  Treatment Helpfulness Questionnaire (THQ): The THQ is a single-item measure that evaluates the perception of helpfulness of an intervention. Participants will be asked to rate the helpfulness of the intervention to which they are randomized on a scale of -5 (extremely harmful) to 5 (extremely helpful) with 0 indicating "neutral."

  Enrollment to end of intervention (week 6)

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Pain intensity

  Baseline, week 6 and week 12

• Pain interference

  Baseline, week 6 and week 12

• Bristol Questionnaire

  Baseline, week 6 and week 12

• WPI

  Baseline, week 6 and week 12

• PCS

  Baseline, week 6 and week 12

Other Outcomes (1)

• Pain Sensitivity

  Baseline testing

Study Arms (2)

Pilates

EXPERIMENTAL

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

Behavioral: Pilates

Enhanced Usual Care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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

Behavioral: Education

Interventions

Pilates BEHAVIORAL

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

Pilates

Education BEHAVIORAL

Educational seminars pertaining to hypermobility symptom management

Enhanced Usual Care

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• ≥ 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brigham and Women's Hospital: lead
• Bernard Osher Foundation: collaborator
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 01467, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type 3; Pain

Interventions

Exercise Movement Techniques; Educational Status

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hemostatic Disorders; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Hemorrhagic Disorders; Hematologic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Skin Abnormalities; Congenital Abnormalities; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Skin Diseases, Genetic; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Collagen Diseases; Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Physical Therapy Modalities; Therapeutics; Socioeconomic Factors; Population Characteristics

Study Officials

• Samantha Meints, PhD

  Brigham and Women's Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Stephanie Voss, PhD

CONTACT

6177329181; svoss2@bwh.harvard.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2026
• First Posted: March 11, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: June 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)