The Thinking Practitioner

168: Listener Favorite: Back Pain, Stiffness & Manual Therapy (with Stuart McGill)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

What if the key to resolving your client’s back pain isn’t loosening things up — but “adding” stiffness? Dr. Stuart McGill is one of the preeminent back pain researchers in the world, and in this conversation, he makes his case — passionately and controversially — for why biomechanical factors deserve far more attention than they typically get in back pain assessment and treatment. He argues that the label “nonspecific low back pain” masks what a skilled clinician could find with a thorough enough assessment, and that too many patients with real mechanical issues are being dismissed as psychosocial cases. Not everyone in the field agrees, but his perspective is fascinating, clinically detailed, and full of provocative ideas for manual therapists.

This episode originally aired as episode 97 and quickly became one of our most popular — a listener favorite we’re bringing back for those who missed it and those who are ready for a second listen.

✨ Topics covered in this episode include:

• Why Dr. McGill believes “nonspecific low back pain” doesn’t exist — and how he argues it undermines both research validity and clinical outcomes
• The problem with averaging results across non-homogeneous groups in back pain studies
• How a thorough assessment can reveal specific pain pathways — and McGill’s case for why a psychosocial diagnosis is too often a default when clinicians run out of ideas
• Vivid clinical stories: a patient with a double pinch point, and the precise maneuver that resolved his symptoms
• Why some patients need more stiffness, not less — and the “paradigm clash” this creates for manual therapists trained to mobilize and loosen
• The prone instability test and other hands-on experiments for distinguishing when to stabilize versus mobilize
• Dynamic video fluoroscopy of whiplash patients: the mid-range “clunk” that correlated with their symptoms
• Fascial connections and trauma: how a physically traumatic event can produce bizarre-seeming symptoms that are mechanically trackable
• Disc bulge mechanics demonstrated on a biofidelic model — how flexion drives nucleus posteriorly, and how traction with gentle motion can vacuum it back in
• The Scannell study: why prone breathing may be just as effective as McKenzie press-ups for reducing disc bulges — without the facet joint cost
• Inflammation and disc herniations: why the immune response to extruded nucleus may actually be helping, and why oral anti-inflammatories could prolong recovery
• Distinguishing radiculopathy from peripheral neuropathy using creative clinical tests
• Why the best manual therapists probe, feel, and adjust — and how that kinesthetic hypothesis-testing cycle is what separates good outcomes from poor ones

✨ Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Stuart McGill’s website and clinician directory: https://www.backfitpro.com
• Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill
• Low Back Disorders by Stuart McGill
• Dynamic Disc Designs (spine models): https://www.dynamicdiscdesigns.com

🌱 Sponsor Offers:

• Jane App — Practice management built for health and wellness practitioners. Thinking Practitioner listeners get a free first month; enter code THINKING1MO at checkout: https://a-t.tv/jane
• ABMP — Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Thinking Practitioner listeners save at https://www.abmp.com/thinking
• Books of Discovery — Explore their collection at https://www.booksofdiscovery.com and save 15% with code thinking
• Advanced-Trainings — Try one month free of Til Luchau’s A-T Subscription with code thinking: https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/
• Academy of Clinical Massage — Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau
• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies — bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, physical therapy, osteopathy, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.

167: Cupping & the Nervous System (with Joi Edwards)

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:00:00 -0700

Dr. Joi Edwards is a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in orthopedic injuries and a licensed massage therapist who bridges the gap between clinical assessment and intuitive soft-tissue work.

She joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to dive deep into the world of cupping therapy—exploring the physiological mechanisms, the various types of tools, and why this ancient modality is about much more than just leaving red marks on the skin.

Joi’s fascination with cupping began in the clinic when she discovered the modality "pre-Michael Phelps" and noticed an immediate 15-degree increase in her own shoulder's range of motion after experimenting with the cups. Her journey was further shaped by international patients who shared how their families had used cupping for generations to treat everything from systemic colds to localized chronic pain.

This episode is an exploration of how decompression—rather than the compression typically associated with massage—can restore tissue mechanics and stimulate a nervous system response that even the most skilled manual techniques sometimes can't replicate.

✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Joi walk through the different categories of cupping, the science of tissue decompression, and how to safely integrate cups into a clinical practice.

Joi's transition from physical therapy to massage therapy—and why she felt compelled to integrate the two.
The history of cupping: from hollowed-out animal horns used for "snake bites" to modern medical-grade silicone.
Wet cupping (Hijama) vs. Dry cupping: understanding the scope of practice and the cultural significance of bloodletting.
The physics of the "Pinch Grip" and "Donut Drop": how different application methods change the treatment.
Decompression vs. Compression: how cups create space in the soft tissue to allow for better "glide and slide".
What's in a circle? Capillary dilation and interstitial seepage vs. the misconception of traumatic bruising.
The importance of assessment: why you shouldn't just "put a cup on it" without evaluating the person in front of you.
Clinical techniques: "Popcorning," gliding, and the "Monkey Bar" technique for spinal decompression.
Hygiene and maintenance: the specific protocols for sanitizing medical-grade silicone.

✨ Resources:

Owlchemy Education: https://owlchemyeducation.com
Connect with Dr. Joi Edwards on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: @owlchemymassage

🌱 Sponsor Offers:

• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try it free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane
• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

166: Does Research Support What We Do? (with Bodhi Haraldsson)

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0700

🎙 Does Massage Research Actually Work? (with Bodhi Haraldsson)

Bodhi Haraldsson is a registered massage therapist, researcher, and self-described “pracademic” who has spent over 25 years bridging the gap between clinical practice and scientific inquiry. He joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to talk about one of the most important — and most misunderstood — questions in our profession: what does the research actually tell us about massage therapy?

Bodhi’s journey into research began at McMaster University — the birthplace of evidence-based practice — where he joined the Cochrane Cervical Overview Group and helped author a landmark systematic review on massage for mechanical neck disorders. That review, first published in 2006 and later in Spine, analyzed thousands of studies down to just 14 qualifying trials — and found that most of the evidence was limited or unclear. Nearly 20 years later, a 2024 update reached essentially the same conclusions.

But this isn’t a discouraging story. It’s a call to understand what research can and can’t tell us — and why that matters for every practitioner. Bodhi and Whitney explore why absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, why no single study can capture the complexity of clinical practice, and how evidence-based practice isn’t about recipes or checklists — it’s about better understanding what we do and why.

✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Bodhi walk through the Cochrane review process, the state of massage research, and what individual practitioners can take away from the evidence conversation.

• What a “pracademic” is — and why massage needs more of them
• How the Cochrane Cervical Overview Group conducted its systematic review of massage for neck pain
• Starting with thousands of studies and ending with 14 qualifying trials — and why
• Levels of evidence: from strong to limited to unclear
• Why the 2024 update reached essentially the same conclusions as the 2006 original
• The research gap: why massage lags behind physiotherapy and chiropractic in building a cohesive evidence base
• The “lineage model” of massage education vs. academic training
• Mechanical effects, neurological effects, contextual effects — and why we need all the pieces of the puzzle
• Publication bias: why negative findings rarely get published and how trial registries help
• Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — what that really means for practice
• How research changed Bodhi’s own clinical work: always asking “how and why?”

✨ Resources:
• Cochrane Review — Massage for Mechanical Neck Disorders (2006): https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004871/full
• Ezzo, Haraldsson et al. — “Massage for Mechanical Neck Disorders: A Systematic Review,” Spine, 2007: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17268268/
• Cochrane Review update — Massage for Neck Pain (2024): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38415786/
• Connect with Bodhi Haraldsson on LinkedIn and Facebook

🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try it free for one month with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane
• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau
• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

165: Multi-State Massage License: Coming Soon? (with Debra Persinger)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 The Interstate Massage Compact (with Deborah Persinger)

Deborah Persinger is the Executive Director of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), and she joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to break down one of the most significant regulatory developments in our profession’s history: the Interstate Massage Compact.

If you’ve ever moved to a new state and had to navigate a whole new set of licensing requirements — or if you live near a state border and can’t legally work on the other side — this episode is for you. The compact would create a multi-state license allowing eligible massage therapists to practice across state lines without meeting separate requirements in each state. It’s already been adopted by five states, with two more needed to stand up the commission and make the license a reality.

But there’s more at stake than portability. Deborah explains how the compact was carefully designed to address human trafficking in the massage profession — a daily reality for regulatory boards — and why the details of how the compact is written matter enormously for keeping bad actors out while making life easier for legitimate practitioners.

✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Deborah walk through the compact’s origins, the 625-hour education standard, the role of the Department of Defense, and the current obstacles to getting it across the finish line.

• What the Interstate Massage Compact is — and how multi-state licensing works
• The 625-hour education standard: where it came from and why it was chosen
• Home state vs. remote state — how the compact defines where you practice
• Why the Department of Defense supports the compact (military family portability)
• The five states that have adopted so far: Nevada, Ohio, Arkansas, Virginia, and Montana
• Human trafficking provisions unique to the massage compact
• The national massage therapy licensing database and its role in tracking bad actors
• Over 20,000 illicit massage businesses in the U.S. — and why that matters for compact design
• Rule vs. statute: the key disagreement holding things up
• Why 97–98% of surveyed practitioners support the original compact
• What individual practitioners can do to stay informed and have their voice heard

✨ Resources:
• Interstate Massage Compact: https://www.massagecompact.org
• Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB): https://www.fsmtb.org
• Massage Compact Practitioner Survey: https://www.massagecompact.org

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

164: Dizziness Roundtable (with Ruth Werner, Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 Dizziness Roundtable (with Ruth Werner)

Ruth Werner returns to The Thinking Practitioner for a roundtable discussion with Til and Whitney on one of the most overlooked topics in manual therapy: balance challenges. Ruth is the author of A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology (now in its 7th edition), a long-time educator, and host of the podcast I Have a Client Who. In this wide-ranging conversation with Til and Whitney, Ruth brings her characteristic clarity to a complex subject — helping us understand what’s really happening when clients feel dizzy, wobbly, or unsteady.

Balance difficulties show up constantly in clinical practice, yet most of us never learned how to think about them. Clients get dizzy turning over on the table. They feel lightheaded sitting up from prone. They mention casually that they’re “always a little unsteady” after sessions — and we realize we’ve never asked the right questions. This episode gives MTs a framework for understanding, responding to, and even helping with balance challenges — while knowing when to refer out.

✨ Topics discussed include: Ruth, Til, and Whitney unpack the sensory triad behind balance (vision, proprioception, and the vestibular system), explore common conditions like BPPV and POTS, and discuss what the research actually shows about massage and balance — including some encouraging findings about foot work and gait in older adults.

• What we really mean by “balance” — and why Ruth finds the word frustratingly vague
• The difference between vertigo (spinning) and dizziness (lightheadedness)
• Why position changes on the table can trigger symptoms — and what to do about it
• BPPV, the Epley maneuver, and “rocks in our head” (otoliths)
• POTS, blood pressure medications, and the challenge of sitting up
• Hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and their links to balance issues
• Red flags: progressive changes, asymmetry, and when to refer
• Research on massage, foot work, and balance in older adults
• Why there’s no “dizziness muscle” — and what we can do instead
• Fall risk, deconditioning, and the cascade of consequences
• Vestibular physical therapy and other referral options

✨ Resources:
• Ruth Werner’s website: https://ruthwerner.com/
• Ruth’s podcast I Have a Client Who: https://www.abmp.com/podcasts?defined_term=353
• A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, 7th Edition: https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• Sefton et al. (2012) – Six weeks of massage therapy produces changes in balance: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3457720/
• Tarkhasi et al. (2025) – Corrective exercises with massage improve balance and gait: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39550789/

🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Jane – Practice management for health and wellness practitioners. Try one month free with code THINKING1MO at https://a-t.tv/jane
• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription with code thinking at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/
• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

163: A Master in Plain Sight (with Art Riggs)

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 A Master in Plain Sight (with Art Riggs)

Art Riggs is a Certified Advanced Rolfer™, massage therapist, and creator of some of the most influential instructional video courses in our field. His recordings were among the first truly comprehensive video trainings available to bodyworkers. Decades later, practitioners still return to them again and again, finding new insights each time. They age well because they’re packed with technique, yet grounded in principles that never go out of style.

Here’s the paradox of Art’s work: he shares a staggering wealth of techniques, yet what he emphasizes most isn’t technique at all. It’s listening, allowing, and refining your touch. “Deep tissue,” he explains, isn’t about pressing harder. It’s a conversation with the body, where pressure is just one word in the vocabulary.

At 80, and still seeing clients most days, Art brings warmth and infectious enthusiasm to everything he discusses. He’s humble about his contributions, generous with credit to his teachers, and genuinely delighted by the craft he’s practiced for decades. This conversation is a joy from start to finish.

✨Topics discussed include:
Whether you’re early in your career or decades in, this episode is a masterclass in how to think with your hands.
• Why Art chose “deep tissue massage” over a proprietary name — and why that made his work more accessible
• The difference between deep tissue and “pressing harder”
• Touch as communication: pressure, speed, angle, and reading the body’s response
• “Refine your touch” — the three words that changed everything
• Allowing vs. forcing: offering something for people to take
• Why his first video set covers techniques while his second shows integration into a fluid, full session
• The limits of online learning — and why hands-on classes and receiving work still matter
• The overlap (and differences) between massage therapy and Rolfing® — and what each can learn from the other
• Movement, getting clients off the table, and working in real-world positions (not just neutral on the table)
• The skill of knowing where to work — and when you’re done
• Acknowledging Helen James, who Rolfed until 95: choosing a profession where you can keep learning until you drop

✨ Resources:
• Art Riggs’ video courses (now also eligible for NCBTMB-approved CE): https://advanced-trainings.com/artriggs
• Art Riggs’ book: Deep Tissue Massage, Revised Edition: A Visual Guide to Techniques – https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/deep-tissue-massage-revised-edition/

🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription (including lessons from Art Riggs' courses) at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau
• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

Rolfing®, Rolfer™, Rolf Movement®, Rolfing Ten-Series™, and the Little Boy Logo are service marks of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration®, Boulder, CO.

162: AI in Massage: Thinking Partner, Threat, or Crutch? (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 AI in Massage: Thinking Partner, Threat, or Crutch?

Is artificial intelligence coming for your massage practice? Not the way you might think. In this episode, Til and Whitney dive into the rapidly evolving world of AI — exploring where it genuinely helps manual therapists, where it falls short, and why the human elements of touch, presence, and clinical reasoning remain irreplaceable.

From AI-generated anatomical images with mysterious octopus tentacles to "massage robots" that feel like being rubbed by a cow, they share their own experiences with these tools and separate the hype from the helpful. Whitney unveils his Clinical Massage Coach — a custom AI tool trained on curated clinical knowledge that engages practitioners in Socratic dialogue rather than just spitting out answers. The key insight: AI works best not when it replaces thinking, but when it prompts better thinking.

✨ Topics covered:
• How AI is already quietly influencing bodywork education and practice
• The "hallucination" problem — why AI sounds confident even when it's wrong
• Will massage robots take your job? (Spoiler: the client-therapist relationship isn't going anywhere)
• Personalized learning: the "holy grail" of education that AI might help unlock
• The de-skilling danger: when easy tools erode hard-won skills
• Using AI as a reasoning partner vs. a script generator
• Whitney's Clinical Massage Coach: SOAP notes, treatment planning, and Socratic questioning
• Ethical considerations: energy consumption, bias, and the "human in the loop"

✨ Resources
• Whitney's Clinical Massage Coach (CMC)
Ever wish you could have a clinical expert on call 24/7? The CMC is an AI-powered assistant trained on over three decades of Whitney Lowe's textbooks and articles as well as hundreds of peer-reviewed resources. As a core feature of our Orthopedic Medical Massage Specialist (OMMS) program, it's designed to help you navigate complex clinical questions with science-based precision. Explore the CMC here: www.academyofclinicalmassage.com

🌱 Sponsor Offers:
• Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
• ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
• Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
• Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

161: Science, Skepticism, & Keeping Heart (with Paul Ingraham)

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 Science, Skepticism, & Keeping Heart (with Paul Ingraham)

What happens when a former massage therapist turns a skeptical eye on his own profession and starts asking uncomfortable questions about pain science and manual therapy? You get Paul Ingraham of PainScience.com — a writer whose work has challenged, irritated, and influenced practitioners in equal measure.

In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe sit down with Paul to explore how clinicians can think clearly in a field crowded with confident claims, competing models, and stories that feel true even when the evidence is thin. The conversation doesn’t shy away from friction. Paul is known for his sharp critiques of manual therapy’s favorite explanations, and many practitioners bristle at his tone. Here, we examine both the substance of his skepticism and the costs that can come with it.

Together, they explore questions many therapists wrestle with, often quietly: How do we tell the difference between what helps clients and the stories we tell ourselves about why it helped? When does confidence in a method turn into intellectual blinders? And how can practitioners stay curious and effective without clinging to explanations that may not hold up?

In this episode, they discuss:

Paul’s move from massage therapist to science writer — and the unresolved questions that pushed him there
“Modality empires” and why techniques so easily become identities
The challenge of separating your identity from your methodology — and why it matters
Confirmation bias in clinical practice: how we see what we expect to see and miss contradictory evidence
Placebo, context, and why they complicate claims about mechanisms in manual therapy
Paul’s critique of “structuralism” — the exclusive focus on alignment, posture, and movement dysfunction
How to think about biomechanical explanations without falling into reductionist storytelling
Why connecting dots between distant body parts (like foot problems causing back pain) can slip from plausible hypothesis into speculation
The role of neurophysiological effects in manual therapy outcomes
How to engage with research critically without becoming paralyzed by uncertainty
Why practitioners may need intellectual humility more than confidence in untested theories
The tension between skepticism as a tool and skepticism as a communication style — and what can get lost when critique outpaces curiosity
The future of manual therapy as it integrates pain science and biopsychosocial models — and where Paul remains unconvinced

This conversation won’t give you comfortable answers or a new technique to believe in. Instead, it invites you to sit with uncertainty, examine your assumptions, and reflect on how skepticism can sharpen thinking — and how, at times, it can narrow it. Whether you admire Paul’s work, struggle with it, or find yourself somewhere in between, this episode offers a chance to engage the questions underneath the disagreements.

