Pain is real

Pain is real — and so is your body’s capacity to heal

I had a conversation recently with a friend that really struck me — and reminded me why I do the work I do.

She shared about the hardship of not knowing if her pain is coming from her tissues, her hormones, or “just in her head” — especially after several tests have come back negative.

For her, the pain wraps around her right pelvis, lower back, hip, and down the leg — starting nearly two weeks before her period. After years of difficult cycles, it’s not only the physical pain that weighs on her, but also the anticipation of pain — the dread that comes from remembering how bad it’s been in the past, and the worry about what she might have to cancel when it hits.

This is such a common story. So many people live in the in-between space — where biomechanics, hormones, emotions, and the nervous system overlap.

This is exactly why, as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I pursued my Somatic Experiencing® training to better understand the nervous system. Over the years, I’ve seen how pain can become layered: physical strain and protective muscle patterns intertwined with fear, frustration, and sometimes past experiences of injury, surgery, or trauma. It can be hard to know which came first — the pain or the body’s protective response — and how to begin untangling it.

At Root & Ember Physical Therapy, my goal is to bridge that gap.

I combine nervous system-informed care with individualized movement assessment to help clients understand how their bodies and nervous systems interact — and how to support both.

Through gentle, hands-on techniques, movement re-education, and strategies for regulation, we work toward easing protective patterns, restoring coordination, and helping the body remember what safety and ease feel like again.

Pain is complex — but it’s not all in your head. Your body and your nervous system both have stories to tell. My work is about listening to both.

https://www.rootandemberpt.com/