When Head Pain Becomes Part of Daily Life
For many people with EDS, migraines aren’t just “bad headaches.” They can be disabling, unpredictable, and deeply disruptive. Light becomes unbearable. Sounds feel sharp. Thinking feels slow. And normal days can quickly turn into lost days.
If migraines are part of your life with EDS, you are far from alone.
Why Migraines Are So Common in EDS
Migraines in EDS are rarely caused by just one thing. Ligament laxity in the neck, muscle tension, cervical instability, nervous system dysregulation, POTS, MCAS, and poor blood flow to the brain can all play a role. When connective tissue can’t properly support blood vessels and nerves, the nervous system becomes more reactive.
Your body is not “overreacting.” It is compensating.
Triggers Often Overlap
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, low blood pressure, hormonal shifts, poor sleep, stress, sensory overload, and histamine release can all trigger migraines. For many people with EDS, several of these are happening at the same time — making migraines harder to predict and harder to prevent.
This is why a single pill often isn’t enough.
What Treatment Can Look Like
Some people benefit from migraine-specific medications. Others find relief by treating POTS, stabilizing mast cells, improving hydration, supporting the neck and posture, and addressing sleep and nutrient deficiencies. Physical therapy that focuses on cervical stability can make a meaningful difference too.
When more conservative therapies fall short injections can provide significant relief. The most common injections used for chronic headaches and migraines are either steroid trigger point injections or botox injections. I strongly discourage both of these options for those with EDS and hypermobility because you are degenerating the muscles with the steroid injections and with botox you are turning off the muscles which is all hypermobile individuals have giving them support.
A much better option is to look into regenerative medicine. Simple nerve hydrodissections for the occipital nerves and or cervical plexus can help calm down the nerves. For longer term relief I have had great success with comprehensive PRP injections to the cervical spine focusing on the ligaments and tendons. I have treated numerous EDS patients with chronic daily headaches and migraines with PRP over the years with great success. It generally takes 2 treatments about 2-3 months apart but then they have lasting relief.
For many, it takes a layered approach — not a single solution.
The Takeaway
Migraines in EDS are common, complex, and very real. They are not “just stress.” They are not “just dehydration.” And they are not something you have to simply accept.
With the right strategy, many people see improvement.
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Are migraines part of your EDS experience? What has helped — or what are you still searching for?
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Warm regards,
The Hypermobile Solutions Team
References
Home. The Ehlers Danlos Society. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/
What is HSD?. The Ehlers Danlos Society. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-hsd/
What is eds?. The Ehlers Danlos Society. https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/
Jovin, D., Atwal, P., Herman, K., Block, N., Maxwell, A. J., Mitakides, J., Maitland, A. M., Saperstein, D., Hamilton, M., Schofield, J., Koby, M., Klinge, P., McElroy, A., Bluestein, L., Chopra, P., Tishler, J., Pocinki, A. G., Varga, J., Dempsey, T., … Lane, K. (2020). Disjointed: Navigating the diagnosis and management of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders. Hidden Stripes Publications, Inc.
Smith, C., & Wicks, D. (2017). Understanding Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder: (previously known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type & Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, respectively). Redcliff-House Publications.
Cox, C. (2022). Holding it all together when you’re Hypermobile. Journey2Joy
Afrin, L. B. (2016). Never bet against Occam: Mast cell activation disease and the modern epidemics of chronic illness and medical complexity. Sisters Media, LLC.
Freeman, K., Goldstein, D. S., & Thompson, C. R. (2025). The dysautonomia project: Understanding autonomic nervous system disorders (2nd ed.). Bardolf.
Disclaimer
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