✨ Resources
👉 Paul’s website with articles and books: https://www.painscience.com

🌱 Sponsor Offers:
- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
• Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | Instagram: https://instagram.com/til.luchau
• Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook: https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

160: 5 Years & Half a Million Downloads: Your Favorite Episodes & Ours (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 5 Years of The Thinking Practitioner: Our Favorites & Top 5 Most Popular Episodes

It's been 5 years since we launched The Thinking Practitioner — with over half a million downloads and 130,000 unique listeners along the way. In this special retrospective episode, Til and Whitney look back at personal favorites that shaped their own thinking, then count down the top 5 most-listened episodes of all time.

What stands out? A clear shift from tissue-focused to nervous-system-first thinking. Ideas about consent, context, and the client experience that once felt radical now feel like common sense. And the conversations that resonated most? They're about fascia, trauma, pain, and the practitioners brave enough to challenge what we think we know.

🎧 Episodes discussed (in order of appearance):

Personal favorites:
- Ep 140: Embodied Attention & Contact Improvisation (Nita Little)
- Ep 23: Do Expectations Shape Results? (Mark Bishop)
- Ep 80: What We Might Learn From Sex (Betty Martin)
- Ep 144: Movement Optimism (Greg Lehman)
- Ep 130: The Body of Grief (Jun Park)
- Ep 146: Inflammation, Touch & the Grieving Body (Mary-Francis O'Connor)
- Ep 135: The Neuroscience of Bodywork (Mark Olson)

Top 5 most popular of all time:
5. Ep 108: Trauma & Bodywork (Peter Levine)
4. Ep 79: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, Fascia, and Pain (Tina Wang)
3. Ep 45: Fascia in Sport & Movement (Robert Schleip)
2. Ep 69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (Stuart McGill)
1. Ep 126: Fascia: A Deep Dive (Dr. Antonio Stecco)

✨ Watch the video / connect with us:
- Til Luchau: https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau
- Whitney Lowe: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe

Sponsor Offers:
- Books of Discovery – Save 15% with code thinking at https://booksofdiscovery.com/
- ABMP – Save $24 on new membership at https://abmp.com/thinking
- Advanced-Trainings – Try one month free of the A-T Subscription at https://a-t.tv/subscriptions/ with code thinking
- Academy of Clinical Massage – Grab Whitney's free Assessment Cheat Sheet at https://academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

159: Can You Really Palpate the Psoas? (with Christopher DaPrato)

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 Can You Really Palpate the Psoas? MRI Evidence, Clinical Debate & a Bonus Visit from the Researcher

Can manual therapists actually palpate the psoas, or is it anatomically out of reach? In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe unpack a new real-time MRI pilot study presented at the 7th International Fascia Research Congress by UCSF physical therapist Christopher DaPrato and colleagues. The study offers rare imaging-based insight into what really happens when we try to touch this deep, controversial muscle. And at the end, Christopher drops in for a brief bonus segment to share safety insights and his hopes for future research.

The debate around psoas palpation has become a kind of proxy war in manual therapy — between pain-science and movement educators who question highly specific anatomical claims, and hands-on practitioners who have used psoas work for decades and find it clinically meaningful. This conversation explores how DaPrato’s imaging helps reframe that debate.

In this episode, they discuss:
- Why psoas palpation has become a flashpoint debate and a stand-in for deeper philosophical disagreements in the field
- How DaPrato’s team used dynamic MRI to observe what happens under the hands during attempted psoas palpation
- What the images showed about depth, tissue layers, and muscle deformation when pressure is applied
- The surprising finding that even a higher-BMI participant showed clear psoas shape change under palpation
- How viscera behaved under pressure — including what the study suggests about visceral compression and safety
- Clinical implications for angle, depth, and pressure when working in the anterior hip/abdominal region
- The role of tools like the PSO-RITE compared with hand palpation, and what may (or may not) be interchangeable
- How this research interacts with the idea of “palpatory pareidolia” (imagining specificity that isn’t there)
- What this study does — and doesn’t — say about treatment effectiveness and future research priorities
- And in a bonus segment, Christopher DaPrato joins Til to talk safety, visceral sliding, and practical precautions for working this sensitive region

Whether you regularly include psoas work in your sessions, or you’re skeptical of deep abdominal palpation claims, this episode offers a nuanced, evidence-informed look at what our hands may — and may not — be doing.

✨ Resources
👉 DaPrato et al. pilot study abstract (MRI of psoas palpation): https://www.cuptherapy.com/_files/ugd/12c814_c0500f355036456eb450562461ff267c.pdf
👉 Thinking Practitioner Ep 25: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/25-psoas-work-is-it-safe-is-it-necessary/id1492004207?i=1000496358416
👉 Video version of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts
👉 Episode image courtesy Christopher DaPrato @cuptherapy

✨ Connect with us:
Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | Instagram
Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

158: Is Your Work Valuable? (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 Is Your Work Valuable? The Psychology of Perceived Value in Hands-On Practice

What makes clients value your work — and come back for more? Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe explore the results of a survey of over 2,000 practitioners to uncover the surprising psychology behind perceived value.

Spoiler: it's not just about results or price. Value is created in a reciprocal feedback loop between practitioner and client — shaped by confidence, preparation, communication, boundaries, and dozens of subtle signals clients pick up (consciously or not).

In this episode, they discuss:
- The "chicken-and-egg" relationship between value perception and client outcomes
- The famous "expensive pain pill" study and what it reveals about perceived value
- How discount addiction undermines both value and client loyalty
- The 9 ways to communicate value — from linens and punctuality to CE certificates and testimonials
- Why going over time can actually diminish perceived value
- How asking clients to invest effort (goals, homework, participation) raises their commitment
- The importance of receiving the work you give — and what the survey showed
- The surprising correlation between in-person CE hours and practice satisfaction
- The confidence paradox: does success breed confidence, or does confidence breed success?
- Practical tips: where to start if you want to shift value perception tomorrow

Whether you're building a practice, thinking about pricing, or wondering why some clients don't seem to "get it," this conversation offers a roadmap for communicating value from the inside out.

✨ Resources
👉 Read the full article: Is Your Work Valuable? https://a-t.tv/articles/luchau_valuable_mbw_20180427.pdf
👉 Video version: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts

✨ Connect with us:
Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | Instagram
Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

157: What Happens When the Body Lets Go? (with Werner Klingler)

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 02:00:00 -0800

🎙 What Happens When the Body Lets Go? Werner Klingler on Anesthesia, Altered States & the Physiology of Relaxation

What actually happens when the body "lets go" — in anesthesia, trance, or the deep relaxation familiar to hands-on practitioners? Til Luchau talks with Professor Werner Klingler, anesthesiologist, physiologist, and fascia researcher at Ulm University (Germany), whose work bridges clinical anesthesia, neuroscience, and connective-tissue research.

Drawing on decades of operating room experience, Dr. Klingler explains how different parts of the brain disconnect and re-synchronize during altered states, why the "freeze reflex" comes first, and how fascia's responsiveness makes it a living sensory organ rather than inert tissue. Fair warning: Werner gets wonderfully detailed about physiology — but stick with it, because he drops some genuine gems about autonomic "push-ups," why tears cleanse neurotransmitters, and what happens when children wake from anesthesia with wide-open pupils.

In this episode, they discuss:
- The "octopus model" of consciousness — why "altered state" is too simple
- The three pillars of anesthesia: unconsciousness, analgesia, and muscle relaxation
- How breathing and CO₂ levels influence pH, drug effectiveness, and tissue tone
- Why warmth matters: how temperature shifts the load between muscle and connective tissue
- What "autonomic push-ups" teach us about resilience and cyclic training
- The freeze-then-flight reflex pattern and how it shows up under anesthesia
- How emotion and perception shift as anesthesia fades — and why some people wake up sad
- Whether sensation is required for bodywork to be effective (spoiler: tissue effects happen either way)
- Pre- and post-operative care: what bodyworkers can offer surgery patients
- Why fascia is alive — restructuring, remodeling, and central to our sensory and autonomic systems
- The FRECLS project: how practitioners can contribute to international fascia research

Whether you're curious about the neuroscience of deep relaxation, how anesthesia informs hands-on practice, or what happens when different "arms of the octopus" come back online, this conversation offers a rare clinical perspective on the states we work with every day.

✨ Resources
👉 Join the FRECLS project (Fascia Research Consensus and Liaison Statement): https://frecls.org/
👉 Fascia Research Society: https://fasciaresearchsociety.org/
👉 Video version: https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts

✨ Connect with us:
Til Luchau – https://advanced-trainings.com | Facebook | Instagram
Whitney Lowe – https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | Facebook | Twitter

📧 Email us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

156: Lessons from 50 Years (with Benny Vaughn)

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙 Celebrating 50 Years of Massage: Benny Vaughn’s Legacy of Professionalism, Perseverance & Touch

Whitney Lowe sits down with legendary massage therapist Benny Vaughn to celebrate his 50 years in the massage and bodywork profession — a career that helped shape modern sports massage, elevate professional standards, and open doors for generations of practitioners.

From his early years breaking racial barriers in sports medicine to his pioneering integration of massage into collegiate and professional athletics, Benny shares powerful stories of courage, mentorship, and the mindset that turns adversity into purpose.

In this conversation, they explore:
• Benny’s beginnings in track & field and how that led him to massage in 1975
• Integrating massage into university and professional sports programs — and how it changed the field
• Overcoming racial and cultural barriers in the Deep South of the 1970s
• The essential mindset shift for success in massage practice
• Why mentorship matters — and how to approach a mentor with respect
• What Benny hopes the next 50 years of massage will bring

This inspiring retrospective honors one of massage therapy’s most influential pioneers — a practitioner who continues to teach, mentor, and elevate the profession every day.

✨ Learn more about Benny Vaughn:
👉 https://bennyvaughnlifecoach.com/

✨ Watch this episode on YouTube:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts

Sponsor Offers:
• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering thinking at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney’s free Assessment Cheat Sheet at academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet.
• Til’s 2026 Thailand Retreat: use code “thinking” for $100 off Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World at a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/.

✨ Connect with us:
Til Luchau: advanced-trainings.com | facebook.com/advancedtrainings | instagram.com/til.luchau
Whitney Lowe: academyofclinicalmassage.com | facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | twitter.com/whitneylowe

———

The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.

155: The Value of Disgust: What Our Bodies Tell Us About Boundaries & Connection (with Todd Hargrove)

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙A better understanding of the very human emotion of disgust can help us navigate boundaries, empathy, and connection in our hands-on work—and in the wider world.

This week, Til welcomes back Todd Hargrove—Certified Rolfer™, movement educator, and author of A Guide to Better Movement and Playing With Movement. Together they explore one of the most primal, and often least examined, human emotions: disgust.

Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and his years of practice, Todd unpacks disgust as part of our behavioral immune system—a mechanism designed to keep us safe from harm that also influences our moral judgments, client relationships, and social divisions.

In this conversation, they explore:

• How disgust shows up physiologically and emotionally in practitioners and clients

• The difference between protective instinct and unconscious bias

• When disgust serves as a moral compass, and when it drives prejudice or separation

• Practical ways to notice and work with disgust as a signal rather than a verdict

• How turning aversion into curiosity can deepen empathy and compassion in practice

At its heart, this dialogue invites practitioners to see disgust not as something to suppress or be ashamed of, but as a doorway into greater awareness, boundaries, and connection.

✨ Read Todd’s original article on disgust:
👉 https://toddhargrove.substack.com/p/disgust

✨ Learn more about Todd’s books and writing:
👉 https://www.bettermovement.org/books

✨ Watch this episode on YouTube:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@AdvancedTrainings/podcasts

Sponsor Offers:

• Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on https://booksofdiscovery.com/.

• ABMP: save $24 on new membership at https://www.abmp.com/thinking.

• Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at http://a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.

• Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: https://www.academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet/

• Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

✨ Connect with us:
• Til Luchau: https://advanced-trainings.com | https://facebook.com/advancedtrainings | https://instagram.com/til.luchau
• Whitney Lowe: https://academyofclinicalmassage.com | https://facebook.com/WhitneyLowe | https://twitter.com/whitneylowe

———

154: Sacroiliac Joints: The Next Level (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe) Listener Favorite!

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe go deep into the sacroiliac (SI) joints in this listener-favorite rebroadcast of Episode 74, where they unpack anatomy, mechanics, assessment controversies, and treatment strategies. From the relationship between pain, stability, and mobility, to ligamentous support, gait mechanics, and the limits of positional models, they offer both clinical clarity and practical takeaways. Along the way, they share road stories, podcast crossovers, and resources for further learning.

🎧 Listen in for evidence-based insights, hands-on strategies, and nuanced discussion that balances analytical precision with experiential wisdom.

👉Thailand Retreat 2026
Join Til and friends for Finding Balance, an immersive bodywork and movement retreat at a floating retreat center in Thailand. Learn more → https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

🔍Key Points by Time Code:

00:00 – Sponsor, catch-up & travel stories; 2022 Fascia Research Congress
03:13 – Today’s focus: sacroiliac joints; Whitney’s Massage & Bodywork article on SI dysfunction
03:53 – Til’s Ilia/SI online course announcement (now available on demand)
04:50 – Podcast review shout-out: Hands at the Table reviews Til’s course
06:11 – Anatomy tour: interlocking joint surfaces, nociceptors, ligament overview
08:30 – Weight transfer & keystone analogy; iliolumbar, sacrotuberous, sacrospinous ligaments
13:53 – Pain mechanisms: “culprit or victim?” framing
15:00 – Motion at the SI joint: small ROM, often misunderstood
18:01 – Nutation vs. counternutation explained; clinical relevance
24:50 – Assessment: why provocation tests (Laslett cluster) matter more than positional diagnosis
28:58 – Treatment approaches: working with sensitivity, remote-site effects, neural target zones
30:22 – Clinical reasoning: differentiating nerve tension vs. ligament vs. joint capsule
33:20 – Complexity of models vs. simplicity of sensation-first approaches
37:14 – Hypermobility paradox: Ehlers-Danlos and individualized load titration
45:00 – Gait mechanics: contralateral in-/out-flare with each step; self-exploration drills
46:07 – Lateral tilt, functional vs. structural leg-length differences; heel lift caveats
58:43 – Self-care: DonTigny-inspired gentle movement in both directions
59:30 – Course info recap; live & recorded access options
1:00:42 – Closing sponsor; how to find show notes & rate the podcast

Resources:

Article: “Current Concepts in Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction” (free, registration required)
Training: Ilia & SI Joints: Principles
Review: the Hands at the Table podcast hosts dissect an AMT Principles course
Previous TTP SIJ episode: 3: Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations
Whitney’s references:
- Physiotutors web clip on Laslett SI joint test cluster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8txpsqHYpQ&t=197s
- Szadek KM, Hoogland P V., Zuurmond WW, de Lange JJ, Perez RS. Nociceptive Nerve Fibers in the Sacroiliac Joint in Humans. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2008;33(1):36-43. doi:10.1016/j.rapm.2007.07.011
- Bertoldo D, Pirri C, Roviaro B, et al. Pilot study of sacroiliac joint dysfunction treated with a single session of fascial manipulation® method: Clinical implications for effective pain reduction. Med. 2021;57(7):1-11. doi:10.3390/medicina57070691

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

153: Conversations from the 7th Fascial Research Congress (with Robert Schleip, Gil Hedley, & more)

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙In this special episode recorded live at the 7th International Fascial Research Congress in New Orleans, Til Luchau gathers conversations with leading researchers, educators, and practitioners from around the world. From collagen synthesis breakthroughs to fascia typologies, scar tissue management, mental imagery, and integrative perspectives on touch and movement, this episode captures the excitement and connections at the forefront of fascia research.

🔍Interviews by Time Code:

•01:04 — Robert Schleip: Conference spirit, collagen synthesis, ultrasound, and vagus–immune connections •10:01 — Cathy Ryan: Scar tissue management, bridging research and practice, teaching with Healwell & Advanced-Trainings.com •13:45 — Gavin Ruiz: A first-time attendee’s perspective, tendon insights, and applying research as a young therapist •15:42 — Eric Franklin: The Franklin Method, mental imagery, body schema, and the role of touch •21:39 — Sneha Krishna: Making fascia science more accessible, teaching biomechanics, and global connective insights •25:53 — Miriam Wessels & Heike Oellerich: The “fascia code,” Viking vs. Elf body types, treatment implications, and emotional dimensions •37:16 — Gil Hedley: People, embodiment, anatomy as metaphor, and uniting spirituality with embodiment

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

152. Does Pressure Matter? What the Research Says (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙In this intriguing episode, Til and Whitney dig into a recent study that tested the effects of pressure in myofascial release—comparing a traditional pressure-based technique with a light-touch "sham" version. The study measured changes in pain sensitivity, neck mobility, and proprioception.

What did the study find? And what can that teach us about technique, touch, and the therapeutic encounter? Join us as we unpack the design, outcomes, and broader implications of this fascinating study—and reflect on what really makes manual therapy effective.

🔍 Key Topics:

00:47 - Study Introduction - Exploring immediate effects of suboccipital myofascial release on pain thresholds, range of motion, and proprioception
04:38 - Research Design - Comparing pressure-based technique vs. "sham" light touch treatment in 30 healthy adults
08:45 - Sham Treatment Challenges - Why creating control groups is particularly difficult in manual therapy research
12:18 - Measurement Methods - Pain pressure threshold, cervical range of motion, and proprioception repositioning tests
14:58 - Surprising Results - Both pressure and light touch groups showed similar improvements with no statistical difference
18:14 - Contextual Effects - Everything beyond technique that influences outcomes: environment, expectations, touch quality, practitioner skill
19:44 - Technique vs. Context Debate - Does this prove technique doesn't matter, or highlight the importance of how we deliver treatment?
26:16 - Anatomical Considerations - Suboccipital muscles, proprioceptors, and precision-oriented treatment approaches
30:00 - Research Limitations - Small sample size, no follow-up, immediate effects only, practitioner experience factors
34:12 - Clinical Takeaways - The "magic" of touch and importance of human connection in therapeutic outcomes

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

151: Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 07:51:18 -0700

🎙What does it mean to find balance—when the world around us feels anything but balanced? Til and Whitney explore the many meanings of “balance,” from physical coordination and structural asymmetry to emotional regulation, interoception, and life rhythm. Drawing on neuroscience, somatics, and their own experience as bodyworkers, they reflect on how balance isn’t a fixed point—but a dynamic process of continual adaptation.

