Why I Created Bending Better
From Patient to Provider
I'm Dr. Caroline Bazemore, a physical therapist, learning experience designer, and EDS educator who creates resources that bridge clinical expertise with lived experience.
I know what it's like to have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. To be in pain and not be believed. To sit in sterile rooms while experts shrug and hand you generic advice that makes no sense for hypermobile bodies.
When I was diagnosed during my final clinical rotation in PT school, everything I'd worked toward felt uncertain. My body was betraying me just as I was learning to help others with theirs. Everything I found was either too clinical or too chaotic—nothing spoke to the reality of living with "bad glue" while still wanting a meaningful career.
So I got strategic about my healing.
I earned my Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duke University, where I specialized in complex pain conditions. I pursued a Master's in Education, learning how people actually absorb and apply health information (spoiler: it's not through overwhelming medical jargon). I studied learning experience design because I knew that understanding your body shouldn't require a PhD.
Here's what makes my approach different:
Clinical Experience: I've treated hundreds of patients with complex, multi-system conditions in hospital and outpatient settings. I understand both acute medical management and long-term wellness strategies.
Educational Expertise: My Master's in Education and certification in learning experience design enable me to effectively translate complex medical concepts into actionable strategies that are actually effective.
Lived Experience: I manage EDS, POTS, and related conditions daily. I know the reality of energy budgeting, medical advocacy, and building a life that works with your limitations.
Upcoming Author: My book "Bending Better" (coming 2025/2026) synthesizes everything I've learned about living well with connective tissue disorders.
Somewhere along the way, I realized: I wasn't just doing this for me anymore.
Bending Better is my way of giving you what I desperately needed—evidence-based strategies delivered with genuine understanding. Tools that help you feel safer in your body, not more afraid of it. Guidance from someone who's sat in those same confusing doctor's offices and figured out how to advocate effectively.
Because when pain feels unpredictable, we don't need to "push through." We need calm. We need clarity. We need someone who truly gets it to help us trust ourselves again.
That's what this space is for. And I'm so glad you're here.