The Prince–Cole Scale™: A New Path to Diagnosing EDS

Living in the Maze of Misdiagnosis

If you’ve been searching for answers to unexplained joint pain, constant fatigue, dizziness, or mysterious injuries, you’re not alone. For many people living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), the journey to a diagnosis is long, frustrating, and often painful.

It’s not unusual for patients to spend years bouncing between specialists , rheumatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, and even psychiatrists , before anyone connects the dots. Too often, symptoms are dismissed as “growing pains,” “just stress,” or “all in your head.” By the time someone finally says the words Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, the person sitting in front of them has often endured a lifetime of unnecessary suffering.

At Connective Wellness, we hear these stories every day, and we believe you deserve better.

The Cost of a Missed or Delayed Diagnosis

A delayed diagnosis isn’t just inconvenient , it can change the trajectory of someone’s life.

Physically: Without answers, patients may push their bodies beyond safe limits, leading to repeated injuries, joint instability, and worsening pain.

Emotionally: Living in constant uncertainty takes a toll. Many patients describe feeling invisible, unheard, or even gaslighted by the healthcare system.

Financially: Misdiagnosis often leads to unnecessary tests, appointments, and treatments that never solve the underlying problem.

Every year without an accurate diagnosis adds layers of trauma and complexity to a person’s health journey.

Why an Accurate Diagnosis Matters

An accurate diagnosis doesn’t mean the challenges of EDS disappear , but it opens the door to a new way forward.

It brings clarity
Finally having a name for what you’ve been experiencing.

It builds access
The right diagnosis allows you to connect with specialists, physical therapists, and resources that actually help.

It creates validation
Knowing that what you’re experiencing is real and recognized can lift an enormous weight off your shoulders.

It protects your future
Early diagnosis makes it possible to manage symptoms, prevent secondary complications, and live more fully.

A diagnosis is more than a label , it’s the starting point for a care plan, a support network, and a better quality of life.

How Connective Wellness is Changing the Process

At Connective Wellness, we’re on a mission to end the healthcare maze. Our approach to diagnosing EDS is rooted in clarity, collaboration, and compassion.

The Prince–Cole Scale™

Our founders, Lauren Prince and Dr. Jason Cole, developed the Prince–Cole Scale™, an evidence-based tool helps our team recognize the subtle patterns and overlooked signs that often cause patients to slip through the cracks. The Prince–Cole Scale™ builds on and goes far beyond the 2017 Beighton Score, offering a more complete assessment of your health.

A Team-Based Evaluation

Instead of sending you from office to office, Connective Wellness brings the specialists to you. Our team brings specialists together, from physical therapists who assess joint function and movement, to nurse practitioners who understand connective tissue disorders and help connect the dots in your medical history.

Faster Answers

What used to take years can now take weeks. By combining structured assessment with a multidisciplinary team, Connective Wellness shortens the diagnostic journey and helps patients move from confusion to clarity.

From Confusion to Clarity

Consider the story of “Melissa.” For more than three decades, she lived with daily joint and muscle pain, frequent migraines, dizziness, joint dislocations, and relentless fatigue. As a teenager, the symptoms became so disruptive that she eventually had to stop playing the sports she loved, and limited her socialization. Over time, into her adult life, these painful symptoms were compounded by serious complications like difficult pregnancies, torn ligaments, and injuries that never seemed to heal the way they should.

While there were some diagnoses along the way, like joint subluxation, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and disc degeneration, time and again, Melissa was told her symptoms were caused or exacerbated by anxiety and depression. 

When Melissa came to Connective Wellness, our team used the Prince–Cole Scale™ to evaluate her full picture of symptoms. Within weeks, she finally had a clear diagnosis: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. With that answer, she gained not only a path forward in managing her health but also the confidence and hope that comes with being truly seen and understood.

Melissa’s story represents the reality of so many in the EDS community. Her experience is not an isolated one, and it highlights why faster, compassionate diagnosis is urgently needed.

You Deserve Answers

If you’ve ever felt like no one was listening, we want you to know: your experience is real, and it matters. Getting the right diagnosis is the first step to reclaiming your health and your future.

At Connective Wellness, we’re here to guide you out of the maze and toward clarity, support, empowerment, and more good days.

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