Whether you’re a practitioner looking to stay grounded in caregiving roles, or just navigating modern overwhelm, this episode offers practical insights and embodied metaphors to help you stay centered.

✨ Inspired by Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Sign up now with a $350 deposit, and use code “thinking” for $100: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

🔍 Key Topics:

•00:00 – What “balance” means in the body and beyond •04:20 – Balance as movement, not stillness •08:00 – Vestibular systems and the emotional brain (Hitier et al., 2014) •12:15 – Why imbalance is fertile ground for growth (Kelso & Engström, 2006) •15:30 – The body as metaphor for internal regulation •18:05 – Interoception as a compass for emotional balance (Mehling et al., 2012) •22:40 – Is symmetry the goal—or functional asymmetry? •26:50 – Giving and receiving: how practitioners stay balanced •31:00 – Tech vs. touch: what really heals? •34:20 – Work/life balance and showing up for clients •37:10 – Micro-practices: balance in everyday moments •40:30 – Retreat as a reset: what stepping away reveals •44:15 – Closing reflections + details about the Thailand retreat

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

•Hitier, M., Besnard, S., & Smith, P. F. (2014). Vestibular pathways involved in cognition. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 8, 59. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2014.00059 •Slomo – A short documentary about Dr. John Kitchin’s journey toward balance and meaning. https://vimeo.com/channels/5pointpicks/90655826 •Adachi, Kendra. The Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Rest, Peace, and Purpose (2024) – A practical and compassionate approach to designing a life that works for you. https://www.amazon.com/Plan-Step-Step-Guide-Purpose/dp/0593578502

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Til’s upcoming retreat, Finding Balance in an Out-of-Balance World, happening March 2026 in Thailand. Use code “thinking” for $100 off: https://a-t.tv/thailand-retreat-2026/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

150: Listener Favorite: Fascia, Fitness, and Feeling (with Robert Schleip)

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 02:00:00 -0700

Rebroadcast: One of our most popular episodes (Ep 45), shared again in honor of the upcoming Fascia Research Congress.

🎙In this lively and far-reaching conversation, fascia researcher and manual therapy pioneer Robert Schleip returns to talk with Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe about the newly expanded second edition of Fascia in Sport and Movement. They explore what’s new in fascia science, how manual therapy and movement are evolving, and how fascia functions as a sensory and fluid-regulating organ. Along the way, Schleip shares stories, research, and a few surprises.

🔍 Key Topics:

•0:00 — Til’s choice to publish with Handspring (and Robert’s role in that decision) •2:02 — Introducing Robert Schleip: Rolfing, Feldenkrais, and fascia science •5:46 — Relevance of Fascia in Sport and Movement for manual therapists •8:36 — From bodywork to movement: integrating motor learning and fascia fitness •12:47 — Fascia fitness origins and the shift toward bounce, play, and variety •18:15 — Fascia as a sensory organ: 250 million sensory nerve endings •22:10 — Surprising differences in innervation between skin and fascia •26:58 — Free nerve endings, pain perception, and autonomic connections •29:41 — Sympathetic regulation and its role in fluid dynamics and recovery •35:25 — Balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic input through varied movement •40:18 — Resilience, trauma, and adaptation (with nods to Porges and Levine) •45:19 — Can we really change fascia? Revisiting IT bands and foam rolling •50:34 — Hyaluronan, hydration, and viscosity: another mechanism for change •57:36 — A story of facial nerve recovery, social engagement, and baby therapy •1:01:31 — Touching water: fascia, sponginess, and inspiring clients to move •1:06:54 — Elegant stair dancing and everyday movement integration •1:10:30 — Resources, shoutouts, and where to learn more from Robert

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Book: Fascia in Sport & Movement at Handspring (Get 15% off with coupon code TTP)
fasciaresearch.de
somatics.de
Fascia Research Society

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

149: Bodywork through the Polyvagal Lens (with Stephen Porges)

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙In this episode, Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe speak with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of Polyvagal Theory. Together, they explore how our nervous systems respond to cues of safety, how touch can support regulation and connection, and what all this means for bodyworkers and manual therapists.

Dr. Porges shares the latest thinking on co-regulation, trauma, attunement, and the science of feeling safe—along with practical insights for practitioners working with the body.

🔍 Key Topics:

00:00 – 02:00 Intro, ABMP welcome & framing the Polyvagal lens for bodyworkers
02:00 – 07:00 Early research with Peter Levine and John Cottingham: how structural shifts (pelvic tilt, fascia work) alter autonomic regulation
07:00 – 12:00 Evolutionary foundations: fascia types, diaphragm function, and the hierarchy of autonomic response
12:00 – 17:00 Facial expressivity, voice prosody, and breathing as channels of co‑regulation
17:00 – 22:00 Identifying autonomic states (“tightly wrapped” bodies) and choosing when—not just where—to touch
22:00 – 27:00 The Body Perception Questionnaire: a tool for mapping clients’ interoceptive awareness
27:00 – 32:00 Trauma, autonomic reactivity, and parsing traumatic events vs. responses
32:00 – 37:00 The Safe and Sound Protocol: acoustic interventions for nervous system safety
37:00 – 42:00 Vagal “hacking” misconceptions: why rhythm and safety signals matter more than stimulation
42:00 – 47:00 Feedback loops: tissue ↔ nervous system ↔ fascia → chronic pain
47:00 – 52:00 Therapist intuition: physiological co‑regulation, broadcasting accessibility, therapist self‑state
52:00 – 57:00 Finding safety in a chaotic world: why therapists need safe colleagues and co‑regulation too
57:00 – 60:00+ New resources: Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety, the Norton-edited somatic therapies volume, Safe & Sound Protocol book, Our Polyvagal World

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety

Stephen W. Porges (2022)

A foundational, peer-reviewed article exploring how our nervous system detects safety and threat.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2022.871227

• Somatic-Oriented Therapies: Embodiment, Trauma, and Polyvagal Perspectives

Edited by H. Grassmann, M. Stupiggia & S. W. Porges (2025)

A rich collection on body-centered therapy approaches and trauma healing through a Polyvagal lens.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324052724

• Safe and Sound: A Polyvagal Approach for Connection, Change, and Healing

Stephen W. Porges & Karen Onderko (2025, Audiobook)

A warm, practical guide to healing and connection through nervous system regulation.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Safe-Sound-Polyvagal-Approach-Connection/dp/B0DGGZLJ3J

• Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us

Stephen W. Porges & Seth Porges (2023, Audiobook)

A father-son conversation exploring how trauma and safety shape our bodies, brains, and relationships.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CW5CPPFP

• Polyvagal Perspectives: Interventions, Practices, and Strategies

Stephen W. Porges (2024, Audiobook)

Hands-on insights for bringing Polyvagal ideas into therapy, education, and everyday life.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D9PJQC55

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

148: The Vagus Nerve: Buzzword or Biology? (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙From “vagal push-ups” to inflammation to trauma healing, the vagus nerve is everywhere in bodywork and wellness talk—but what does the science actually say? And more importantly, what does this mean in actual practice?

In this episode, Til and Whitney take a grounded, myth-busting look at the vagus nerve’s role in health, relaxation, and hands-on practice. They explore what we can clearly influence through bodywork, what’s misunderstood, and how to work with and think about this vital nerve in our hands-on practices.

🔍 Key Topics:

0:01:50 Introduction to the vagus nerve
0:02:07 Early experiences learning about the vagus nerve
0:03:40 Chair massage and vagal responses
0:03:40 EMT training and vagal response demonstrations
0:04:03 Early research on heart rate variability
0:05:23 Steven Porges and polyvagal theory origins
0:05:46 Anatomical overview of the vagus nerve
0:06:15 Nerve pathways and innervation
0:08:44 Branches to the ear and other body parts
0:08:44 Ventral and dorsal vagus nerve divisions
0:10:01 Parasympathetic nervous system explanation
0:11:11 Evolutionary perspectives on vagal function
0:12:44 Vagal tone and heart rate variability
0:14:38 Mechanisms of heart rate regulation
0:15:04 Breathing and its impact on vagal tone
0:19:47 Breathing techniques for vagal stimulation
0:21:15 Humming, chanting, and vocal effects
0:23:15 Social regulation through sound
0:25:24 Cold exposure and vagal response
0:26:35 Diving reflex
0:27:00 Physiological changes in response to cold
0:28:07 Can we "treat" the vagus nerve?
0:32:27 Limitations of direct nerve manipulation
0:35:14 Holistic approaches to nervous system regulation
0:35:39 Identifying clients who might benefit from vagal tone work
0:36:14 Vagus nerve and inflammation
0:38:12 Changing perspectives on manual therapy approaches
0:39:39 Role of education in treatment
0:41:16 Ear stimulation techniques
0:42:52 Cautions about ear work
0:44:46 Polyvagal theory overview
0:45:59 Criticisms of polyvagal theory
0:46:21 Misconceptions about vagus nerve stimulation
0:49:25 Key takeaways about vagus nerve
0:50:24 Importance of context in nervous system regulation
0:51:49 Comparing vagus nerve to mystique of psoas muscle
0:52:41 Sponsor acknowledgments
0:53:24 Closing remarks and contact information

Resources discussed in this episode:

Article: Luchau, Til: 'Working with the Vagus Nerve' Massage & Bodywork, 2017. https://bit.ly/luchau-workingwiththevagusnerve

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

147: Palpating Fibrosis, Easing Inflammation (with Geoffrey Bove & Holly McMillan)

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙What can trained hands feel in irradiated tissue—and how might that inform both research and practice?

In this episode, Til Luchau and guest cohost Cathy Ryan, RMT, talk with neurobiologist Dr. Geoffrey Bove and manual therapist/speech pathologist Holly McMillan about their collaborative animal study. They explore how massage therapy may influence radiation-induced fibrosis, the use of palpation as a formal outcome, and the challenges of correlating what we feel with what science can measure. This wide-ranging discussion offers practical takeaways for manual therapists working with inflammation, scarring, or post-radiation clients.

Stick around after the outro for a candid “off-mic” bonus segment where Holly describes her hands-on work in surgical oncology settings.

⏱️ Key Topics:
• 00:01:31 – Introductions: Cathy Ryan, Geoffrey Bove, Holly McMillan
• 00:03:09 – Why this study was exciting to manual therapists
• 00:04:18 – Geoffrey Bove on inflammation, nerves, and fibrosis research
• 00:08:14 – Holly: how findings might apply beyond radiation cases
• 00:13:20 – Holly explains what she was feeling for in irradiated limbs
• 00:14:23 – “Buoyancy” and the difficulty of articulating touch-based findings
• 00:18:25 – How palpation findings relate to pathology and imaging
• 00:20:59 – Fibrosis and lymphedema as a clinical continuum
• 00:23:36 – Timing differences in fibrosis between surgery and radiation
• 00:24:52 – Study limitations: assay sensitivity vs. palpation sensitivity
• 00:27:00 – Movement’s role in mitigating radiation effects
• 00:29:00 – The importance of community, alliance, and social touch
• 00:33:27 – Timing of manual therapy before and after radiation
• 00:35:00 – Prevention vs. treatment of fibrosis
• 00:37:18 – What kind of touch is most helpful, and when
• 00:40:00 – Oncology-specific timing considerations for manual therapy
• 00:42:29 – Manual therapy goals in early vs. late stages post-surgery
• 00:44:09 – What practitioners are really touching: inflammation, edema, fibrosis
• 00:45:49 – Apprenticeship vs. protocol-driven training in touch therapy
• 00:47:34 – Final thoughts from Geoffrey and Holly
• 00:50:56 – Bonus: “Off-mic” conversation—Holly’s stories from surgical manual therapy work
• 00:51:09 – Holly describes doing manual therapy in open surgical fields
• 00:52:13 – Avoiding surgery or enabling access through touch
• 00:53:27 – “Sun-dried tomato” vs. “beef jerky”: metaphors for tissue change
• 00:54:15 – Scar tissue, fibrosis, nociceptors, and innervation
• 00:55:57 – The gap between pain-focused and function-focused care
• 00:57:08 – “The Diary of Holly” and the value of descriptive clinical cases

Resources discussed in this episode:

Study:
- Bove, G. M., McMillan, H., & Barbe, M. F. (2024). Evaluating massage therapy for radiation-induced fibrosis in rats: preliminary findings and palpation results. Cancer Biology & Therapy, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15384047.2024.2436694
  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15384047.2024.2436694 and supplemental file https://advanced-trainings.com/materials_ttp/147_bove_supplemental_kcbt_a_2436694_sm2290.pdf
Also mentioned in this episode:
- McMillan, H., Barbon, C. E. A., Cardoso, R., Sedory, A., Buoy, S., Porsche, C., Savage, K., Mayo, L., & Hutcheson, K. A. (2022). Manual Therapy for Patients With Radiation-Associated Trismus After Head and Neck Cancer. JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery, 148(5), 418–425. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2022.0082
- Hutcheson, K., McMillan, H., Warneke, C., Porsche, C., Savage, K., Buoy, S., Wang, J., Woodman, K., Lai, S., & Fuller, C. (2021). Manual Therapy for Fibrosis-Related Late Effect Dysphagia in head and neck cancer survivors: the pilot MANTLE trial. BMJ open, 11(8), e047830. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047830
- McMillan, H., Warneke, C. L., Buoy, S., Porsche, C., Savage, K., Lai, S. Y., Fuller, C. D., & Hutcheson, K. A. (2025). Manual Therapy for Fibrosis-Related Late Effect Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors: The MANTLE Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery, 151(4), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2024.5157

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

🎁 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

146: Inflammation, Touch, & the Grieving Body (with Mary-Frances O’Connor)

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙Grief is not just an emotion—it’s a full-body experience. In this episode, Til Luchau talks with neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Body, about how grief changes the brain, affects inflammation, and alters our physiology. They explore how attachment loss rewires the brain, how inflammatory responses shape behavior and mood, and how the body experiences grief via physical sensations.

They also discuss the role of touch, bodywork, and therapeutic presence in supporting people through grief, and together they reflect on the profound connections between grief, the body, and the healing power of human connection.

🔍 Key Topics:

04:30 – Grief and the brain: What happens in the mind-body connection
10:45 – Grief is not toxic: A new understanding of pain and loss
16:00 – How inflammation shapes behavior and mood in grief
24:00 – Attachment loss and the nervous system: Polyvagal insights
32:45 – The physical sensations of grief: aches, tension, and holding patterns
38:00 – Touch as co-regulation: What bodywork can offer in grief
44:15 – Grief as a lifelong, embodied process, not something to get over
50:10 – Practical insights for bodyworkers supporting grieving clients
55:30 – How understanding the body’s role in grief can transform our approach

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Two of Mary-Frances O’Connor's books:
- The Grieving Brain https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-grieving-brain-mary-frances-oconnor
- The Grieving Body https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-grieving-body-mary-frances-oconnor

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

145: Can Discs Heal? (with Stuart McGill)

Wed, 28 May 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙 World-renowned spine expert Dr. Stuart McGill returns for a deep dive into the complexities of disc healing and adaptation, back pain mechanics, and what manual and movement therapists need to understand about spinal loading, adaptation, and practitioner longevity. In this rich and wide-ranging conversation with Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe, Dr. McGill offers both cutting-edge science and practical insights for helping clients—and ourselves—move with more strength, resilience, and less pain.

🔍 Key Topics:

(04:43) Can Discs Heal or Adapt? – What the science says about disc recovery and tissue response.
(09:47) Posture vs. Load-Driven Pain – Simple tests to differentiate pain sources.
(14:12) Disc Architecture & Adaptation – Why discs don’t respond like tendons.
(19:38) Mobility vs. Load Capacity – The trade-offs between flexibility and strength.
(25:41) Disc Bulges, Schmorl’s Nodes & End Plate Damage – How structure influences symptoms.
(32:10) McKenzie Techniques: When They Work & When They Don’t – What recent studies reveal.
(41:19) Grooving New Movement Patterns – Lasting change requires more than mobility.
(45:57) The Biological Spectrum – Why not all bodies adapt the same.
(52:55) Long Fascial Chains & Functional Release – Lessons from the fascia world.
(59:00) Chronic vs. Repeated Acute Pain – Empowering clients through precision assessment.
(1:00:13) Bodyworker Longevity & Spinal Mechanics – How therapists can protect their own backs.

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us! info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Stuart McGill's site: https://backfitpro.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

144: Fascia, Emotion, Inflammation, & Attention (with Robert Schleip)

Wed, 14 May 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙In this thought-provoking episode, Til and Whitney welcome back fascia researcher Robert Schleip to explore the evolving science behind fascia’s role in emotional regulation, inflammation, and sensory experience. They dive into Schleip’s keynote for the upcoming 7th International Fascia Research Congress and discuss emerging research on fascia as a dynamic neuro-immune interface.

Robert shares his updates on fascinating insights into attention, depression, touch, circadian rhythms, and how fascia may bridge body and mind in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

🕑 Key Topics

04:15 – Schleip’s keynote preview: fascia, emotion, and immune interaction
06:09 – The new direction of the 2025 Fascia Research Congress
07:55 – Polyvagal theory and fascia: Schleip on Porges and the vagus nerve
12:15 – Fascia and depression: new findings on thickened epimysium
20:47 – Foam rolling, mindful attention, and emotional filtering in depression
26:12 – Reticular formation, attention, and touch outcomes
32:07 – Therapist vs client attention: new data on treatment impact
37:12 – The history and evolution of the Fascia Research Congress
44:04 – Fascia, safety, and perceptual context
48:00 – Sliding fascia and emotional stress: 48-hour delay and resilience
51:40 – New paradigm: from force transmission to circadian rhythms and synthesis
56:21 – Schleip’s takeaway: return to wonder and curiosity under the stars

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery, with in-kind support from the Fascia Research Society

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Fascia & depression study: Michalak J, Aranmolate L, Bonn A, Grandin K, Schleip R, et al. (2021) Myofascial Tissue and Depression, Cognitive Therapy and Research – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8688142/
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "THINKING" at https://www.frscongress.org/

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

143: Palliative Massage is for Everyone (with Cal Cates)

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙Cal Cates returns to The Thinking Practitioner to explore the essential role massage therapy can play in palliative and end-of-life care. In conversation with Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe, Cal shares practical insights, personal stories, and the philosophy behind Healwell’s innovative mPATH training program. Together they unpack ways that all massage therapists and bodyworkers can better support patients, caregivers, and care teams—not by fixing, but by listening, noticing, and showing up with presence.

