Dr. Mark Edward Lavallee, MD

Dr. Lavallee evaluated me for ehlers Danlos. He cherry picked diagnostic criteria to adhere to, ignoring/refusing to evaluate many of my symptoms. As a result, he stated I was one point off from criteria in one area, meeting all others, but he couldn’t stray from the criteria (that he wasn’t following correctly anyway). He then went on to diagnose me with mast cell activation syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome with no evaluation? From the many other negative reviews I’ve now read, he seems to enjoy gatekeeping/holding the dx over pts heads after he makes his subjective opinion. Funnily, after “ruling out” ehlers danlos, he stated that I’ll probably meet the criteria that comes out neat year or would get a positive blood test for the new marker as if it wasn’t a genetic condition. He frequently compared my symptoms to his own or “more affected” patients he has, discounting/ignoring them. Comparison included physical demonstrations of how “bad” his symptoms were… compared to mine. After filling out and stating I met criteria for ehlers danlos from the beighton score in the beginning of the appt, he later stated “you’re not even hypermobile” and that all of his “olympians” hyperextend their knees. Mind you, I’ve been diagnosed with hyper mobility across most joints by 2 specialists before. He then spent a full hour providing “education” in nutrition and introduced discussion of my weight which is just above normal range, stating losing weight would improve my symptoms from polycystic ovary syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, hypothyroidism, which both is out of his scope of practice and incorrect. If I responded to one of his general recommendations to “treat my conditions” (aka specific bland diet, drinking water, etc) by telling him that I already do it, or once telling him a medical reason why I couldn’t, he became visibly irritated. When I stated that I eat one meal a day due to p o t s flare ups being so bad after eating (rejecting his recommendation to drink protein shakes), he lectured me stating “all I hear is you saying you can’t.” I became so angry that couldn’t help but cry and stopped attempting to go against his recommendations because I was so embarrassed for crying. He stated multiple times that his patients “get mad at him when they don’t get diagnosed with what they want.” When I stated that I’m not upset that he’s not diagnosing me, I’m frustrated that I’m in so much pain and my quality of life is severely decreased, he seemed to take it as an opportunity to discuss my mental health and give me a “pep talk” about how boomers had it so much worse, knew real pain, ate leather boots for protein and they had to deal with it but people these days don’t learn to deal with pain. He asked my husband at one point “has she been more tearful lately” to gauge my mental health, implying I that was the cause for everything. He frequently attempted to joke with my husband/interact with him while I was upset. He made sure to remind us multiple times that he was going over the appt time “because he wants to help people,” although the help felt a whole lot like the gaslighting I’ve gotten from every specialist I’ve seen thus far.

Truly the kindest physician I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Dr. Lavallee is the most thorough doctor who cares deeply for his patients which is evident in his superior care. His treatment plans cover the patient as a whole, and address all systems to provide full care which means he treats each patient as an individual and not simply a number. He is an expert in EDS and has truly changed my life for the better in helping to restore my health. He is going to be moving to the west shore of Harrisburg with Pinnacle but I’d have traveled much further to have the chance to be seen by him. He’s such a sweet soul, compassionate and understanding and he always makes me feel heard. Absolutely recommend.

Dr. Lavallee has taken care of our family for 10 years and he always listens to all concerns and he pays great attention to communicating treatment options.

Dr. Lavallee was able to get to the bottom of my pain issues when 3 other doctors could not. Very smart and professional and great listener.

Dr. Lavallee has been my doctor both for sports medicine and as a PCP for the past 7 years. This is a man that practices preventative medicine...and even though it can sometimes be hard to follow up on what he tells you to do for your best health after an injury, he speaks truth and when I listen such as not running every day with a bad hip and moving to every other day I find relief. He has also helped me with showing me stretches that have sincerely helped with my daily ability to cope with years of hip pain before I just recently had a hip arthroscopic procedure and helped to make sure I was taken care of properly by physical therapists while recovering. He goes above and beyond in every way with his caring and kind personality and yet he will not sugar coat the truth. If you are looking for a proactive honest doctor to maintain and gain and maximize the best health and life your unique body type, environmental factors and your genetics can give you, I give my highest recommendation… that you see Dr. Lavallee. If you need someone to listen to a pity party or to help you make excuses for things you can control see a doctor who does not care and comissurate with them as things only get worse with your health and daily living. This doctor lives and breathes his own advise with a very severe case of classical EDS as a hard working physician, top notch athlete, and busy community servant. Don’t settle for less than you can be! Empower yourself for your future in every aspect of health with this doctor’s guidance and recommendations for you personally.

Dr. Lavallee, my Ehlers Danlos Sydrome (EDS) specialist for the past 7 years, has been knowledgeable, professional, courteous and reliable. He has a great “doctor to patient” manner by which he can communicate details about this complicated disease. I trust his opinions implicitly with my care and would recommend him to all patients with any orthopedic or EDS issues.

