Notes & essays

Where the pain lives · 5 of 5

July 10, 2026

The “sciatica” that isn't actually sciatica

True sciatica is rare. The imposter is everywhere. A look at the buttock muscle pretending to be a nerve, and how to tell which one you're dealing with.

Where the pain lives · 4 of 5

July 3, 2026

Why your jaw is tired by noon

Notice your jaw right now. Are your teeth touching? The jaw quietly holds tension we've stopped registering, and most "TMJ pain" is the muscles, not the joint.

Where the pain lives · 3 of 5

June 26, 2026

Low back pain that isn't in your low back

Sixty percent of pain-free forty-year-olds have disc bulges on MRI. Imaging doesn't tell you whose back hurts. The muscles around the spine usually do.

Where the pain lives · 2 of 5

June 19, 2026

The shoulder that won't reach behind your back

Stand up. Put one hand behind your back, slide it up between your shoulder blades. Switch sides. The asymmetry tells you which rotator cuff muscle is locked.

Where the pain lives · 1 of 5

June 12, 2026

Your headache might be living in your shoulders

Most tension headaches aren't really headaches. They're shoulder and neck muscles referring pain upward. A look at the muscles that quietly run the show.

June 5, 2026

Pregnancy is not a contraindication

Most of what we do as bodyworkers is exactly what someone navigating pregnancy could most use. Pregnancy massage isn't a different kind of massage. It's regular massage with adjustments.

June 4, 2026

Balance as a conversation

Balance, when I'm in it, doesn't feel still. It feels like two things meeting and not collapsing into each other. I learned this in handstand.

June 4, 2026

What I mean when I say hands-on

When I'm teaching yoga, the question of touch comes up before anything else. A hands-on assist done well can move a student from “doing the shape” to “actually feeling the pose.”