🌟 Key Topics:

[04:37] What is palliative care—and where massage therapy fits
[07:15] The cultural fear of dying and how it limits care
[11:38] Common assumptions therapists make about palliative care
[13:21] Massage therapy is palliative care—philosophically and practically
[16:36] Caregiver stress: why the family is the “unit of care”
[20:23] Communication as the primary intervention in palliative settings
[24:06] How therapeutic touch invites emotional openness
[25:44] Self-regulation and presence as clinical skills
[31:38] Cal’s personal story: how they began this work
[36:39] Are we making progress as a culture in facing death?
[38:37] Skills and mindsets bodyworkers can cultivate
[46:16] The mPATH program: advanced training for palliative care massage
[52:21] What can go wrong without proper preparation
[57:13] Technique is important—but presence makes it land
[58:17] Resources and where to learn more

💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery, with in-kind support from the Fascia Research Society

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Healwell's mPATH program: https://Healwell.org/mPATH
Cal's recommendations
- Palliative Touch by Cindy Spence
- Oncology Massage: An Integrative Approach to Cancer Care by Rebecca Sturgeon and Janet Penny
- Massage Therapy and Medical Conditions: a Decision Tree Approach by Tracy Walton
- Vital Talk
- The Center to Advance Palliative Care
- Mandy Bartolovich on the Folding Towels podcast talking about pediatric palliative massage work and her research.
- Friday Chalk Talk - Palliative Care

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "thinking" at https://www.frscongress.org/

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

142: Fascia and the Vagus Nerve (with Fabiana Silva)

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙Til Luchau speaks with physiotherapist and fascia researcher Fabiana Silva about the emerging connections between fascia, the vagus nerve, and systemic inflammation. They explore both the science and the practical applications of manual therapy, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, and the challenges of clinical research in the hands-on healing arts. Fabiana is also the President of the Fascia Research Society, and shares highlights from the upcoming 2025 Fascia Research Congress in New Orleans.

🎧 Tune in to learn how fascia influences vagal tone, inflammation, mood, and more — and how practitioners can work more effectively with these systems.

🌟 Key Topics:

•[02:59] Introduction to fascia and the vagus nerve connection •[05:02] Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and clinical uses •[07:27] Vagus nerve’s role in inflammation and chronic illness •[09:48] Manual therapy, breathwork, and vagal tone •[12:26] Fascia as sensory interface and its impact on vagal signaling •[20:10] Hands-on techniques: suboccipital and gut fascia release •[23:33] Challenges in manual therapy research •[28:29] Predatory journals and the need for better fascia research •[33:59] Fascia Research Congress 2025: what’s coming up •[37:51] Building community and collaboration in the fascia field •[41:37] Fabiana’s closing thoughts on the future of fascia research

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💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery, with in-kind support from the Fascia Research Society

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 7th International Fascia Research Congress, August 10–14, 2025: https://www.frscongress.org/
Fascia Research Society: https://fasciaresearchsociety.org/

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
Fascia Research Congress: save $100 when you use the coupon code "thinking" at https://www.frscongress.org/

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

141: Massage in Integrative Healthcare (with Dale Healey)

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 02:00:00 -0700

In this illuminating episode of The Thinking Practitioner, Whitney Lowe sits down with Dale Healey, a leading expert in integrative healthcare, to explore the evolving role of massage therapy in modern medical settings. Healey shares profound insights into interprofessional collaboration, the potential of massage therapy in healthcare, and how practitioners can become more effective advocates for whole-person care.
Key Topics:

0:07:00 Defining Integrative Healthcare
0:22:30 The Role of Massage in Medical Settings
0:34:00 Challenges in Massage Therapy Education
0:42:00 Building Relationships Across Healthcare Disciplines
0:45:30 Strategies for Massage Therapists to Expand Their Impact

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💡 Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

140: Embodied Attention: Contact Improvisation and Bodywork (with Nita Little)

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0700

🎙How does touch shape our perception, our movement, and our connection with others? In this fascinating conversation, Til Luchau welcomes movement pioneer Nita Little, a foundational figure in Contact Improvisation dance, for a deep dive into the world of touch, movement, and attention. Join them as they explore the ways that touch is a language, why attention transforms both bodywork and movement, and how embracing uncertainty can expand our understanding of presence and connection.

Their conversation also touches on the challenges of aging, the importance of imagination, and the potential of touch to expand our identity and sense of self, and offers transformative insights for bodyworkers, dancers, and anyone curious about human interaction.

🌟 Key Topics:

•The Origins of Contact Improvisation Dance (02:21) – How Nita’s work with Steve Paxton helped shape a new movement form.

•Reflexive Action & Improvisational Touch (07:13) – How instinctive movement informs our interactions.

•Touch as a Language (10:36) – Understanding touch beyond technique, and instead, as a dynamic dialogue.

•The Eternal Moment & Presence in Touch (17:23) – How touch can alter our perception of time.

•Boundaries, Social Norms, and Touch (35:09) – Expanding our understanding of what’s possible.

•Proprioception & The Mind-Body Connection (44:18) – Exploring movement beyond conscious control.

•Aging & Touch (55:39) – How embodied attention supports lifelong movement and adaptability.
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💡 Join the Conversation: How has embodied attention, dance, or improvisation influenced your practice? Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Nita's site: https://www.nitalittle.com/

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

139: Scoliosis: Lessons for Every Back (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 02:00:00 -0800

🎙Scoliosis can offer valuable insights into working with the spine, and the same principles can be applied to anyone dealing with stiffness, back pain, postural issues, or mobility challenges.

In this deep-dive update, Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau explore the latest perspectives on scoliosis, debunk common myths, and discuss how hands-on therapy can support mobility and comfort.

Drawing from their decades of experience, Whitney and Til discuss the differences between adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and adult-onset scoliosis, the role of strength and balance training, and why spinal curvature doesn’t necessarily mean more pain. They also examine the impact of body image, surgical considerations, and how touch- and movement-based strategies can provide lasting benefits for all clients, not just those with scoliosis.

🌟 Highlights:

•Scoliosis Overview & Common Misconceptions (02:50) – Understanding spinal curvature: causes,.

•Structural vs. Functional Scoliosis Debate (15:34) – Rethinking traditional perspectives on treatment.

•Scoliosis and Pain: The Surprising Truth (22:39) – Why people with scoliosis don’t necessarily experience more pain.

•Manual Therapy Approaches (38:20) – How bodywork can help.

•The Role of Proprioception & Movement Options (44:18) – Helping clients refine their body awareness for better function.

•Working with Clients’ Goals (45:25) – Aligning treatment strategies with what truly matters to each individual.

•Surgical Considerations & Working with Rods (51:03) – What hands-on therapists need to know about post-surgical scoliosis care.

•The Importance of Strength & Balance Training (56:55) – How conditioning and proprioceptive exercises can help manage scoliosis.

💡 Join the Conversation: What’s your experience with scoliosis and manual therapy? Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

Episode image thanks to Helmut Hillenkamp, used by permission. An earlier version of their deep-dive conversation first aired as Episode 7.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Til Luchau's "SCOLIOSIS & Spinal Adaptability" course and free intro: https://bit.ly/scolilive25
John P. Kostuik and John Bentivoglio, “The Incidence of Low-Back Pain in Adult Scoliosis,” Spine 6, no. 3 (May/June 1981): 268–73, https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-198105000-00009 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6455747
Schwab et al., “Adult Scoliosis: Prevalence, SF-36, and Nutritional Parameters in an Elderly Volunteer Population,” Spine 30, no. 9 (May 2005): 1082–85, https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brs.0000160842.43482.cd. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15864163
https://www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

138: Carpal Tunnel Crash Course (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common nerve compression issues—but how can massage and manual therapy help? In this in-depth episode, Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau break down the anatomy, risk factors, and assessment strategies for carpal tunnel syndrome, exploring its causes, differential diagnosis, and effective hands-on approaches. They discuss the importance of nerve mobility, client education, and activity modifications to relieve symptoms and improve function.

Whether you’re a hands-on therapist looking to refine your treatment strategies, or someone experiencing wrist and hand discomfort, this episode offers valuable insights into understanding and managing carpal tunnel syndrome.

🌟 Highlights:

•Carpal Tunnel Basics (02:50) – Understanding the anatomy and mechanics of nerve compression.

•Risk Factors (04:00) – Why some people are more prone to carpal tunnel syndrome.

•Differential Diagnosis (12:00) – How to distinguish carpal tunnel from other nerve compression issues.

•Assessment Questions and Tests (13:40) – Key evaluation techniques to identify carpal tunnel syndrome.

•Nerve Fiber Distribution and Symptom Progression (18:30) – How symptoms develop and why sensory signs appear first.

•Soft Tissue Goals (21:40) – The role of manual therapy in relieving pressure and improving mobility.

•Activity Modification and Client Education (31:30) – Helping clients make lasting changes to prevent symptom recurrence.

•Night Splinting and Nerve Healing (38:00) – How positioning at night can aid recovery.

•Nerve Gliding and Neurodynamics (43:50) – Gentle movement strategies to improve nerve function.

•Massage and Manual Therapy Outcomes (54:10) – Research-backed benefits of hands-on treatment.

💡 Join the Conversation: Have experience working with carpal tunnel syndrome or dealing with it yourself? Share your story with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

Episode image ©Primal Pictures, used by permission.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Til's carpal tunnel ball technique: Advanced Myofascial Techniques, volume 1

• Research into massage and manual therapy's effectiveness with CTS:

1. Reduction of Pain and Symptoms

•Massage Therapy: A 2013 study evaluated the efficacy of massage therapy as a treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), finding it beneficial in reducing pain and improving function.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23768278

•Manual Therapy: A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of manual therapy on pain and physical function in CTS patients, concluding that manual therapy can significantly reduce pain intensity and improve hand function.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00264-021-05272-2
2. Improvement in Median Nerve Function

•A 2017 systematic review analyzed the effectiveness of nerve gliding exercises on CTS, indicating improvements in nerve conduction and symptom severity.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27842937
3. Decreased Swelling

•An article from Medical News Today discusses that massage therapy can improve lymphatic drainage and reduce swelling in the carpal tunnel area, which may help alleviate pressure on the median nerve.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/carpal-tunnel-massage
4. Improved Grip Strength and Function

•A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis found that manual therapy effectively improves physical function in CTS patients.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00264-021-05272-2
5. Enhanced Overall Quality of Life

•The American Massage Therapy Association notes that massage therapy can be of great benefit for people dealing with pain from carpal tunnel syndrome, potentially improving their quality of life.

https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/massage-and-carpal-tunnel-syndrome

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

137: Remembering Erik Dalton (with Tom Myers, Art Riggs, & more)

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 02:00:00 -0800

This episode of The Thinking Practitioner Podcast pays tribute to the life and legacy of Erik Dalton, a pioneering figure in the massage and manual therapy field who recently passed away. Through conversations with some of those who knew him best, we gain insight into Dalton's unique contributions, innovative approaches, and profound impact on the profession.

Key Topics:

Introduction and overview of Dalton's background and influence (0:00 - 5:00)
Reflections from Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains (5:00 - 11:40)
Insights from James Waslaski, international lecturer and author (11:40 - 15:00)
Memories shared by Diane Matkowski, the "Massage Mentor" (15:00 - 19:30)
Perspective from Eric Brown, consultant for Dalton's business (19:30 - 24:00)
Stories and tributes from Jim Asher, Dalton's Rolfing teacher (24:00 - 29:00)
Personal accounts from Tammy McCue, senior educator for Dalton's work (29:00 - 34:00)
Reflections from Art Riggs, bodyworker and teacher (34:00 - 40:00)
Insights from Paul Kelly, longtime collaborator with Dalton (40:00 - 50:00)
Closing thoughts and information about the podcast's sponsors (50:00 - 57:00)

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

136: Season 5 Highlights (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

In this special retrospective episode of The Thinking Practitioner, Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau look back season five's thought-provoking discussions, expert interviews, and groundbreaking insights into the world of massage therapy and bodywork. Reflecting on their most impactful episodes and a guest list that included Tom Myers, Sharon Wheeler, Jill Cook, Antonio Stecco, Greg Lehman and more, they explore highlights such as pain science with Lorimer Moseley, innovative anatomical approaches with Gil Hedley, and Til's profound personal and professional journey through grief. With a mix of deep dives into manual therapy techniques and candid personal stories, this episode celebrates the depth and breadth of the profession and the podcast’s community.

Key Topics and Time Codes:

•[00:01:00] Introduction and celebrating five seasons of The Thinking Practitioner.

•[00:04:00] Reflections on how bodywork has personally transformed Whitney and Til over the years (Episode 134).

•[00:06:00] Gil Hedley’s overview of cranial nerves, and his groundbreaking Nerve Tour (Episode 110).

•[00:10:35] Highlights from the conversation with Lorimer Moseley on explaining pain (Episode 111).

•[00:15:20] Insights into proprioception and fascia from Rochelle Clausen and Nicole Trombley (Episode 119).

•[00:17:00] "Movement optimism" with Greg Lehman and rethinking rehabilitation (Episode 114).

•[00:20:20] Rolfer Sharon Wheeler discusses the legacy of her ScarWork and Bone Work (Episode 133).

•[00:25:00] Low back pain updates: A practical discussion on treatment and understanding (Episode 127).

•[00:30:00] Reflections on grief and its profound impact on personal and professional life (Episodes 125, 130, and 132).

•[00:33:00] Jill Cook’s insights into tendon pain and the evolving understanding of tendinopathy (Episode 128).

•[00:36:30] Celebrating the diversity of guests, their contributions to the field.

•[00:38:00] Looking forward to Season 6 and inviting listener input for future episodes.

Join us for a heartfelt and inspiring look back at the evolution of The Thinking Practitioner and a preview of what’s to come in Season 6.

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

135: The Neuroscience of Bodywork (with Mark Olson)

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau welcome Dr. Mark Olson, a neuroscientist and massage practitioner, for an engaging conversation about the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, trauma, and massage therapy. Dr. Olson shares insights into the complex processes of pain perception, the role of descending modulation, and how manual therapy can create lasting impacts beyond any tissue effects. The trio dives deep into practical applications for massage therapists, addressing divergent views around posture, nociception, and the impact of environment and interpersonal dynamics on client care. This episode will leave you inspired to deepen your practice and reconsider how you approach pain and trauma in the treatment room.

Key Topics:

•[00:03:18] Introduction to Dr. Mark Olson and his background in neuroscience and massage.

•[00:06:24] Overview of nerve processing: sensory input, motor output, and top-down vs. bottom-up influences.

•[00:12:00] Ascending vs. descending modulation: What they mean and how they affect pain perception.

•[00:20:30] Understanding pain as a perception of danger rather than tissue injury.

•[00:33:35] Defining trauma-informed care and its importance for manual therapists.

•[00:36:45] Recognizing developmental and shock trauma in practice.

•[00:45:43] Exploring myths around posture and its relationship to pain.

•[00:54:26] Practical advice for integrating neuroscience into manual therapy practice.

Tune in to gain practical tools for fostering safety, understanding pain, and transforming your approach to bodywork.

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Mark Olson's site: https://www.dr-olson.com
Pain CE Course page: https://www.dr-olson.com/pain-posture-bodywork-register
Trauma CE Course page: https://www.dr-olson.com/trauma-informed-care-register

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

134: How Bodywork Changed Our Lives (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

In this reflective anniversary episode, hosts Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau take a heartfelt look at the transformative impact of massage and manual therapy—both personally and professionally. Sharing stories from their own journeys into the field, lessons learned from clients, and transformative bodywork experiences, they explore how this work profoundly shapes lives.

The conversation touches on balancing professional demands with personal growth, the joys and challenges of teaching, and the deeper connections formed through touch. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or just starting, this episode offers inspiration, insight, and a celebration of the unique power of this work.

🌟 Highlights:

•Podcast Anniversary and Reflection (00:56): Celebrating milestones and revisiting the podcast’s journey.

•Whitney and Til’s Journeys into Bodywork (02:51, 06:49): Their unique paths into the field and what inspired them to stay.

•The Transformative Power of Massage Therapy (09:58): Exploring how massage changes lives—both clients’ and practitioners’.

•Lessons Learned from Clients (16:25): Profound insights gained from working closely with clients.

•Receiving Bodywork: Personal Transformations (21:47): Whitney and Til recount their most impactful bodywork experiences.

•From Practitioner to Teacher (25:54): Transitioning into teaching and sharing the work with others.

•Balancing Work and Wellbeing (33:15): How to navigate the emotional and physical demands of the profession.

💡 Listeners: Share your story! How has massage or manual therapy changed your life? Send a message or voice recording to us at info@thethinkingpractitioner.com — we’d love to hear from you and maybe even feature your story in a future episode.

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

133: ScarWork: Origins and Legacy (with Sharon Wheeler & Wojtek Cackowski)

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 02:00:00 -0800

💥Just a few openings left! Thailand Retreat, Feb 22-Mar 5
Advanced Myofascial Techniques, ScarWork, Zoga Movement, and Contact Improvisation https://advanced-trainings.com/thailand-retreat-2025/
----- In this special episode, Til Luchau is joined by the Sharon Wheeler, a Structural Integration pioneer who trained under Dr. Ida P. Rolf and later developed the popular methodologies of ScarWork and BoneWork. Sharon shares captivating stories from her time at the iconic Esalen Institute, her unique experiences with Dr. Rolf, and how her innovative techniques emerged from an intuitive understanding of the body. Learn about the power of light touch in addressing scars and bones, hear about Sharon’s global teaching journey, and learn how her methods are creating lasting change for practitioners and clients alike. Joined by guest Wojtek Cackowski, the conversation dives into the mystery and magic of manual therapy, offering fresh insights for anyone interested in the art and science of healing.