I understand this is a bit long, but I PLEAD any EDS patient to read this entire post. I started seeing Lavallee about 4-5 years ago about once, sometimes twice, per year as any education on top of my amazing PCP who was the one to actually manage my EDS. He told me I definitely have EDS type III (hypermobility) and was surprised it took so long with my history and family history. He also said that "I would be in a wheelchair if not for my muscle tone." I am muscular naturally (and luckily) and it is easier for me to make and keep muscle tone than a lot of EDS patients. This, I'm also learning, is why he probably seemed to treat me differently during the very first visit - he loves athletes and obsessively hurts himself from working out. Literally...he is constantly losing fingers (again, literally) and comes in to see you with new injuries all braced up. He is very strange with people and their weight. Everything comes back to your mental health with the weight as well. That… can be very damaging, especially for young patients. If you're too thin, you don't eat correctly so you must have an eating disorder. If you're overweight by even a few pounds, anything you say hurts or you're struggling with is due to the weight causing the issues and you have depression. Of course more weight means more stress on joints, that's common sense... I have been going through a downward spiral for a few years from a pregnancy and unable to exercise or walk the way I used to due to uncontrolled POTS and severe pain from multiple subluxations. I don't have much time with a toddler nor the physical demands of a child causing more issues on pain are able to be changed right now. Luckily I have an AMAZING PCP who I had a visit with prior to this. My PCP knew me reaching out to him outside of our normal 6 month appts was not normal at all. He knows me well. I was beyond exhausted and in a level of pain that had left me without a quality of life. Really no life at all. He helped me make some adjustments with my employer for me to continue to work so EDS didn't rob me of my job, let alone being a mom. I became a bit emotional when I explained these recent changes to Lavallee, and this was because for the first time in my life, EDS totally stopped me and I couldn't find a way out. It is a defeating feeling but TEMPORARY. So this made him tell me I was depressed...because I was a little emotional when I relived this feeling? YEP. That's all he got out of it. It is something I faced, as every EDS patient will. There is always that first time you weren't able to just get back up or push through. But he didn't hear the end of the story of the happiness and relief I have now - he was already shut off and from the first 5 minutes of my appt, he was set in to what is "wrong" with me. I didn't know depression caused your joints to pop out and cause extreme pain...that was definitely a new one in my years of hearing crap. WHAT?! Depressed from what? Life? I am allowed to have emotions and for the first time to have EDS take something major away from me, I say I rocked it. He continued the rest of the extremely brief visit, which I never had a short visit with him before, by being super condescending to me. He even said "even my 80 year olds do 5000 steps a day" when I told him that's been my goal lately. I was proud of this goal coming from where I was... He has done these ignorant ramblings to others I know as well (also EDS patients) many times. He isn't allowing you to have issues - you are NEVER worse than he is. Everyone with EDS, or any condition for that matter, has it differently than someone else. It doesn't make it right to dismiss someone because you are "worse" in your mind. And for a physician to do this...that is abuse. PLEASE do not hurt yourself. There are doctors that treat you as the individual patient you are, and personalize your care to incorporate work, and family with some sort of quality! Be kind to yourself and do not see this self-centered man who will make you feel worse than all the doctors who mistreated you before your diagnosis combined. It hurts so much more coming from a fellow zebra that you trusted.

I understand this is a bit long, but I PLEAD any EDS patient to read this entire post. I started seeing Lavallee about 4-5 years ago about once, sometimes twice, per year as any education on top of my amazing PCP who was the one to actually manage my EDS. He told me I definitely have EDS type III (hypermobility) and was surprised it took so long with my history and family history. He also said that "I would be in a wheelchair if not for my muscle tone." I am muscular naturally (and luckily) and it is easier for me to make and keep muscle tone than a lot of EDS patients. This, I'm also learning, is why he probably seemed to treat me differently during the very first visit - he loves athletes and obsessively hurts himself from working out. Literally...he is constantly losing fingers (again, literally) and comes in to see you with new injuries all braced up. He is very strange with people and their weight. Everything comes back to your mental health with the weight as well. That… can be very damaging, especially for young patients. If you're too thin, you don't eat correctly so you must have an eating disorder. If you're overweight by even a few pounds, anything you say hurts or you're struggling with is due to the weight causing the issues and you have depression. Of course more weight means more stress on joints, that's common sense... I have been going through a downward spiral for a few years from a pregnancy and unable to exercise or walk the way I used to due to uncontrolled POTS and severe pain from multiple subluxations. I don't have much time with a toddler nor the physical demands of a child causing more issues on pain are able to be changed right now. Luckily I have an AMAZING PCP who I had a visit with prior to this. My PCP knew me reaching out to him outside of our normal 6 month appts was not normal at all. He knows me well. I was beyond exhausted and in a level of pain that had left me without a quality of life. Really no life at all. He helped me make some adjustments with my employer for me to continue to work so EDS didn't rob me of my job, let alone being a mom. I became a bit emotional when I explained these recent changes to Lavallee, and this was because for the first time in my life, EDS totally stopped me and I couldn't find a way out. It is a defeating feeling but TEMPORARY. So this made him tell me I was depressed...because I was a little emotional when I relived this feeling? YEP. That's all he got out of it. It is something I faced, as every EDS patient will. There is always that first time you weren't able to just get back up or push through. But he didn't hear the end of the story of the happiness and relief I have now - he was already shut off and from the first 5 minutes of my appt, he was set in to what is "wrong" with me. I didn't know depression caused your joints to pop out and cause extreme pain...that was definitely a new one in my years of hearing crap. WHAT?! Depressed from what? Life? I am allowed to have emotions and for the first time to have EDS take something major away from me, I say I rocked it. He continued the rest of the extremely brief visit, which I never had a short visit with him before, by being super condescending to me. He even said "even my 80 year olds do 5000 steps a day" when I told him that's been my goal lately. I was proud of this goal coming from where I was... He has done these ignorant ramblings to others I know as well (also EDS patients) many times. He isn't allowing you to have issues - you are NEVER worse than he is. Everyone with EDS, or any condition for that matter, has it differently than someone else. It doesn't make it right to dismiss someone because you are "worse" in your mind. And for a physician to do this...that is abuse. PLEASE do not hurt yourself. There are doctors that treat you as the individual patient you are, and personalize your care to incorporate work, and family with some sort of quality! Be kind to yourself and do not see this self-centered man who will make you feel worse than all the doctors who mistreated you before your diagnosis combined. It hurts so much more coming from a fellow zebra that you trusted.

