Zeroing in on ‘fight or flight’ as the reason for my slow recovery from injury

I’ve reached a plateau in my recovery from a badly broken rib and sprained diaphragm that’s been complicated by my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and I’ve been searching for what to do next.

Recently, I went in for an evaluation with a physical therapist I’ve known for years, who is cross-trained in Pilates and several other modalities, and her examination led her to believe that, along with the typical physical issues — tight, sore muscles and limited range of motion — my body was stuck in fight-or-flight mode.

As an equestrian and someone who has adopted several rescue animals, I’m familiar with this response. Simply put, the idea is that an animal that feels threatened will go into fight-or-flight mode, meaning that when cornered, stressed, or in danger, it will either try to escape the situation or attack what’s causing the threat. Most animals prefer to run away and will only fight when they feel they can’t escape.

Horses, despite being so large, are prey animals, and as a result, their fight-or-flight instinct is highly sensitive, and they’re very attuned to their surroundings. Similarly, animals who’ve been mistreated are often distrustful and more reactive. They’re constantly on guard and watchful of danger. The fight-or-flight response is a deeply ingrained survival mechanism.

I wasn’t sure how the concept applied to me, however.

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How EDS affects my own fight-or-flight response

People also possess this instinct, but because I didn’t feel stuck or cornered, I didn’t quite understand the connection. My therapist believes that my body has sustained so much physical trauma that it’s stuck in danger mode, constantly overreacting to stimuli in an attempt to keep me “safe.”

With EDS, one way my body attempts to do that is by tightening muscles to try to stabilize my loose joints. In fight-or-flight mode, my body’s threshold for reacting is lower, meaning it takes less stimulus to trigger a defensive response. For example, when I have a massage, and my body is in this state, I’m so sensitive that even gentle work can cause my muscles to spasm, which isn’t normal. These muscle contractions aren’t usually very painful, but they’re not comfortable either.

I’ve had this reaction at various times and at different levels of severity over the years, particularly after an injury, but no one has ever been able to explain why. Maybe it’s one way my body reacts when I’ve experienced physical trauma, and I’m in fight-or-flight mode.

This leads to a perpetually heightened state of awareness, even if I’m not conscious of it. While I’ve likely been experiencing some amount of fight-or-flight for years, given my EDS and injuries, the traumatic fall likely ratcheted it up to an entirely new level that my body is struggling to break out of.

I’m about to try a new type of physical therapy called fascial counterstrain (FCS). I’ve relied on physical therapy on and off for more than 15 years to help manage injuries and compensations from EDS. I’ve done standard exercises, cupping, manual manipulation, Graston technique, and electrical stimulation, but I have never tried FCS.

It’s supposed to target inflammation at multiple levels of the body to disrupt the inflammatory circuit and help me return to a more normal fight-or-flight threshold. In a future column, I’ll talk about my first few experiences with FCS. I’m hopeful this method will help me continue on my healing journey.

Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.