🌟 Highlights: •Sharon’s Fascinating Path to Structural Integration and Beyond (02:02): Stories of Esalen Institute, dancing in San Francisco, and meeting Dr. Ida Rolf. •How ScarWork Was Originated (20:05): Sharon’s journey of discovery while treating scars and the incredible results achieved with light touch. •The Principles of BoneWork (49:25): Addressing bone structure and mobility with innovative, gentle techniques. •Lessons from Esalen and Dr. Rolf (12:15): Early influences and Sharon’s unexpected acceptance into Rolf’s training program. •The Global Impact of Sharon’s Work (57:24): Teaching ScarWork and BoneWork worldwide, including in Ukraine. 📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery ✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sharon's site: sharonwheeler.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

132: Bodywork and Grief (with Ronna Moore)

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of massage therapy, grief, caretaking, and end-of-life. We touch on global palliative care practices, the role of touch in support for those experiencing grief, navigating sensitive conversations, and creating safe spaces for clients. Our guest, Ronna Moore, a massage therapist with over 40 years of experience, specializes in oncology and palliative care, and is pursuing a doctorate in public health focusing on the role of massage therapy in palliative care. Join us to gain insights into shifting therapeutic mindsets and exploring practical resources to support those experiencing loss.

Key Topics

01:19 Guest Introduction and Personal Connection
02:08 Exploring Grief and Loss in Massage Therapy
03:43 Understanding Palliative Care
05:22 Palliative Care Practices in Different Countries
23:16 The Role of Touch in Therapy
35:18 Role-Playing Therapeutic Conversations
36:46 Navigating Grief in Therapy
37:48 The Importance of Sensitivity
38:10 Avoiding Unhelpful Phrases
39:12 The Paradox of Comfort
40:15 Shifting the Therapist Mindset
47:05 Creating a Safe Space
50:01 Understanding Grief Models
54:46 Resources and Final Thoughts

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Ronna's grief recommendations:

Frank Osteseski’s book The Five Intentions is a really valuable guide/resource for me in palliative care and its ‘aftermath'.

I also appreciate Ronald Epstein’s book: Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity

Mary-Frances O’Connor: The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

Mary-Frances O’Connor: The Grieving Body (to be published in 2025)

George Bonnano: The Other Side of Sadness AND George Bonnano: The End of Trauma (both of these have a resilience orientation which appeals to me).

TED talk by Abraham Vergehese emphasising the humanity of care.

Articles:

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-26629-017. (A polyvagal approach)

O’Connor, M.-F. (2019). Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81(8), 731–738. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000717

O’Connor, M.-F., & Seeley, S. H. (2022). Grieving as a form of learning: Insights from neuroscience applied to grief and loss. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 317–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.019

In Australia, we have a professional body called Grief Australia which is a great resource for PD/education (amongst other things). Perhaps there is something similar in the US.

https://www.caresearch.com.au/Portals/20/Documents/Health-Professionals/TheRoleOfSkilledCompassionateTouchInGriefSupport_RonnaMoore_ACGBConference2018-1.pdf

What's Your Grief (you have already) has some good descriptions of the models of grief I mentioned (Dual Process Model and Growing around Grief), and there are others as well.

Compassion Cultivation Training: https://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/education/cme/cct.html

Mindful Self Compassion: https://centerformsc.org

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

131: Mindfulness, Hands-On Therapy, and Pain (with Bronnie Lennox Thompson)

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0800

In this episode Til Luchau interviews Bronnie Lennox Thompson, a pain management expert from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Bronnie shares insights on supporting people with chronic pain to live well, emphasizing pain’s complexity as a personal, multi-dimensional experience. They discuss the value of hands-on therapy, discussing both physical benefits and its comforting, human connection.

The conversation highlights mindfulness as a tool for managing chronic pain, extending beyond meditation to include simple, everyday practices. Bronnie and Til explain how mindfulness helps people observe pain without reacting, fostering a healthier relationship with their bodies. Bronnie also shares her personal approach to mindfulness through activities like walking and savoring positive moments. This episode offers practical advice for both therapists and anyone seeking a mindful, compassionate approach to managing pain.

Key Topics:

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:16 Sponsorship and Special Offers
02:04 Guest Introduction: Dr. Bronnie Lennox Thompson
02:15 Exploring Pain and Mindfulness
05:40 Personal Journey with Pain
08:59 The Role of Hands-On Therapy
19:16 Mindfulness in Clinical Practice
25:13 History and Science of Mindfulness
39:17 Responding vs. Reacting: The Power of Mindfulness
40:12 Practical Applications for Manual Therapists
41:08 Guiding Clients Through Sensory Awareness
42:11 Exploring Sensations and Descriptions
43:38 The Role of Curiosity in Therapy
44:40 Hands-On Techniques and Client Interaction
47:17 Movement and Awareness in Therapy
48:52 Changing Pain Perception Through Attention
51:51 The Therapeutic Session: Beyond Touch
01:00:07 Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
01:06:38 Final Thoughts and Resources

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

University of Otago Postgrad Programmes in Pain
Bronnie Lennox Thompson: Healthskills blog bronwyn.thompson@otago.ac.nz

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

130: The Body of Grief (with JS Park)

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Joon Park, author of "As Long as You Need" discusses grief and its impact on bodyworkers and their clients with Til Luchau. Park, a hospital chaplain, shares his experiences with grief, trauma, and the importance of acknowledging and integrating pain rather than suppressing it. He emphasizes the role of the body in grief, the concept of "letting in" rather than "letting go," and the significance of rituals and community in processing loss. The conversation also touches on the idea of the "intimate stranger" and the therapeutic power of touch and presence.

Key Topics:

•Grief isn’t about “letting go” but “letting in” and honoring the lost. •Societal pressures often encourage suppressing grief. •Parallels between grief and trauma: both require embracing pain rather than avoiding it. •Physical manifestations of grief and the role of bodywork in processing it. •Importance of rituals in grief (including the "ritual" of getting bodywork) for emotional and physical healing. •The significance of community and meaningful connections in combating loneliness. •The “intimate stranger” concept, where trust can build quickly with clients. •Touch as non-verbal "prayer" and support in grief. •Encouraging open conversations about grief and loss, and building authentic relationships.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

JS Park's book: As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve http://aslongasyouneedbook.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

129: Is Your Touch Aging Out? (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

A new study shows that our fingertips lose sensitivity as we age. What are the implications for massage and bodywork practitioners? Tune in and listen as Til and Whitney think it through, and along the way, share fascinating tidbits about tactile sensitivity training, and its relevance to actual practice.

Key Topics:

•Introduction and Sponsor Message (00:00 - 01:30)

•Discussion of Tactile Sensitivity Study (01:30 - 03:30)

•Decline in tactile sensitivity, especially in fingers with age

•Importance of glabrous skin (hairless skin) in mechanoreception

•Mechanoreceptors and Aging (03:30 - 06:00)

•Von Frey monofilament test used to measure sensitivity

•Examples of exercises to improve tactile sensitivity in manual therapy

•Proprioception and Sensory Discrimination (06:00 - 09:00)

•Importance of spatial discrimination in manual therapy

•Stiffness testing for practitioners

•Tactile Acuity and Practice (09:00 - 12:00)

•Training methods for developing tactile sensitivity, including touch games and exercises

•Aging and Mechanoreceptor Deterioration (12:00 - 16:00)

•Impact of aging on nerve function and tissue hydration

•Central processing changes in the brain affecting tactile perception

•Implications for Clients and Practitioners (16:00 - 23:00)

•Loss of sensitivity and its effect on daily activities and manual therapy

•Correlation between pain and reduced tactile sensitivity

•Qualitative vs Quantitative Touch in Therapy (23:00 - 30:00)

•Debate on whether tactile acuity is essential for effective manual therapy

•Importance of qualitative touch and attentiveness in client care

•Social Grooming and Pleasant Touch (30:00 - 38:00)

•The role of pleasant touch in therapy, linked to brain processes

•Sensitivity in non-fingertip areas (forearms, cheeks) and its significance

•Takeaways on Tactile Sensitivity and Aging (38:00 - 45:00)

•Summary of findings on aging and tactile sensitivity

•Importance of listening and touch quality in manual therapy

Get the video and full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com

Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Samain-Aupic, Léonard, Mariama Dione, Edith Ribot-Ciscar, Rochelle Ackerley, and Jean-Marc Aimonetti. “Relations between Tactile Sensitivity of the Finger, Arm, and Cheek Skin over the Lifespan Showing Decline Only on the Finger.” Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 16 (July 2, 2024): 1387136. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1387136.
Bartsch, Katja Martina, Robert Schleip, Alberto Zullo, Kerstin Hoppe, and Werner Klingler. “The Stiffness Comparison Test: A Pilot Study to Determine Inter-Individual Differences in Palpatory Skill Related to Gender, Age, and Occupation-Related Experience.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 24, no. 4 (October 2020): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.009.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

128: Tendon Pain Update (with Jill Cook)

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney interviews tendon expert Dr. Jill Cook, who discusses the current understanding of tendinopathy as a degenerative condition, emphasizing the importance of proper loading in rehabilitation. She explains why she advises against traditional treatments like friction massage and stretching, why anti-inflammatory medications are ineffective, and highlights the risks of certain drugs on tendon health. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Cook provides evidence-based insights for all manual therapists on treating tendinopathies effectively.

Key Topics:

Shift from thinking of tendinopathies as inflammatory conditions to degenerative conditions (03:01 - 04:24)
Factors that contribute to pain in tendinopathies (04:40 - 05:41)
Clinical signs and symptoms of tendinopathy (06:06 - 08:34)
The role of loading and compression in tendon pathology (08:54 - 16:45)
Treatment strategies for tendinopathies, including friction massage and anti-inflammatory medications (19:06 - 31:48)
Medically-induced tendinopathies, such as those caused by fluoroquinolone antibiotics (32:05 - 35:04)
The role of active movement and soft tissue treatments in tendinopathy rehabilitation (35:30 - 38:29)

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Jill Cook: J.Cook@latrobe.edu.au
Fairclough J, Hayashi K, Toumi H, et al. The functional anatomy of the iliotibial band during flexion and extension of the knee: implications for understanding iliotibial band syndrome. J Anat. 2006;208(3):309-316. doi:JOA531 [pii] 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00531.x

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

127: Low Back Pain Update (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Til and Whitney dive into strategies for addressing low back pain (LBP) with hands-on work, exploring LBP's prevalence, causes, and treatments. Sharing the insights they've gained from experts such as Nikolai Bogduk, Stewart McGill, Paul Hodges, Lorimer Moseley, Helene Langevin and Antonio Stecco, they lay out the diverse views on both the structural and non-mechanical origins of LBP. Listeners will also learn about therapeutic approaches, the significance of practitioner confidence, and the importance of comprehensive evaluations. Tune in for a fascinating look at how practitioners and clients alike can better understand and work with low back pain.

Key Topics:

1. Prevalence of low back pain

Over 60-70% of people have episodes of low back pain at some point [01:51]
Leading cause of disability worldwide
Huge economic impact

2. Potential evolutionary factors contributing to low back pain

Transition to bipedalism and upright posture
Differences in spinal curvature and hip mobility between cultures [05:45]

3. Causes and contributors to low back pain - [07:39]

Overemphasis on disc and structural issues in the past
Importance of comprehensive evaluation beyond just structural issues
Role of soft tissue, muscular, and neural factor

4. Influence of practitioner perspective and confidence on outcomes [30:20]

Importance of the therapeutic relationship and rapport
Unexpected interventions can sometimes be effective [35:53]

5. Personal experiences with low back pain

Overuse vs. underuse/immobility as contributors
Debates about the significance of posture, load, and context [41:31]
Limits of expertise vs. scope of practice for massage therapists

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

ABMPs’ CE Summit on LBP: live Oct 1, 2024 and free to everyone in the profession: abmp.com/summit
Portions also available by recording to ABMP members and next year, to A-T Subscribers

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

126: Fascia: A Deep Dive (with Dr. Antonio Stecco, Rebroadcast)

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0700

Til and Whitney speak with fascial researcher, anatomist, and manual therapy teacher Antonio Stecco MD PhD about his research in to fascial properties, pain, and the effects of hands-on work, in this audience-favorite episode from our archives, where it originally ran as Ep. 53.

Key Topics:

Introduction to Dr. Antonio Stecco and his background in fascia research
The role of the Stecco family in advancing fascia research
Differences between superficial fascia and deep fascia
The concept of fascial densification vs. fibrosis
How manual therapy affects fascial lubrication and gliding
The relationship between fascial stiffness/thickness and pain
Mechanisms for long-lasting effects of fascial manipulation
The importance of restoring proper biomechanics, not just treating pain
The role of retinacula in proprioception and joint stability
New MRI techniques for imaging fascial properties
Molecular structure of hyaluronan in fascia
Use of hyaluronidase injections for treating spasticity
Resources for learning more about fascial manipulation

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources discussed in this episode:

Dr Stecco’s research and publications (NYU)
FM app on the Apple Store and Google Play
Dr Stecco’s site: fascialmanipulation.com
Papers mentioned in the episode:
- Gerber et al., “A Systematic Comparison Between Subjects With No Pain and Pain Associated With Active Myofascial Trigger Points.”
- Langevin, Helene M. et al. “Reduced Thoracolumbar Fascia Shear Strain in Human Chronic Low Back Pain.” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 12, no. 1 (December 2011): 203. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-12-203.
- Stecco, Antonio at al. “Ultrasonography in Myofascial Neck Pain: Randomized Clinical Trial for Diagnosis and Follow-Up.” Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 36, no. 3 (April 2014): 243–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1185-2.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

125: Moving with Grief (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️ Grief affects everyone: every person, every practitioner, and every client will lose something important to them, whether it’s their youth, ability, dreams, or a loved one. And so, everyone will grieve.

In this episode, Whitney interviews Til about how the recent loss of his wife has given him a new perspective on grieving, and being with others in grief: what helps, what’s important to know, and how to move with grief, as we feel what needs to be felt, and do the things that need to be done. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to the podcast and sponsors (0:00-1:20)

Til Luchau's personal experience with grief and loss (1:20-5:30)

The importance of self-care for caretakers (5:30-8:30)

Lessons learned from the grief process (8:30-14:55)

Balancing work and personal life during grief (14:55-18:00)

The importance of acknowledging grief in client interactions (18:00-21:00)

Understanding the stages and timeline of grief (21:00-23:30)

Strategies for supporting others dealing with loss (23:30-26:30)

The impact of grief on cognitive function (26:30-31:51)

Final insights and reflections on grief (31:51-37:00)

Closing remarks and sponsor acknowledgements (37:00-39:00)

Resources

Episode 66: Beyond "It Depends" Oncology Massage (with Janet Penny, Rebecca Sturgeon, and Loretta Luchau)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Til Luchau’s “ANKLE Issues” livestream course (live Aug 24-25 '24, or later by recording): advanced-trainings.com/workshop/onl2408m/
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

124: Movement Logic (with Laurel Beversdorf & Sarah Court)

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:29:00 -0700

In this episode Whitney interviews Laurel Beversdorf and Dr. Sarah Court (co-hosts of the Movement Logic Podcast) to talk about movement, exercise, and rehabilitation. They discuss topics such as the misconceptions surrounding strength training and its impact on flexibility and mobility, strength training for women, posture, movement re-education, and the importance of load management, and much more. Check it out now!

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

- Misconceptions about strength training and its impact on flexibility (06:00)

- Overcoming resistance to strength training in the yoga community (08:00)

- The fear of injury associated with lifting heavy weights (10:00)

- The benefits of strength training at home (14:00)

- Starting strength training after developing a physical injury (16:00)

- The importance of proper technique and strength for manual therapists (18:00)

- The scope of practice for manual therapists in recommending exercise (20:00)

- The limitations of personal trainer certifications (22:00)

- Differentiating between scope of practice and scope of expertise (24:00

- The shift towards loading and strengthening in tendon rehabilitation (32:00)

- The impact of posture and load on the body (34:00)

- The importance of considering individual goals and abilities in posture (38:00)

- The role of elite athletes and their unique movement patterns (40:00)

- The social and hierarchical implications of posture (46:00)

- How to connect with Laurel Beversdorf and Sarah Court (48:00)

Resources:

Slouch, Posture Panic in Modern America by Beth Linker
Movement Logic Podcast
Social Media: @movementlogictutorials , @laurelbeversdorf, @sarahcourtdpt

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com
(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

123: Getting Over Over-Pronation: Ankle & Foot Function (Rebroadcast)

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

In celebration of Til Luchau's upcoming "Ankle Issues" livestreamed course, Til and Whitney pulled one of their favorite ankle-related episodes (#43) out of the archives. Listen in as they geek out on ankle- and foot-related conditions, anatomy, function, biomechanics and more.

Topics include:

How the structure of the foot/ankle complex determines function
Are we over over-pronation yet?
Plantar fasciitis/fasciosis, bunions, hammertoes, and other things you wouldn’t have thought of as ankle issues.

Episode Outline:

Structure of the foot/ankle complex
- Medial side deltoid ligament complex
- Lateral side ATF, CF, PTF
- How does structure govern function
- Distal tibiofibular joint & talocrural joint form mortise & tenon
- Primary supporting ligaments

Mechanics of the region:
- Talocrural motions: dorsiflexion & plantarflexion
- Type I and type II limitations
- Subtalar motions: inversion & eversion
- Pronation and supination (definitions and confusion)
- Phases of gait

Some common issues/problems
- Valgus and varus angulations (toes and calcaneal region)
- “Overpronation”
- Bunions & hammertoes
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendon overuse (Achilles tendon etc.)
- Trauma: sprains breaks
- Nerve entrapments mimicking soft-tissue pathology (i.e. tarsal tunnel syndrome, Baxter’s neuropathy, etc.)

