Highlights
Integrative Women’s Health Podcast: Running While Postpartum (and Perimenopausal!) with Dr. Carrie Pagliano
About the episode
“I had two choices. Either give up what I love to do or look for a new path and figure it out.” – Dr. Carrie Pagliano
From the newborn months to the teen years, modern motherhood is crazy busy for most of us. Juggling children’s needs, managing our careers, and carrying the mental load often means living in a state where we need not only physical rest, but activities that help with neurologic rest and nervous system regulation.
As health care professionals, we can facilitate that. By collaborating with your clients to help them clarify their vision and goals, you can refine your recommendations down to the most efficient and necessary things that will make a significant difference to their lives. Guiding your clients through our overly complicated healthcare system and pointing them in the right direction for sub-specialists can be the key to achieving the patient outcomes you want. She wants to feel well and you get to be a part of making that happen, no matter where you are on her team.
In this episode, Dr. Carrie and I discuss the often-overlooked complexities of returning to fitness after childbirth, navigating the physical changes that accompany perimenopause and menopause, the importance of integrating orthopedics and sports medicine with women’s health, the necessity of a holistic and proactive approach to care, empowering women through education and support, the value of strength training, the role of hypermobility in pelvic floor health, and more.
Enjoy the episode, and let’s innovate and integrate together!
About Dr. Carrie Pagliano, PT, DPT, OCS, WCS, MTC
Dr. Carrie J. Pagliano has been a leading figure in women’s and pelvic health for over 25 years. She earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in 1999 and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2007. Dr. Pagliano is a double Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedics and Women’s Health.
She served for seven years on the Executive Board of the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, a component of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), concluding her tenure as President in 2020 and Past President in 2021. Dr. Pagliano is also an adjunct professor at Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and has served as an Instructor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Additionally, she is an Advisory Board member of the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network through the National Institutes of Health, specifically within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Certified as a Running Coach by the Road Runners Club of America, Dr. Pagliano speaks internationally on postpartum return to sport and integrative models of practice in pelvic physical therapy. As a national media spokesperson for the APTA, she actively promotes awareness in her field. She is the founder of Carrie Pagliano Physical Therapy, LLC in Arlington, Virginia, and offers digital courses for moms and postpartum professionals. She also hosts the Active Mom Postpartum Podcast. Outside of her professional life, Carrie is a passionate runner, yogi, and CrossFit enthusiast.
Highlights
- How Dr. Carrie came to focus on postpartum women and the intersection of orthopedics and pelvic health
- The lack of support for postpartum women
- Dr. Carrie’s challenges with returning to running after childbirth and hip surgery
- Client case study: a postpartum client experiencing leakage who wanted to return to running
- Why holistic assessment is crucial in guiding postpartum recovery
- Strategies for achieving quick wins in postpartum fitness
- Proactive conversations with expecting mothers
- Misconceptions about hypermobility and its relationship with pelvic floor health and athletic performance.
- Evolving perspectives on pelvic floor health
- Supportive movements for patients with hypermobility
- The impact of estrogen on women’s health across different life stages
- How postpartum hormonal shifts affect women’s physical stability
- The need for strength training for long-term health
- Generational changes in attitudes towards strength training
- Cortisol levels and stress management in modern motherhood
- The overwhelming expectations faced by women during perimenopause
- The intersection between chronic illness and perimenopause symptoms
- How to rest effectively despite a busy lifestyle
- Misconceptions around rest and the need for true neurological rest
- How childhood experiences shape adults’ views on work and rest
- Household chores as opportunities for mindfulness
- Supporting mothers’ mental health during daily activities and routines
- Setting boundaries around managing time and mental load
- Creating supportive environments that encourage consistency
- Why health providers need coaching skills
- The benefits of collaboration between health providers
- Knowing when to refer to specialists for better outcomes
- How zip codes and geography influence health outcomes
- How we can help postpartum women navigate a complex healthcare system
- Advocating for sub-specialist care to address complicated health issues
Connect with Dr. Carrie Pagliano
- Dr. Carrie Pagliano’s Practice | CarriePagliano.com
- Dr. Carrie Pagliano’s Podcast | Active Mom Postpartum
- Dr. Carrie Pagliano on Instagram @CarriePagliano
- Dr. Carrie Pagliano on YouTube
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- Integrative Women’s Health Institute on Instagram | @integrativewomenshealth
- Integrative Women’s Health Institute on YouTube
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