Amanda Isen began her journey in physical therapy as a patient. Though she had formerly been active in dance, martial arts, and yoga teaching, her activity tolerance had diminished over time and she struggled with disruptive pain on a daily basis. It was a physical therapist who first took her then-undiagnosed hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome symptoms seriously and helped her regain some function. Having always been interested in movement therapies, Amanda took a deep interest in anatomy and PT, but wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to go to graduate school. She was eventually able to attend PT School as a full-time student. Now, she is proud to be able to help other people with hypermobility disorders gain more independence and function so that they, too, can achieve their goals and better their quality of life.

Amanda earned her BA in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Doctorate in Physical therapy from the George Washington University. While in PT School, she began studying pelvic health PT and sought a manual-therapy-intensive internship where she could work with hypermobile patients. Since graduating, she has continued working with hypermobile patients and pursued continuing education a number of places, including the APTA Pelvic Health Academy, the Barrall Institute, and Myopain Seminars.

One of the things that Amanda likes about physical therapy is that a physical therapist is never done learning. As with many martial arts, the goal of perfection is unreachable, but always pursued.

When not busy continuing her education in physical therapy, Amanda enjoys crafting, baking, archery, and spending time with her partner and her cats.