I understand this is a bit long, but I PLEAD any EDS patient to read this entire post. I started seeing Lavallee about 4-5 years ago about once, sometimes twice, per year as any education on top of my amazing PCP who was the one to actually manage my EDS. He told me I definitely have EDS type III (hypermobility) and was surprised it took so long with my history and family history. He also said that "I would be in a wheelchair if not for my muscle tone." I am muscular naturally (and luckily) and it is easier for me to make and keep muscle tone than a lot of EDS patients. This, I'm also learning, is why he probably seemed to treat me differently during the very first visit - he loves athletes and obsessively hurts himself from working out. Literally...he is constantly losing fingers (again, literally) and comes in to see you with new injuries all braced up. He is very strange with people and their weight. Everything comes back to your mental health with the weight as well. That… can be very damaging, especially for young patients. If you're too thin, you don't eat correctly so you must have an eating disorder. If you're overweight by even a few pounds, anything you say hurts or you're struggling with is due to the weight causing the issues and you have depression. Of course more weight means more stress on joints, that's common sense... I have been going through a downward spiral for a few years from a pregnancy and unable to exercise or walk the way I used to due to uncontrolled POTS and severe pain from multiple subluxations. I don't have much time with a toddler nor the physical demands of a child causing more issues on pain are able to be changed right now. Luckily I have an AMAZING PCP who I had a visit with prior to this. My PCP knew me reaching out to him outside of our normal 6 month appts was not normal at all. He knows me well. I was beyond exhausted and in a level of pain that had left me without a quality of life. Really no life at all. He helped me make some adjustments with my employer for me to continue to work so EDS didn't rob me of my job, let alone being a mom. I became a bit emotional when I explained these recent changes to Lavallee, and this was because for the first time in my life, EDS totally stopped me and I couldn't find a way out. It is a defeating feeling but TEMPORARY. So this made him tell me I was depressed...because I was a little emotional when I relived this feeling? YEP. That's all he got out of it. It is something I faced, as every EDS patient will. There is always that first time you weren't able to just get back up or push through. But he didn't hear the end of the story of the happiness and relief I have now - he was already shut off and from the first 5 minutes of my appt, he was set in to what is "wrong" with me. I didn't know depression caused your joints to pop out and cause extreme pain...that was definitely a new one in my years of hearing crap. WHAT?! Depressed from what? Life? I am allowed to have emotions and for the first time to have EDS take something major away from me, I say I rocked it. He continued the rest of the extremely brief visit, which I never had a short visit with him before, by being super condescending to me. He even said "even my 80 year olds do 5000 steps a day" when I told him that's been my goal lately. I was proud of this goal coming from where I was... He has done these ignorant ramblings to others I know as well (also EDS patients) many times. He isn't allowing you to have issues - you are NEVER worse than he is. Everyone with EDS, or any condition for that matter, has it differently than someone else. It doesn't make it right to dismiss someone because you are "worse" in your mind. And for a physician to do this...that is abuse. PLEASE do not hurt yourself. There are doctors that treat you as the individual patient you are, and personalize your care to incorporate work, and family with some sort of quality! Be kind to yourself and do not see this self-centered man who will make you feel worse than all the doctors who mistreated you before your diagnosis combined. It hurts so much more coming from a fellow zebra that you trusted.

I have been an EDS patient of his, he even diagnosed me, and this is the first time I really needed some help and advice very specifically since I'm in a physically bad way lately that is only worsening instead of me being able to keep pushing. He acted like he didnt want to be there and was very condescending. I am not returning. I felt like this was every other doctor who dismissed me and didn't help me for years until I was finally diagnosed. For someone with EDS himself, this is just pitiful. Unfortunately this has also happening numerous times to loved ones and other patients of his I have met who I didn't know before, who also see him and they have had enough as well. I am ashamed I referred people here because now I'm left wondering if this happened to any of those people as well. It truly seems like if you get him in a good mood then you have a good experience but I'm not willing to gamble my quality of life on someone and when they feel like being a decent person.