We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Michelle Laging a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Michelle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best advice you ever gave to a client? How did they benefit / what was the result? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best advice that I have given to several of my clients is “permission”. Permission to show up exactly how they are that day, permission to share as much or as little as feels comfortable and safe in that moment, permission to move their bodies in ways that align with their values, permission to rest their tired and worn out bodies, permission to have emotions and know that all are valid and welcome, permission to challenge their beliefs, permission to want to make a change and feel resistance against it.

Now, what if I continue with my answer by asking another question – “What is the best advice I have ever been given by a patient?” I would like to think that I have all the answers. I don’t. I am growing and learning alongside my patients. This provides a beauty and a raw vulnerability in my patient interactions… and I believe that this lays the foundation for growth and healing to co-occur.

The best lesson that I have learned from a patient is to “embrace the duality”. It is possible to be healing and hurting, it is possible to feel empowered and vulnerable, and it is possible to smile through the struggle… just to name a few examples. My practice, treating individuals with eating disorders and/or pelvic health dysfunction, relies on the presence of this duality to thrive. It is not an “all or nothing” approach, highly individualized, and allows the patient to be truly seen and heard throughout their journey.

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Dr. Michelle , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

What do I do?: I am a physical therapist specialized in working with individuals with eating disorders and/or pelvic health issues. I own a private practice called Movement is Medicine Physical Therapy & Wellness in Denver, Colorado. Physical therapy was a career change for me about 14 years ago. I was a landscape architect for 8 years and then made the switch… quite a change, right!?

How did I get here?:
The majority of my career as a physical therapist has been in the hospital environment. I worked at Denver Health and became the Lead Physical Therapist on the ACUTE Unit for Eating Disorders in 2016. This is where I gained all of my experience working with individuals with eating disorders and began my interest in pelvic health. I was able to push the boundaries for physical therapy care for individuals with eating disorders and, although I enjoyed this work, I recognized that there was an unfulfilled need in the outpatient world for this level of treatment. I began furthering my education in pelvic health and jumped to the world of private practice with my own clinic, Movement is Medicine Physical Therapy & Wellness

What services do I offer?:
I offer in-person and virtual physical therapy and wellness services in Denver, CO. My specialty is working with individuals with eating disorders and/or pelvic health problems. In addition to the physical therapy and wellness services, I also offer dry needling either as a part of treatment or individually depending on patient goals.

I have a method that I use to treat both eating disorders and pelvic health issues. It is called reset, restore, and reclaim. The 1st phase – reset – dives into understanding and challenging beliefs around exercise and/or lengthening muscle tissue to its optimal range of motion. The 2nd phase – restore – begins to introduce more variety in exercise and continues to challenge beliefs as well as the addition of strengthening to any muscular tissue that may have been weak from lack of range of motion. Finally, the 3rd phase – reclaim – is where we get to explore returning to exercise and any activities that were problematic prior to treatment.

What problems do I solve?:
-dysfunctional exercise patterns
-how to access exercise within a recovery focus in the setting of an eating disorder
-general orthopedic rehabilitation in the setting of an injury
-injury prevention through education
-bladder leakage with exercise
-bladder urgency and frequency
-constipation and bowel related issues
-tailbone pain
-pelvic pain
-pain with intercourse
-painful menstruation
-hip and low back pain
-pre and postpartum issues and return to exercise/running

What am I most proud of and want you to know?:
I was the first physical therapist to earn the designation as a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Listening to my patients, sharing in their story, and providing them space to process… the permission to come as they are and for me to understand and meet them where they are. We are not rushed by productivity needs, insurance demands, or time constraints to reach whatever our goal is… and, sometimes, the goals might change a little bit. We can be more fluid and flexible… knowing that goals might take longer or shorter to arrive at. Allowing room and space for all of these options is paramount in my practice.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being brave and vulnerable in a world (eating disorder treatment) where physical therapists are often not found.

Persevering and learning as much as I could from my patients and then following up with continuing education courses (pelvic health specifically) to meet their unique needs.

Being open and transparent about my knowledge and how to always be a student.

Leaning on other professionals within the eating disorder and pelvic health world to help guide me toward excellence in patient care and service.

Allowing myself to explore and post thoughts, stories, ideas about my work on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.movement-medicine.com/
• Instagram: @movement.medicine.pt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.laging.9
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-laging-39b91a10/

Image Credits
Laura Mahony Photography