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Til Luchau’s “ANKLE Issues” livestream course (live Aug 24-25 '24, or later by recording): advanced-trainings.com/workshop/onl2408m/
Trail Guide to Movement: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Podcast anatomy image from Advanced Myofascial Techniques, Volume 1. Used under license from Primal Pictures.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

122: Performing Arts Massage (with Christian Green)

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️In this episode Whitney talks with Christian Green about working with athletes and performing artists. They cover some of the unique facets of working with these special populations. There is much more than specialized techniques necessary to work in these environments and Christian shares some unique and interesting perspectives. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to the podcast (0:00)
Introduction of Christian Green and his background (1:00)
Working with performing artists (4:00)
Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) (6:00)
Challenges in finding performing artists as clients (9:00)
Stigma around seeking help in the performing arts community (11:00)
Reasons for the stigma (13:00)
Collaboration with other healthcare professionals (17:00)
Preventive care for athletes and performing artists (19:00)
Biomechanical challenges in performing arts (23:00)
Importance of education and research in massage therapy (27:00)
Advice for new massage therapists interested in working with athletes and performing artists (29:00)
Trend lines in acceptance of massage therapy in the athletic and performing arts communities (32:00)
Closing thoughts on the essence of bodywork (35:00)
Contact information for Christian Green (37:00)
Conclusion and call to support the podcast (38:00)

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

121: Analyzing Manual Therapy (with Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️ In this episode Whitney discusses a 2024 paper on modern manual therapy teaching and practice. The paper describes traditional manual therapy principles, including clinician-centered assessment, pathoanatomical reasoning, and technique specificity, and their criticisms based on recent research. He then outlines a proposed new framework for manual therapy practice and education. Lowe encourages listeners to read the paper and reflect on how these concepts align with or differ from their current practices, aiming to stimulate critical thinking about the evolution of manual therapy approaches in light of current research and understanding.

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to the podcast (0:00-0:30)
Discussion of a paper titled "A Modern Way to Teach and Practice Manual Therapy" (0:30-3:50)
Overview of traditional manual therapy principles (3:50-9:30)

Clinician-centered assessment (4:10-6:50)
Pathoanatomical reasoning (6:50-11:00)
Technique specificity (11:00-16:00)

Proposed new framework for manual therapy (16:00-23:00)

Safety in the therapeutic alliance (16:30-18:00)
Creating a comfortable environment (18:00-19:30)
Efficiency in therapy delivery (19:30-21:00)
Communication and context (21:00-22:00)
Person-centered care (22:00-23:00

Implications for teaching and practice (23:00-29:00)

Challenges in reframing teaching methods (23:30-25:30)
Importance of safety, comfort, and person-centered care (25:30-27:30)
Questions for practitioners to consider (27:30-29:00)

Resources:

A Modern Way to Teach and Practice Manual Therapy: https://bit.ly/45tGfHj

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

120: Kinesiology, Pain Management, & Massage (with Justin Solace)

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️In this episode Whitney and Justin discuss the benefits of a diverse educational background and the value of pursuing additional higher education for clinical massage practitioners. They also delve into some of the key facets of how massage and corrective movement can be used most effectively for pain management. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to the podcast (0:00)
Background of Justin Solace (2:00)
Pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology (6:00)
Integrating exercise into massage therapy (10:00)
The influence of psychology and motor learning on massage therapy (14:00)
The boundaries of massage therapy and exercise recommendations (18:00)
The role of massage therapy in pain management (22:00)
The importance of validation in pain management (26:00)
Balancing work and self-care as a massage therapist (30:00)
Creating a supportive work environment for massage therapists (34:00)
The future of the massage therapy field (38:00)
How to connect with Justin Solace (42:00)

Resources:

Hybrid Health: https://hybridpainrelief.com/
Hybrid Health Continuing Education: https://www.facebook.com/Hybridhealtheducation
Justin's email: info@hybridpainrelief.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

119: The Ankle's Most Sensitive Fascia (with Rachelle Clauson & Nicole Trombley)

Wed, 29 May 2024 05:44:02 -0700

🎙️In this episode, educators, authors, and massage therapists Rachelle Clauson and Nicole Trombley discuss the surprising sensitivity and functional significance of the ankle’s fascial retinaculum. Their conversation with Whitney and Til also ventures into Rachelle’s work on the Fascial Plastination Project, and their hands-on anatomy educational offerings via AnatomySCAPES. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

👉Check out Til Luchau's new Ankle Issues livestreamed and recorded course (first time online!) at a-t.tv/workshop/onl2408m/

Key Points in the Podcast

- Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast - 0:00
- Introduction to guests and their work - 0:50
- Overview of the Fascial Plastination project - 3:50
- Discussion on the retinaculum and its significance for hands-on therapists - 9:58
- The role of the retinacula in proprioception - 13:44
- The connection between structure and neurology in hands-on therapy - 19:58
- Overview of the AnatomySCAPES project - 29:50
- The challenges of teaching anatomy to massage therapists - 34:50
- The importance of revisiting and relearning anatomy - 38:22
- The value of in-person workshops and the accessibility of online resources - 45:01
- How to learn more and connect with the guests - 57:22

Contact and Resources:

Website | FB | IG | YouTube | email: info@anatomyscapes.com
“Retinacula: Finding our Footing” in Massage & Bodywork magazine, March/April 2024, p66
Fascial Net Plastination Project
BODY WORLDS FR:EIA Exhibit:
YouTube lecture from Carla Stecco “Fascia Research and Proprioception: Implication in Sports”
Retinacula Research: Stecco C, Macchi V, Porzionato A, Morra A, Parenti A, Stecco A, Delmas V, De Caro R. The ankle retinacula: morphological evidence of the proprioceptive role of the fascial system. Cells Tissues Organs. 2010;192(3):200-10. doi: 10.1159/000290225. Epub 2010 Feb 27. PMID: 20197652. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20197652

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

118: Massage Down Under (with Paula Nutting)

Wed, 15 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️In this episode Whitney engages in a wide-ranging discussion with Paula Nutting about the world of massage therapy in Australia and beyond. They compare notes about the professional landscape, education and numerous other topics. We all learn and grow so much when we look at things through the lens of others, so this is a great opportunity to reflect on how we see things and how they may be viewed from other perspectives. Paula also shares extensively about her experience with teaching and learning about Chapman's neurolymphatic reflex points. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

- Introduction to Paula Nutting (2:00)
- Paula's background and transition into massage therapy (3:30)
- Changes in massage therapy training requirements (7:00)
- Integration with other healthcare professions (11:00)
- Overview of Chapman's reflexes (14:00)
- Pressure and technique used in Chapman's reflexes (16:30)
- Application of Chapman's reflexes in different conditions (19:30)
- Challenges in understanding the efficacy of different techniques (23:00)
- Teaching massage therapy in different environments (27:00)
- Unique experiences teaching and learning massage in different countries (32:00)
- Outlook for massage therapy in Australia (39:00)
- Advice for new practitioners entering the field (42:00)
- Where to find more information about Paula Nutting (45:00)

Resources:

Paula's site

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet

117: Ankle Issues Demystified (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 01 May 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau explore the complexities of ankle anatomy and stability, discussing everything from the mortise and tenon structure to valgus and varus alignments. Join them as they debate ligament injuries, nerve compression, and practical strategies for addressing ankle issues. Tune in for valuable insights into the importance of client education and the role of massage in enhancing ankle function. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

👉Check out Til Luchau's new Ankle Issues livestreamed and recorded course (first time online!) at a-t.tv/workshop/onl2408m/

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

- Introduction and podcast overview (0:00)
- Til Luchau's Ankle Issues live-streamed course announcement (1:00)
- Sponsorship message from Books of Discovery (3:00)
- Discussion about ankle anatomy and stability (4:00)
- Importance of ankle work in manual therapy (10:00)
- Discussion about the mortise and tenon structure of the ankle (12:00)
- Overview of ankle movements and joints (15:00)
- Discussion about valgus and varus alignments (19:00)
- Debate about the role of ligament injuries in ankle sprains (23:00)
- Discussion about nerve compression and tenosynovitis in the ankle (28:00)
- Practical strategies for addressing ankle injuries (34:00)
- Importance of educating clients about foot and ankle mobility (38:00)
- Discussion about the role of massage and manual therapy in addressing ankle issues (41:00)
- Conclusion, closing sponsor message, and closing remarks (45:00)

Resources:

Thinking Practitioner 47: Getting Over Over-Pronation

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/, and check out Til Luchau's new Ankle Issues livestreamed and recorded course (first time online!) at a-t.tv/workshop/onl2408m/
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

116: Anatomy Trains Updated (with Tom Myers)

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️This episode of the Thinking Practitioner podcast features an in-depth interview with Tom Myers, author of the influential book Anatomy Trains. Host Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe discuss Tom's bodywork background, and how his goal of providing a holistic framework for understanding the body's fascial connections lead to the development of his "Anatomy Trains" concept. They explore Ida Rolf's legacy and influence on developing a model of structural integration, and Tom shares his evolving views on topics like exercise, fascia, and the potential for sustainable posture changes. The interview provides fascinating perspectives on the history and future of bodywork models, and listeners will enjoy learning about Tom's current projects (as well as Til Luchau's contributions to his upcoming Anatomy Trains summer program). 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

[0:00-10:00] - Til Luchau interviews Tom Myers about his background and experience in bodywork. They discuss Tom's origins in the field and how he was influenced by teachers like Ida Rolf.
[10:00-20:00] - Tom explains the development of the "Anatomy Trains" concept and how it provided a holistic framework for understanding fascial connections. He shares Ida Rolf's impact on developing structural integration models.
[20:00-30:00] - The conversation explores evolving views on exercise, fascia, and the potential for sustainable posture changes. Tom discusses insights from his long career in hands-on practice.
[30:00-40:00] - Whitney Lowe asks questions about fascial contractility and the role of myofibroblasts. Tom provides perspectives on fascia and potential causes of shortening.
[40:00-50:00] - Tom's views on exercise evolution are discussed, along with the importance of movement education. He emphasizes different types of fascial elasticity.
[50:00-1:00:00] - The importance of the fascial system, current projects, and upcoming teaching opportunities are covered. The podcast concludes with thanks to sponsor Books of Discovery.

Resources:

- Tom Myers' Anatomy Trains site
- Til Luchau at Anatomy Trains Summer Program

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

115: New Evidence: Can Massage Spread Cancer? (with Cathy Ryan & Erika Slocum)

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️Two new studies are re-opening the age-old discussion about whether massage is safe with clients with cancer. Til and Whitney review the new evidence, the implications, and discuss best practices with expert guests Cathy Ryan and Erika Slocum. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast (00:00-01:30)
The history of recommendations about massage and cancer (01:30-07:30)
The benefits of massage therapy for people with cancer (07:30-12:30)
The possible effects of massage on tumor sites (12:30-17:49)
Discussing Freidl study on massage and tumor cells migration (17:49-23:00)
Discussing Karda study on massage and osteosarcoma progression (23:00-30:00)
Red flags and referrals for potential cancer screening (30:00-37:00)
The importance of communication and partnership with clients (37:00-41:00)
Resources for further information on massage and cancer (41:00-45:00)
Closing remarks and contact information for the guests (45:00-47:30)

Resources:

[Dr. Peter Friedl's study is pending publication, but his 2016 presentation on this topic is at 9:45 here]
Karda, I.W.A.M., Wan Ismail, W.F. & Kamal, A.F. Massage manipulation and progression of osteosarcoma, does it really correlate: a combination of prospective and retrospective cohort study. Sci Rep 13, 18541 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45808-7 https://rdcu.be/dCD6i
Guest recommendations:
- Training and support: Healwell, Tracy Walton, Gayle MacDonald
- Massage therapy for post-mastectomy, top surgery & oncology support: Eryn Price RMT
- S4OM: Society for Oncology Massage
- Book: Oncology Massage – An Integrative Approach to Cancer Care - Janet Penny & Rebecca Sturgeon
- Article: Could Massage Therapy Promote CANCER Metastasis?
- Cathy Ryan: cryanrmt@gmail.com
- Ericka Slocum: erika.slocum@gmail.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

114: Movement Optimism (with Greg Lehman)

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0700

🎙️When we treat our client’s “problems,” are we really helping them? Or, would a more fundamental reframe yield better results? How do we help our clients (and ourselves) shift the usual viewpoints about pain, injury, and recovery? Whitney and Til catch up with physiotherapist and chiropractor Greg Lehman about the evolution of his influential “Reconciling Biomechanics with Pain Science” course, and his thinking on specifics like SI Joint pain, “flat arches,” and more. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

- Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast (0:00)
- Opening Sponsor: ABMP (1:00)
- Introduction of Greg Lehman (2:00)
- Greg's background and expertise (3:00)
- Greg's approach to reading and translating research (5:00)
- The concept of Movement Optimism (7:00)
- Shifting from a pessimistic view of the body to a more optimistic view (9:00)
- Explaining pain to patients (11:00)
- The importance of building healthy systems and ecosystems (13:00)
- The fundamentals of treating people with pain (15:00)
- The role of faulty firing patterns in muscles (17:00)
- The concept of alignment and its importance (19:00)
- The role of alignment in pain and function (21:00)
- The debate between different perspectives in the field (23:00)
- The importance of individualized care and patient-centered approaches (25:00)
- The role of biomechanics in treating pain (27:00)
- The influence of research on clinical practice (29:00)
- The overselling of the need to stay updated on research (31:00)
- The importance of fundamentals and common threads in treatment (33:00)
- Greg's eBook "Recovery Strategies" (35:00)
- Greg's views on flat feet and when they matter (37:00)
- The limitations of isolating variables in research (39:00)
- The need for humility and openness in the field (41:00)
- Greg's upcoming teaching schedule and website (43:00)
- Conclusion and thanks (45:00)

Resources:

Greg Lehman’s free workbook and site
Greg’s Movement Optimism podcast
Greg’s osteoarthritis site

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at:

academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

113: What Did Esalen Ever Do for Massage? (with Peggy & Lucia Horan)

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 02:00:00 -0800

🎙️It's no exaggeration to say that in the history of massage and bodywork, there was "before Esalen," and "after Esalen." Til & Whitney talk to Peggy Horan (senior Esalen Massage teacher) and her daughter Lucia (who grew up at Esalen) about their stories, the Esalen Institute, and its influence on how massage and bodywork are practiced and taught today. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

- Introduction and background on Esalen Institute (0:00-5:30)
- Peggy Horan's experience and role at Esalen (5:30-12:00)
- Lucia's experience and role at Esalen (12:00-18:00)
- The influence of Esalen on the massage and bodywork field (18:00-23:00)
- Changes in the practice of Esalen Massage over time (23:00-28:00)
- The importance of boundaries and trauma-informed practices in massage (28:00-34:00)
- The cultural relevance of Esalen Massage in the digital age (34:00-38:00)
- The future of Esalen Massage and its impact on personal development (38:00-42:00)
- Peggy Horan and Lucia Drummond's contact information (42:00-43:00)
- Closing remarks and sponsor information (43:00-48:00)

Resources:

Peggy Horan's site
Lucia Horan's site
Video: Esalen's Massage Legacy: Peggy Horan

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at:

academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

112: The San Diego Pain Summit (with Rajam Roose)

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

🎙️ Ten years ago, massage therapist Rajam Roose was curious about pain science. Seeing a need for an interdisciplinary conference focusing on the clinical applications of this emerging field, and took a leap and created what has become a regular event. The San Diego Pain Summit has continued to grow, and gets outstanding reviews from the many people, from so many different fields, that it brings together each year. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction and background of Rajam Roose (0:00-4:00)
How Rajam Roose started the San Diego Pain Summit (4:00-9:00)
The focus of the San Diego Pain Summit on topics not typically covered in other conferences (9:00-14:00)
The interdisciplinary nature of the summit and the importance of collaboration between different professions (14:00-19:00)
Challenges faced by the summit, including limited resources and the need for nonprofit status (19:00-25:00)
The motivation behind organizing the summit and the passion for sharing important information (25:00-29:00)
The availability of past summit talks on the San Diego Pain Summit YouTube channel (29:00-32:00)
The upcoming San Diego Pain Summit in March 2024 and the changes in format (32:00-36:00)
Trends and changes in pain science education observed through the summit (36:00-40:00)
How to find more information about the San Diego Pain Summit (40:00-43:00)
Closing remarks and contact information (43:00-46:00)

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at:

academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

111. How Bodyworkers Can Explain Pain (with Lorimer Moseley)

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 02:00:00 -0800

🎙️Twelve years ago, Lorimer Moseley’s TEDx talk “Why Things Hurt” helped to catalyze profound changes in how pain is conceptualized, in our field and in many others. If we think about pain as protection, rather than as damage, it changes how we explain the improvements we see in hands-on work. Professor Moseley joins Til and Whitney to update us on his thinking, and to offer bodyworks and massage therapists practical advice on working with our clients with pain.🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Key Points in the Podcast

Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast (0:00)
Sponsorship by Books of Discovery (1:30)
Introduction of Lorimer Moseley (3:00)
Lorimer Moseley's TEDx talk and its impact (6:00)
Description of pain to those experiencing chronic pain (9:00)
Historical context of pain education (13:00)
Three historical phases of pain education evolution: (15:30)
1. ancient pain education,
2. old school pain education, and
3. current pain science education

Four essential pain facts: (19:30)

pain protects us and promotes healing,
persistent pain is also a protective function,
many factors can influence pain, and
therefore, there are many ways to reduce pain and recover.

