Dr. Quozette Valera - Physical Therapist

Dr. Quozette Valera is a Physical Therapist, Postpartum Doula, and Childbirth Educator based in Los Angeles. An interest in human anatomy began in junior high school, which led Dr. Q to a BS in Kinesiology and Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Currently, Dr. Q combines her background in pelvic floor physical therapy with pelvic health awareness and education. She is very active on instagram, sharing posts and stories with important information about subjects like bladder health, prolapse, birth control, prostate and peeing, pelvic pain, and more. “It’s very important for me to create content about the things that I see as a pelvic floor physical therapist.” Dr. Q knows it is vital to advocate for Women of Color, who have to overcome barriers like language and bias, because WOC are the backbone of their communities. Using her platform to share knowledge and embrace being a WOC, Dr. Q empowers others to be better advocates for themselves and their health.

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IG: @drqdpt

How did you get started in the medical field?
I entered the medical field as a physical therapist after getting my Doctorate. I started, and still work in outpatient orthopedics, but now specializing in pelvic health.

What brought you to specializing in Physical Therapy and then Postpartum Doula and Childbirth education?
I decided to pursue the field of physical therapy when I was a junior in high school. I was taking anatomy as an elective and when I asked my teacher what careers exist involving anatomy, he suggested I look up Kinesiology college majors. I did some research and that’s how I found out what physical therapy is and learned what a physical therapist does. The rest is history. I had no idea what a pelvic floor physical therapist was until I got to graduate school and did a research project on physical therapy for postpartum recovery.

I pursued training as a postpartum doula after one of my patients told me how they had hired one after their first pregnancy. They raved about how helpful it was to have that support and I thought, “wow, what a nice way to help make that postpartum transition smoother.” Given my background as a pelvic floor physical therapist, I thought I would combine my knowledge as a PT with this offering to make pelvic health awareness and education more accessible to new parents.

When I was doing my doula training, I local childbirth educator came in to share that she was holding a training a few months later. I figured it would be nice feather to add to my hat considering I see a lot of pregnant patients in the clinic, so I decided to give it a try.

You are active on instagram with posts about PT, birth prep, pelvic health, how important is this content to you? How has it been received by your followers?

Of course I’m biased since I’m the one posting, but yes, it’s very important for me to create content about the things that I see as a pelvic floor physical therapist. I think most people who’ve been following me for a while aren’t surprised by the topics I post about, but for newer followers, I’m sure there’s some initial shock-value when first looking at a feed full of things like condoms, period products and pelvises. We have a small online community of pelvic floor PTs on Instagram, so sometimes it can feel like I’m preaching to the choir, but for the most part, people appreciate the free information. I get a lot of messages thanking me for bringing attention to these topics and experiences, so I just hope the information eventually gets to the people who need to hear it.

How do you choose the subjects and information you post and create videos for?
Hmm, there’s really no rhyme or reason. Most of my content is based on situations and experiences I come across in the clinic such as common diagnoses, patient stories/case reports, frequently asked questions, etc. that I think most people would relate to or benefit from hearing about. Occasionally, there are the awareness months—i.e. for certain conditions or diseases—that help me organize what information I want to post about. And sometimes, I’m inspired—or just straight up triggered—by things that are happening in the world. Some of my content reflects current events, social justice, and certain politics particularly because of how they impact womxn’s health, perinatal care and birth outcomes/postpartum recovery.

What are some of your insta stories that you suggest women watch?
All of my educational content that I share in my stories are posted on my highlights and named by the topic. I think the most informative ones are the one on episiotomies, the one on hysterectomies, and the one on prolapse. If they are pregnant or wanting to be pregnant, I highly recommend watching the “Birth Prep” highlight explaining why childbirth education is so important.

As a woman of color in Physical Therapy, how important is it to be an advocate and representative of women of color?
I think it’s extremely important to advocate for WOC. In my work, I have seen how things like language barriers and cultural insensitivity can negatively impact someone’s physical health. For example, I’ve had patients who struggle with recovery because they weren’t properly counseled on the surgery or procedure they had done. WOC are the nuclei of their respective families and communities. They are typically responsible for raising children, caring for the elderly, providing for the family, and keeping the household running. Without WOC, our families and communities wouldn’t thrive. So yes, I think it’s very important to advocate for them. For me personally, I feel obligated to embrace being a WOC, especially on social media where so many younger girls are comparing themselves to their friends and trying to fit in. I grew up in a really diverse city where I never felt like the minority, but this isn’t the case for many people of color, so I make a conscious effort to share about my culture because representation matters, and I know others out there can relate.

What keeps you inspired and motivated?
I love seeing people, womxn in particular, stick up for themselves. I love seeing womxn step into their power and feel confident enough to say what they need and how they feel, especially when it comes to their bodies and their physical and reproductive health. But this takes courage. So if the stuff I talk about on social media resonates with someone and motivates them to educate themselves on how to be a better advocate for their own rights (and womxn’s health in general), that’s what motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing to keep the conversation going.

Do you have any wisdom to share?
Despite what you may have heard… KEGELS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER. And if you don’t know what “Kegel” is, buckle up and follow me on instagram.

Photos courtesy of Quozette Valera