The Movement Mama,
AKA Elsa Gould, Doctor of Physical Therapy
I am a physical therapist with 15 years of experience in the field of outpatient orthopedics, working in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I received my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree in 2005 from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Growing up, I was an aspiring and very serious ballet dancer. I spent the bulk of my youth in front of a mirror, wearing a leotard. Every line, every movement I assessed, adapted and practiced until, frankly, I got pretty good at it. At age 16, I was accepted to spend part of my summer studying at the Juilliard School in New York. It was one of the great honors of my life, and the culmination of years of work. About 3 weeks into that program, when I was so sore that I couldn’t even get up from a chair without groaning, I found myself sitting on a studio floor with my left kneecap completely dislocated. It was that moment that changed the trajectory of my life, and pointed me in a new – but entirely complementary – direction.
My introduction to the field of physical therapy was as a patient. But, to be honest, my art as a physical therapist was developed all those years ago in front of a mirror. One of my most honed skills as a practitioner is in the careful analysis of movement. Sometimes that movement is in the context of treating dancers or skaters, which I very much enjoy, but most of the time it’s in the context of everyday movements – walking, rising from a chair, turning over in bed.
These days, in addition to my work, I have the honor of mama-ing my 8 year-old son. Trust me – I enjoyed every single moment of his early motor development in a really nerdy way. And as he’s ready, I teach him about the body I made for him. I want him to own his body, to understand his body, and to never have to blindly put it in the hands of someone else.
The Movement Mama 