Challenges of explaining complex concepts in a short period of time (26:00)
Importance of validation and empathy in pain education (30:30)
Role of optimism and encouragement in pain education (34:30)
Lorimer Moseley's upcoming courses in North America (39:00)
Sponsorship by ABMP (42:00)
Closing remarks and contact information (43:30)

Resources:

“Why Things Hurt” TEDx talk
Pain Matters podcast
Lorimer Moseley’s North American tour: noigroup.com
Lorimer Moseley’s charity: painrevolution.org

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.
Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at:

academyofclinicalmassage.comcheatsheet

110: Hands-On the Nerves (with Gil Hedley)

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

🎙️ Anatomist extraordinaire Gil Hedley stops by to talk with Til and Whitney about nerves, dissection, bodywork, and what hands-on therapists can learn from his most recent project, the Nerve Tour. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Topics:

0:00 - Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast
0:30 - Introduction of hosts Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau and sponsor ABMP
1:57 - Introduction of guest Gil Hedley and discussion of his nerve tour
7:00 - Gil Hedley's background and introduction to integral anatomy
12:00 - The importance of understanding the nervous system in manual therapy
16:00 - The unique aspects of dissecting nerve tissues
20:00 - The impact of nerve tissues on texture and pain in the body
24:00 - The importance of the state of the practitioner when working with nerve tissues
28:00 - The personal connection to the donors in Gil Hedley's projects
34:00 - The future of Gil Hedley's nerve project and availability of the content
38:00 - Gil Hedley's upcoming tour schedule and accessibility of his content
43:00 - Conclusion and thanks to sponsor Books of Discovery
45:00 - Closing remarks and contact information for hosts and guest Whitney Lowe

Resources:

Gil Hedley's site
Gil Hedley's Youtube channel

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

109: Season 4 Highlights: Insights and Legacies

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 02:00:00 -0800

🎙️ Join us as we revisit the key moments of The Thinking Practitioner’s fourth season. This year, our esteemed guests shared both the latest research, and historical insights into the legacies that continue to shape our field. A heartfelt thanks to our amazing guests, sponsors, and to you, our audience—your support continues to drive the Thinking Practitioner community. Subscribe now for a condensed dose of practical wisdom and discerning reflection. 🔍🗣️👥🔊

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Whitney & Til’s Season 4 Favorites:

84: Working with Veterans (with Nicole Miller)
87: Shared Decision Making (with Walt Fritz)
92: The Art of a Good Question (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)
96: Curious Souls (with Aaron Alexander & Sue Hitzmann)
97: Back At It: Back Pain Revisited (with Stuart McGill)
99: Wait, What? Fascial Stiffness & Pain (with Robert Schleip)
103: Where the Profession Is Now (with Les Sweeney)
108: Trauma & Bodywork (with Peter Levine)

Your favorites (top downloads of all time):

69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (with Stuart McGill)
79: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos (with Tina Wang)
71: Fascia & Pain: What We Know (with Helene Langevin)
56: Working with Rib Issues (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)
70: Stretching: Would Everyone Just Relax? (with Jules Mitchell)

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

108: Trauma & Bodywork (with Peter Levine)

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Legendary trauma pioneer Peter Levine PhD talks with Til Luchau about how bodyworkers might recognize trauma, and, how can they be most helpful with its effects. Along the way, Dr Levine reflects on topics such as his own training with Ida Rolf (the originator of Rolfing® Structural Integration), scope of practice considerations for bodyworkers, self-care and much more.

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Topics:

- Introduction to The Thinking Practitioner Podcast (0:00)
- Sponsorship by ABMP (1:20)
- Sponsorship by Advanced Trainings (2:40)
- Introduction of Dr. Peter Levine (3:30)
- Dr. Levine's background and work in somatic experiencing (4:30)
- The role of the nervous system in trauma (7:00)
- The importance of the vagus nerve in trauma response (9:30)
- The difference between healed and unhealed trauma (13:00)
- How bodyworkers can recognize and address trauma in their clients (15:30)
- The importance of creating safety and connection in the therapeutic relationship (19:00)
- The role of bodyworkers in addressing trauma (22:00)
- The importance of self-care for healthcare professionals working with trauma (26:00)
- The role of ritual and ceremony in healing trauma (30:00)
- The impact of trauma on the world and the importance of addressing it (35:00)
- Resources for learning more about trauma and somatic experiencing (38:00)
- Closing remarks and sponsorships (40:00)

Resources:

Til's Facebook post: If you could ask Peter Levine anything...
Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing® site
Preorder Peter Levine's upcoming An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

107: Knee Deep: Understanding Baker’s Cysts (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Baker's cysts, the most common cyst behind the knee, affect about 20% of all people. When painful, they can limit mobility and impact quality of life. In this episode, Til interviews Whitney about what Baker’s cysts are, what we as hands-on therapists can do about them, and how we can broaden the lens about the benefits of our work.

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Nanduri A, Stead TS, Kupsaw GE, Deleon J, Ganti L. Baker ’ s Cyst Case Presentation. 2021;13(12). doi:10.7759/cureus.20403
Burger C. Baker’s cyst. Chirurg. 1999;70(5):611-612. doi:10.1016/s2255-4971(15)30317-7
Afandiyeva MA, Janbachishov QS. Baker’s cyst. Azerbaijan Med J. 2004;7(1):125-127. doi:10.1177/1941738113520130

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

106: The Massage Therapy Foundation (with Adrienne Asta)

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a crucial organization for the growth and development of our profession. In this episode, Whitney talks with Adrienne Asta, current president of the Foundation. In this episode, they discuss:

What are the different programs the Foundation runs?
What is the role of the Foundation in our profession?
Why is research important for practitioners?
How can people get involved with the Foundation?
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

105: Chronic Cough: the Prequel (with Walt Fritz and Ruth Werner)

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau and Ruth Werner talk with Walt Fritz PT, as they prepare for some hands-on work with Ruth's chronic cough. Listen in as these three powerhouse presenters discuss hands-on strategy, potential triggers, and psychosocial impacts related to chronic coughs. Ruth shares her personal experiences, emphasizing the challenges and similarities with chronic pain. Their stimulating conversation then delves into the broader implications of treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms, offering unique perspectives on the intersection of manual therapy, anatomical specificity, and the human experience.

(This conversation was the run-up to Ruth and Til's "Chronic Symptoms" interview at ABMP, which was featured in Thinking Practitioner Ep. 100)

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

104: The Many (Cervical) Facets of Neck Pain (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0700

The neck's facet joints (or the harder-to-to pronounce and remember "zygapophyseal joints") are the primary articulations involved in cervical movement. They are commonly thought to be involved in a range of painful cervical conditions. What do manual and massage therapists need to know? What are some helpful ways to think about and work with these joints? Whitney and Til think it through, and touch on topics such as:

Does or doesn't head-forward posture cause pain?
What about text-neck?
A self-assessment, and,
A hands-on technique for working with the cervical facets.
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Check out Til's upcoming AMT: Neck Jaw & Head Masterclass in Puerto Rico.
This episode's image was kindly provided by Anatomy Standard.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

103: Where the Profession Is Now (with Les Sweeney)

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

ABMP (the largest professional organization of massage therapists and bodyworkers in the USA) has just published the results of their regular survey of massage education programs, and it reveals some very interesting trends. Whitney discusses these and their implications with Les Sweeney, the CEO of the Professional Assist Corporation and President of the ABMP (Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals). Topics include:

How employment trends are changing in the field
How are schools doing in preparing students for the diversity in our field
What may be coming down the road for professional training in the future
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

102: Lessons Learned (with Susan Salvo)

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Susan Salvo has been a key contributor to the advancement of the massage therapy profession in the U.S. and abroad. She has been a school owner, practitioner, author, researcher, educator, and legal expert witness. In this episode, we talk about many of these different paths she has traversed and some of the important lessons learned. We cover these key points

What brought her to the world of textbook authoring
How her graduate work in education has influenced her thinking
Some of the challenges faced by expert witness cases in massage therapy
The importance of finding and working with a mentor
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Susan' Blog : https://massagepassport.wordpress.com/
Susan's website: http://www.massagepassport.com/

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

101: Interprofessional Communication (with Lane Blondheim)

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

A crucial aspect of high-quality health care is communication between the individuals that deliver that care. In this episode Whitney talks with Lane Blondheim, a physical therapist in South Bend, Indiana about various challenges and opportunities for enhanced communication in the manual therapy fields. We cover these key points

Common myths and misconceptions about our professions
Challenges of working within the existing system
Where does the scope of practice overlap or interfere
How can we enhance communication between our fields more in the future?
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Connect with Lane: lane.blondheim@athletico.com
Lane's Facebook Page: Lane Blondheim, PT, MT

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

100: Chronic Symptoms & Other Mysteries (with Ruth Werner & Til Luchau)

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 02:00:00 -0700

When Ruth Werner sought Til Luchau's hands-on help with a chronic symptom, they stopped by ABMP's Colorado studio for a fascinating discussion with Darren Buford and Kristin Coverly about what they were learning by working together. (This special episode is thanks to ABMP.)

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

99: Wait, What? Fascial Stiffness & Pain (with Robert Schleip)

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Tight tissue is more painful, right? And, helping bodies be less stiff makes them feel better, doesn’t it? Fascial researcher Robert Schleip shares new research that contradicts these commonly held (but rarely examined) assumptions, and helps us think through how we, as body therapy practitioners, can apply this new understanding to our work. Tune in for a nuanced conversation that sheds light on our evolving understanding of fascia, stiffness, and pain.

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Dr Schleip’s original Facebook post about this study
The study featured in the episode:
- Myofascial stiffness of plantar fascia and Achilles tendon in individuals with plantar fasciopathy
Also cited by Dr Schleip in this episode:
- Assessing reliability and validity of different stiffness measurement tools on a multi-layered phantom tissue model
Dr Schleip on Instagram
Dr Schleip on Facebook

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

98: Working in Professional Sports (with Brian Glotzbach)

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Brian Glotzbach has been working with high-performance athletes and professional teams for three decades. Whitney talks with Brian about the unique facets of working as a massage therapist in this environment. Things we cover include:

How to get started and make connections
Speaking the language of the athletic staff
What is unique about working with these athletes
What will make you successful in this environment.
...much more

Watch the video and get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Connect with Brian: bwglotz@gmail.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

97: Back At It: Back Pain Revisited (with Stuart McGill)

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe welcome back special guest Dr. Stuart McGill, a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo and one of the world's leading experts in back pain and spine health. They discuss:
• Common misconceptions about back pain
• Stiffness and mobility in back pain, and the role of bodywork
• Inflammatory factors in back pain
• Traction and movement techniques to mechanically "vacuum" extruded nucleus and alleviate disc bulges
• The McKenzie prone press-up exercise, and its potential effects on disc bulges and facet joints,
• and more.
Overall, this episode sheds light on the complexities of back pain and offers valuable insights for manual therapists and bodywork practitioners.

Watch the video and get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Dr. McGill's previous Thinking Practitioner conversation: Episode 69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia
Dr. McGill's site: Backfit Pro
Dr McGill’s patient models and teaching aids: Dynamic Disc Designs
Til Luchau's upcoming Boulder Colorado, Puerto Rico, and Camino de Santiago events

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

96: Curious Souls (with Aaron Alexander & Sue Hitzmann)

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Sue Hitzmann and Aaron Alexander are curious about other people. So how do these two well-known interviewers exercise their curiosity and their "openness muscles?" And, how do they know when their openness is going too far? Listen in as we discuss what makes us feel each good, connecting our personal journeys to our professional work, and much more.

Watch the video and get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sue Hitzmann’s Costa Rican retreat
Sue’s website MELT Method
Free trial of Aaron Alexander's Align Method online program
Aaron's Instagram
Aaron's Youtube
Til's Boulder CO, Puerto Rico, and Camino de Santiago events

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

95: Learning to Learn (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

If we don’t learn, we’re doomed to the same results over and over. But sometimes, we get in the way of our own learning. Can we learn to be better learners? Til takes Whitney on an illustrated tour of some of his favorite obstacles to learning, and gets his help applying these to our work as hands-on practitioners.

Get the slideshow-handout, watch the video, and get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

94: Contact Improvisation and Bodywork (with Alicia Grayson)

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Til interviews Alicia Grayson, an expert practitioner and teacher of Contact Improvisation dance, about that form’s significance as an embodiment and movement practice. They explore its connection to other forms of movement and therapy, share their personal journeys, and discuss the similarities and differences between Contact Improv and hands-on bodywork, comparing methods and therapeutic goals. They also delve into topics such as the role of gravity, the benefits of touch sensitivity and human connection, as well as highlighting the joy and exploration involved in play.

Check out the video (which includes visual examples of Contact Improv) or get the full transcript of their conversation at Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Alicia’s website and course schedule: aliciagrayson.com
Contact Improvisation resources, worldwide: ciglobalcalendar.net
Alicia and Til’s collaborative workshop: https://bit.ly/AMTContactImprovisation
Film credits (used in video version, by kind permission):
- "In An Old Fascian Way" directed and edited by Sasha Dodo
- camera: Samuel Iwassaki, Veronica Olariu
- dancers: Sasha Dodo and Dolores Dewhurst Marks
- https://towards.contact
- https://youtu.be/X1GPjqxbi-o

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

93: Evidence-Informed Education (with Patti Shank)

Wed, 31 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney talks with education specialist Patti Shank on what the current research tells us about the most effective methods of learning. In Episode 17 Til and Whitney talked about how massage and manual therapists chart their own path of learning, so here we talk to an education expert to help us figure out more about what makes a good learning experience. Things we cover include:

Common myths around learning, such as "learning styles"
What makes a good video lesson?
What is best done online vs. in the classroom?
How important is feedback in the learning process?
Is text better than video or vice versa?
...much more

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Follow Patti on Twitter: @pattishank
website: pattishank.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

92: The Art of a Good Question (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 17 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

A good question is said to be the first half of knowing, and can make the difference between understanding each other, or operating on our own assumptions. Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe compare notes on some of their favorite questions to ask clients, mentors, and themselves, as well as principles that will help practitioners craft their own good questions.

Resources mentioned:

"Favorite question" Facebook post

Check out the video, show notes, and full transcript on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

91: Employer Blues (with Drew Freedman & Diane Matkowski)

Wed, 03 May 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Employers are having a hard time finding therapists to hire. Like workers everywhere, massage and manual therapists' relationship to employment is different than it was a few years ago. Til and Whitney talk with independent clinic and spa owners Drew Freedman and Diane Matkowski about the trials, tribulations, and triumphs involved in this changing landscape, in a conversation that solo practitioners, employed therapists, and employers will all find stimulating and informative.

Check out the video, and full transcript on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Drew Freedman's http://bostonbodyworker.com
Diane Matkowski's http://www.freedommassage.com
Til's Facebook post mentioned in the episode

Sponsor Offers:

The Back Jam: 1 body part, 17 amazing teachers, 4 days. Live in May or by recording
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

90: Turning Down the Volume on Back Pain (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Back pain is incredibly common, and it can be incredibly puzzling. Whitney and Til discuss their respective views on causes, types, and effective manual therapy treatment strategies for turning down the volume on back pain. Check out the video, show notes, and full transcript on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Sponsor Offers:

The Back Jam: 1 body part, 17 amazing teachers, 4 days. Live in May or by recording.
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

89: Adventure Education (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 02:00:00 -0700

What's the reality of combining learning with travel? Whitney talks with Til about his recent educational retreat in Thailand, his teaching trip to Taiwan, and his upcoming professional continuing education retreats in Puerto Rico, on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and around the USA.

Check out the video, and full transcript on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Til's schedule of upcoming retreats and events
Whitney's schedule of upcoming classes

Sponsor Offers:

The Back Jam: 1 body part, 17 amazing teachers, 4 days. Live in May or by recording.
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

88: What is Frequency Specific Microcurrent (with Shannon Goossen)

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney talks with massage therapist and acupuncture physician Shannon Goossen about Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FMS). You may have never heard of FMS, but practitioners like our guest report impressive results with a variety of soft-tissue disorders. Could this approach be an adjunct to your practice? Key points include:

What is FSM?
How does it work?
What kinds of conditions can it best be used for?
Are there limitations on who can use it?
The value of neurological examinations
An exploration of the Functional NeuroMyofascial Techniques
...much more

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

87: Shared Decision-Making (with Walt Fritz)

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Shared decision-making: In this episode, Whitney talks with Walt Fritz about key challenges in the world of manual therapy. We delve into:

How he got started in manual therapy
How manual therapy differs in physical therapy and massage therapy
Ways to break down silos between our professions
How important are specific techniques in our treatment strategies
The value of working with clients in shared decision-making
...much more

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Free talk on shared decision-making
Walt's website
Kolb, W. H., McDevitt, A. W., Young, J., et al. "The evolution of manual therapy education: what are we waiting for?" Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy 28(1) (2020): 1-3.
Roy, N., Dietrich, M., Blomgren, M., et al. “Exploring the neural bases of primary muscle tension dysphonia: A case study using functional magnetic resonance imaging.” Journal of Voice 33(2) (2017): 183–-194
Roy, N., Dietrich, M., Blomgren, M., et al. “Exploring the neural bases of primary muscle tension dysphonia: A case study using functional magnetic resonance imaging.” Journal of Voice 33(2) (2017): 183–-194

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

86: Body by Breath (with Jill Miller)

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Til and Whitney talk with self-care expert Jill Miller about her new book "Body by Breath: The Science and Practice of Physical and Emotional Resilience" and other topics including:

Jill's "Five Ps:" levers on our own well-being
Applying polyvagal theory in self-care
Body image and body awareness in fitness
Applications for massage and manual therapy

Check out the video, full transcript, and a special offer from Jill on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Sponsor Offers:

The Back Jam: 1 body part, 17 amazing teachers, 4 days. Live in May or by recording
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

85: Collateral Damage: Acute Knee Injuries (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney and Til talk about acute knee ligament injuries, with Til's recent ski accident being an apt case study. Topics include:

Differences between the "big four" knee ligament injuries
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) specificies
Rehabilitation and bracing controversies
Psychological or mental impacts
The role of manual therapy

Check out the video, illustrations, outline, and full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage
Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

The Back Jam: 1 body part, 17 amazing teachers, 4 days. Live in May or by recording
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

84: Working With Veterans (with Nicole Miller)

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 05:17:11 -0800

Essential skills in working with veterans: In this episode Whitney talks with Nicole Miller about her extensive work with the veterans population. We cover important topics such as

How is massage therapy being supported by the VA
What are important skills a massage therapist would need to work with veterans
Where can you get further training to work with this population
Essential precautions to be aware of in your work with veterans
...much more

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

83: Business, Success, and Change (with Allissa Haines)

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 02:00:00 -0800

How do we think about our business? In this episode Whitney talks with Allissa Haines of Massage Business Blueprint about pertinent business topics such as: What's coming up for the new year? How to get more massage and bodywork clients? How to communicate with your client's healthcare practitioners? And much more.

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

82: Season 3 Highlights - Best of the Thinking Practitioner

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

With a quarter-million downloads to date, Whitney and Til share their top 5 episode highlights and notable ideas from their third season of interviews, conversations, and inquiries into the thinking behind effective hands-on work.

The Ten Most-Downloaded Episodes from Season Three:

53: Fascia: A Deep Dive (with Dr. Antonio Stecco)
69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (with Stuart McGill)
56: Working with Rib Issues (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)
71: Fascia & Pain: What We Know (with Helene Langevin)
67: Aging Gracefully, Breathing Well, and Long COVID Recovery (with Jan Sultan)
70: Stretching: Would Everyone Just Relax? (with Jules Mitchell)
68: Working with Sciatic Pain (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)
61: Massage Therapy Research (with Niki Munk)
60: Physical Therapy Assisting and Massage (with Matt Gavzy)
55: What Is Success? (with Diane Matkowski)

Find them all (and get the full transcript) at Til or Whitney's sites!

