Principal Physiotherapist and Founder – Hypermobility Health Connect®

Pauline is the Principal Physiotherapist and Founder of Hypermobility Health Connect®, where she leads clinical, education, and digital health work in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hereditary connective tissue disorders (HCTDs), dysautonomia, chronic pain, and associated conditions.

She is dedicated to transforming care for people with generalised hypermobility, HSD, hEDS, EDS, and related conditions by addressing gaps in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment. Her work focuses on improving understanding, supporting self-advocacy, helping people navigate the healthcare system, and reducing confusion, misdiagnosis, and delays in care.

Before founding Hypermobility Health Connect, Pauline was the senior physiotherapist at BendyBodies Hypermobility Physio, working nationally and internationally for more than 10 years and managing a caseload of more than 150 patients with EDS, hypermobility, HCTDs, and associated comorbidities. With more than 30 years’ experience as a physiotherapist, she combines extensive clinical expertise with lived experience of these often-invisible conditions, now focusing on digital health tools, patient education, professional training, and clinician capacity-building.

Pauline holds a Master’s in Education, has completed multiple EDS ECHO programs, contributed to conferences and symposia, co-founded the Hypermobility Health Professionals Network Australia, and is involved in the Australian Dysautonomia and Research Collaborative and the Australian POTS Foundation. She delivers training through EDS ECHO, the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and other national professional health forums, is a facilitator within the EDS ECHO AHP Australia program, and has worked collaboratively with Smart Health since 2021.

Pauline is currently undertaking a Master of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide, researching the diagnostic journey and impact of EDS and HSD in Australia. Midway through the program, data have been collected from more than 600 individuals nationwide, examining pathways from initial symptoms to provisional and confirmed diagnosis, quality of life, POTS impacts, everyday impacts of hypermobility, medication use, healthcare access, clinician, AHP and A&E visits, and perceptions of health professional knowledge and interactions, using the BIOH, MALMO, and EuroQol EQ-5D.

She is also the joint designer of the Self-Screening Test for Hypermobility (SSTH), a free, accessible online tool that helps individuals assess whether they may meet criteria for HSD, hEDS, and related conditions, and generates a personalised report to support self-advocacy and informed discussions with healthcare professionals.

Skills and Knowledge

• Diagnostic support through SSTH and “Beyond the Bend” (telehealth and FTF services)
• Individual healthcare case planning/management for EDS and hypermobility-related conditions
• Training for clinicians, allied health professionals, and government bodies
• Education and digital health resources for large communities living with EDS and hypermobility

Education & Professional Development

• Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) – University of Sydney
• Postgraduate studies in Paediatrics and Public Health
• Master of Education – Australian Catholic University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Gifted Education – University of New South Wales
• EDS ECHO Programs (Australasian, UK, North American Allied Health Courses)
• Ongoing conferences, symposia, and workshops, including:
  • The Ehlers-Danlos Society
  • Hypermobility Syndromes Association
  • Australian POTS Foundation
  • Chronic pain, Disability, and National funding services

Memberships & Professional Affiliations

• The Ehlers-Danlos Society
• Australian Dysautonomia and Research Collaborative
• Australian Physiotherapy Association (Pain, Musculoskeletal, Rehabilitation, Paediatrics)
• Australian POTS Foundation
• Rare Voices Australia
• International Association for the Study of Pain