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

81: Fascia, Length-Change, and Language (with John Sharkey)

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Is language important? Do muscles actually change length? Does posture matter? Is “fascia” a reductionist idea? Whitney and Til head straight down these rabbit holes (and more) in conversation with clinical anatomist John Sharkey.

Get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

80. What We Might Learn From Sex (with Betty Martin)

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

What can we as bodyworkers can learn about intimacy, ethics, consent, touch, and boundaries, from people working on the other side of the no-sex "firewall" that (very appropriately) separates our profession from erotic and sex work? Betty Martin is a leading author, thinker, and trainer in the field of consent and touch; listen in as she and Til think it through.

Check out the video or get the full transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

79: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, Fascia, and Pain (with Tina Wang)

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Does stiff fascia hurt because it's stiff? Why then is there pain with the softer-tissue patterns of hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes? Dr. Tina Wang's fascinating research (as well as her own story) helps shed some light on this paradox. Check out the video of her Thinking Practitioner conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Til Luchau’s Advanced-Trainings.com
Whitney Lowe’s Academy of Clinical Massage

Resources:

Dr Wang's clinical practice https://tupelopointe.com/
Dr Wang's neurofascialinflammation seminars including hEDS course: https://www.thebraincelledu.com/seminars

Selected research:

Wang, Tina J., and Antonio Stecco. “Fascial Thickness and Stiffness in Hypermobile Ehlers‐Danlos Syndrome.” American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics 187, no. 4 (December 2021): 446–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.c.31948.
Wang, Tina, Roya Vahdatinia, Sarah Humbert, and Antonio Stecco. “Myofascial Injection Using Fascial Layer-Specific Hydromanipulation Technique (FLuSH) and the Delineation of Multifactorial Myofascial Pain.” Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) 56, no. 12 (December 20, 2020): 717. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56120717.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

78: More Carrots, or More Sticks? The Continuing Education Conundrum

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Most everyone agrees that the current system of continuing professional education (CE or CPD) for massage and manual therapy has problems. Should CE requirements simply be abolished? Or is even more regulation needed? Whitney and Til think these things through and come up with individual and system-wide options. Check out the video of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Julie Onofrio’s post “The Continuing CE Conundrum in the Massage Profession”
Whitney Lowe’s “The Future of Advanced Massage Credentialing”

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

77: The Future of the Profession (with Sandy Fritz)

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney has a conversation with Sandy Fritz on her vision of the current and future state of the profession.

How the current economic situation has impacted the massage profession
Innovative changes with the ICMT
The migration of massage employment to a "job"
Challenges with massage employees
How to work full time
Ergonomic challenges in our field

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

International Consortium of Manual Therapies: https://www.icmtconference.org/
Health Enrichment Center: https://www.healthenrichment.com/

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

76: Fascia Research Congress Highlights (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Til & Whitney share their takeaways, impressions, and highlights from the recent 6th International Fascia Research Congress in Montreal. Topics include:

New research correlating tissue qualities with depression
Biomechanics of thoracolumbar fascia
Counterintuitive findings about Ehlers-Danlos
Fascia and elastic recoil
Should we massage tumors?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Robert Schleip's recent article in Massage & Bodywork magazine: The Fascial Network; Our Richest Sensory Organ
The Fascia Research Congress info page for speaker info, recordings and 2025 dates: https://fasciaresearchsociety.org.

Sponsor Offers:

Til's next Principles training: Ilia & SI Joints: Principles first lecture: Oct 5, 2022
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

75: Secret Shopper CE Review (bonus episode, with Hands at the Table podcast)

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Unbeknownst to us, the hosts of the 'Hands at the Table' podcast recorded and aired a “secret shopper” episode about one of Til Luchau’s most popular online CE classes. Listen in as they dissect and review the course, bit-by-excruciating-bit.

(And, you can find out more about Til’s next Principles course, live or by recording, at Advanced-Trainings.com.)

In this episode:

Were the techniques useful?
How was the course structured?
Can something like this even be learned at a distance?

Get the transcript of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Til's next Principles training: Ilia & SI Joints: Principles
Free intro: Sep 28, first lecture: Oct 5, 2022
The original review: the Hands at the Table podcast dissects Til Luchau's AMT Principles course
Bori is on Instagram at: @bori_suranyi_lmt
Jeff is on Instagram at: @jbramhall

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

74: Sacroiliac Joints: The Next Level (with Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til dive deep into their differing (and shared) approaches to sacroiliac joint pain, pelvic anatomy, biomechanics, and much more, all in celebration of Whitney’s recent SIJ article and Til’s upcoming live-online hands-on training. NEW: check out the video of their conversation on Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Article: “Current Concepts in Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction” (free, registration required)
Training: Ilia & SI Joints: Principles
Free intro: Sep 28, first lecture: Oct 5, 2022
Review: the Hands at the Table podcast hosts dissect an AMT Principles course
Previous TTP SIJ episode: 3: Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations
Whitney’s references:
Physiotutors web clip on Laslett SI joint test cluster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8txpsqHYpQ&t=197s
Szadek KM, Hoogland P V., Zuurmond WW, de Lange JJ, Perez RS. Nociceptive Nerve Fibers in the Sacroiliac Joint in Humans. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2008;33(1):36-43. doi:10.1016/j.rapm.2007.07.011
Bertoldo D, Pirri C, Roviaro B, et al. Pilot study of sacroiliac joint dysfunction treated with a single session of fascial manipulation® method: Clinical implications for effective pain reduction. Med. 2021;57(7):1-11. doi:10.3390/medicina57070691

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

73: Long Term Lyme Disease: What Helps? (with Ruth Werner)

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Can massage and bodywork help with long-term Lyme Disease? The answer has implications for working with similar conditions such as long COVID, post-viral syndromes, and more. Til Luchau talks it through with pathology writer Ruth Werner.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Ruth Werner's:

Podcast: I Have a Client Who
Textbook: A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology from Books of Discovery
Article: "Long-Term Lyme Disease: Controversies and Challenges" in Massage & Bodywork July-August 2022, p72
CE site: ruthewerner.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

72: Intimacy, Sex & Massage: Strange Bedfellows? (with Cal Cates)

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Til Luchau talks with Cal Cates about "massage therapy's sex problem:" how the profession's "touchiness" about the intimacy-sensuality-sexuality continuum, however well-founded, might not be serving either our clients, nor ourselves.

Watch the video of their conversation and get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe: Academy of Clinical Massage
Til Luchau: Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Cal Cates’ Strange Bedfellows blog post
Interdisciplinary Podcast
Healthcare & Intimacy Virtual Symposium on September 24, 2022
The Healwell Online Community

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

71: Fascia & Pain: What We Know (with Helene Langevin)

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Famed fascial researcher Helene Langevin MD talks with Til and Whitney about what we know (and _don't_ know) about the role of tissue stiffness in pain; the effects of stretching on cell function and inflammation; contextual effects and placebos; and much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Sponsor Offers:

The 6th International Fascia Research Congress in Montreal, Sep 10-14, 2022 at https://fasciaresearchsociety.org.
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

70: Stretching: Would Everyone Just Relax? (with Jules Mitchell)

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til have an in-depth conversation with Jules Mitchell (author of Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined) about topics like tissue change, flexibility, hyper-mobility as they relate to yoga and manual therapy.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Jules Mitchell’s book: Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined.
- Save 20% when you enter TTP at checkout at Handspring Publishing.
Jules Mitchell’s site: julesmitchell.com
Previous podcast: Stretching the Tissues, or the Truth?
- Episode 11 of The Thinking Practitioner

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

69: Back Pain, Stiffness & Fascia (with Stuart McGill)

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Legendary back pain researcher Stuart McGill (author of Back Mechanic and others) talks with Whitney and Til about spinal pain, fascia, biomechanics and other topics including:
- Stiffness/mobility tuning in manual therapy
- The psoas' role in supporting the spine
- Fascial connections, Janda's lower-crossed model, and more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources:

Stuart McGill’s site:

Backfitpro.com

Books by Stuart McGill:

Back Mechanic ISBN: 978-097350182
Low Back Disorders ISBN: 978-097350182
Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance ISBN: 978-0973501834

Stu recommends:

Bernie Clark: Your Spine, Your Yoga: Developing stability and mobility for your spine ISBN: 978-0968766552

Sponsor Offers:

The 6th International Fascia Research Congress in Montreal, Sep 10-14, 2022 at https://fasciaresearchsociety.org.
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

68: Working with Sciatic Pain (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Til and Whitney compare notes about their tests and techniques for recognizing, understanding, and working with sciatica, sciatic pain, and similar conditions.
Download the free technique handout from https://bit.ly/sciatica-handout-68

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Til Luchau's 'Sciatica & Disc Issues' training: save 15% by entering "thinking" at https://a-t.tv/onl2208/.
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

67: Aging Gracefully, Breathing Well, and Long COVID Recovery (with Jan Sultan)

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Til talks with Jan Sultan (one of the first Rolfers trained by Ida Rolf to teach her work), about his life and work; about aging well; and about his take-aways from his ongoing COVID recovery process.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

Til's 'Cytokine Storm' article
Dr. Ida Rolf Institute®
Jan Sultan's email: janhsultan@gmail.com

Sponsor Offers: Z

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

66: Beyond ”It Depends:” Oncology Massage (with Janet Penny, Rebecca Sturgeon, and Loretta Luchau)

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Til gets personal as he discusses bodywork with people living with cancer, with Janet Penny and Rebecca Sturgeon, the authors of “Oncology Massage: An Integrative Approach to Cancer Care.” They’re joined by Til’s wife Loretta Carridan Luchau, a bodyworker and therapist who has been living with cancer for many years.

Watch the video (NEW!) and get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites:

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

Oncology Massage: An integrative approach to cancer care at Handspring (enter TTP at checkout for your listeners' discount)
Janet Penny: focusmassagetherapy.ca, or at info@focusmassagetherapy.ca
Rebecca Sturgeon: healwell.org, or at education@healwell.org

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

65: Women Leaders in Massage Therapy (with CG Funk, Ruth Werner, and Irene Diamond)

Wed, 18 May 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Women account for about 85 percent of Massage Therapists in the US. However, there isn't always a corresponding representation of women as CE providers, conference headliners, or in other roles of visible leadership.

Whitney and Til explore this phenomenon in discussions with three women leaders, as a way to acknowledge just a few of the many women who have made significant contributions and impacts on our field, and who continue to provide outstanding leadership and guidance for the future.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

CG Funk is Senior Vice-President of Culture and Industry Relations with the Massage Heights franchise.
Ruth Werner is the author of A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology from Books of Discovery.
Irene Diamond is massage CE educator, author and clinician.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

64: The Handspring Story (with Andrew Stevenson and Mary Law)

Wed, 04 May 2022 02:00:00 -0700

It’s no exaggeration to say that in its ten years of existence, Handspring Publishing has had a profound impact on the bodywork and movement therapy fields. Til and Whitney talk with two of Handspring's founders about some very big recent news, and about their unique vision of a place where both long-established authors (such as Robert Schleip, Leon Chaitow, and more), as well as promising newer voices, could all share their knowledge and advance our field.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

Til Luchau: Advanced Myofascial Techniques volumes 1 and 2
JC Guimberteau: Architecture of Human Living Fascia
Sat Bir Khalsa: Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care
JKP announces their acquisition of Handspring Publishing
Handspring’s site

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

63: Turnabout is Fair Play: Our Favorite Perspective Reversals

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 02:00:00 -0700

People change their minds--sometimes, radically. Learning, improving, refining, all involve changing how we saw things before. But is there a cost? And what makes changing our views such a challenge? Whitney and Til compare notes about how their perspectives have taken a 180° from how they used to think, and, about how that's played out.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

Todd Hargrove: Three Reasons It Matters Why A Treatment Works (blog)
Andreo Spina: The Easily Fooled Nervous System (YouTube)
Til Luchau: The Sympathetic Sacrum: A Rose by Another Name? (article)
Freakonomics: How to Change Your Mind (podcast)

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

62: Educational Innovations (with Anne Williams and Eric Brown)

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney talks with Anne Williams and Eric Brown about innovations in education.
They delve into these important topics: such as:
-Early explorations of online education, podcasting, and the World Massage Conference
-Why instructional design and educational theory matter in education?
-New frontiers in the publishing of digital textbooks
…and much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

Massage Mastery Digital Textbook

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

61: Massage Therapy Research (with Niki Munk)

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney talks with Niki Munk about massage therapy research.
They delve into these important topics: such as:
-What are levels of evidence and why does this matter?
-Why should massage therapists care about research?
-How to get involved with research
-Challenges of massage education existing outside traditional academic models
…and much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Resources mentioned

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: a unifying model for the conceptual description of physical and rehabilitation medicine

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

60: Physical Therapy Assisting and Massage (with Matt Gavzy)

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney talks with massage therapist and physical therapy assistant Matt Gavzy about working in a team practice with other professionals, and about integrating massage therapy with physical therapy approaches.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode Resources

Matt Gavzy's contact info:
Email: bodyworkingsmt@gmail.com
Phone: 201-410-7855

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

59: What Influenced You? (with Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau)

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney and Til compare notes about the major influences on their own careers, and along the way discuss topics such as:
-The development of massage and bodywork education and practice
-Their Esalen Institute and Emory University crossroads
-The role of lineage, teacher personality, and standards
-The evolution of online learning
-Mentors and mentoring
…and much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

58: Outside the Box (with Judith Aston)

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau asks pioneering movement and bodywork teacher Judith Aston "Do you think being a woman ever held you back?" Then, they talk about what she thought of that question.

Get the full transcript, and the answer to Judith's 9-dot puzzle, at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode Resources

Judith Aston's upcoming classes, newsletter and more:
Site: astonkinetics.com
Email: office@astonkinetics.com
Phone: +1 775-831-8228

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

57: A Fine Irish Visit (with Aubrey Gowing)

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau catch up with Aubrey Gowing about the practice of massage and bodywork in Ireland. Aubrey is Senior Instructor at the Holistic College Dublin and past President of the Irish Massage Therapists Association.

Plus: Check out the FREE 'Rib Issues' Intro Jan 26, and join the live course with Til Luchau until Feb 9.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s courses at Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode Resources

Holistic College of Dublin website, Facebook page
Aubrey Gowing's Facebook page and Instagram
Aubrey Gowing's books:
- Myoskeletal and Sports Therapy - for the Pelvis and Lower Extremity
- Kinesiology Taping Strategies

Sponsor Offers:

'RIB Issues: Principles AMT' training with Til Luchau: https://a-t.tv/rib-principles
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

56: Working with Rib Issues

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe talk through their hands-on approaches to rib pain, ribcage restrictions, and related breathing issues. Download the technique handout at https://bit.ly/rib-handout-56

Get the handout and full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s Online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s 'Rib Issues: Principles' training at Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

'RIB Issues: Principles AMT' training with Til Luchau: https://a-t.tv/rib-principles
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

55: What Is Success? (with Diane Matkowski)

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe get personal with Diane Matkowski (The Massage Mentor) about what "success" means to each of them, and preview their upcoming online collaborative, the "Success is an Inside Job" training (learn more at bit.ly/thinking-success).

Get the full transcript) at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s Online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

54: Season Two Highlights - Best of the Thinking Practitioner Podcast

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau review highlights and key take-aways from their busy second season of interviews, conversations, and inquiries into the thinking behind effective hands-on work.

The Ten Most-Downloaded Episodes from Season Two:

45: Fascia in Sport & Movement (with Robert Schleip)
38: Frozen Shoulder & Adhesive Capsulitis: Updating our Approach
42: Scars and Scar Tissue (with Cathy Ryan)
46: To ITB, or Not To ITB? (Iliotibial Band Controversies, Conditions, and Approaches)
47: Getting Over Over-Pronation (Ankle & Foot Function)
48: Psoas Work: Is it Safe? Is it Necessary? (Hip Jam rebroadcast)
44: Table Lessons (with Doug Nelson)
49: Interoception Is The Key, Like It Or Not (with Til Luchau)
43: Trauma, MDMA Psychotherapy, and the Body (with Marcela Ot'alora G.)
39: Are You Thinking Critically? (with Ruth Werner)

Find them all (and get the full transcript) at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s Online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

53: Fascia: A Deep Dive (with Dr. Antonio Stecco)

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Til and Whitney speak with fascial researcher, anatomist, and manual therapy teacher Antonio Stecco MD PhD about his research in to fascial properties, pain, and the effects of hands-on work.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Dr Stecco’s research and publications (NYU)
FM app on the Apple Store and Google Play
Dr Stecco’s site: fascialmanipulation.com
Papers mentioned in the episode:
- Gerber et al., “A Systematic Comparison Between Subjects With No Pain and Pain Associated With Active Myofascial Trigger Points.”
- Langevin, Helene M. et al. “Reduced Thoracolumbar Fascia Shear Strain in Human Chronic Low Back Pain.” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 12, no. 1 (December 2011): 203. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-12-203.
- Stecco, Antonio at al. “Ultrasonography in Myofascial Neck Pain: Randomized Clinical Trial for Diagnosis and Follow-Up.” Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 36, no. 3 (April 2014): 243–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1185-2.
Whitney Lowe’s Online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

52: Orthopedic Special Tests (with Whitney Lowe)

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Til interviews Whitney about his use of Orthopedic Special Tests. Topics include:

The promise and the reality of special tests
Pros, cons, and controversies
When to use them, when not to.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Lowe, Whitney. “Suggested Variations on Standard Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Assessment Tests.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 12, no. 2 (April 2008): 151–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2007.04.001.
Hegedus, Eric J, Alexis A Wright, and Chad Cook. “Orthopaedic Special Tests and Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: House Wine Served in Very Cheap Containers.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 51, no. 22 (November 2017): 1578–79. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097633. And, Cook, Chad. “The Lost Art of the Clinical Examination: An Overemphasis on Clinical Special Tests.” Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy 18, no. 1 (March 2010): 3–4. https://doi.org/10.1179/106698110X12595770849362.
TTP Podcast Episode: “23: Do Expectations Shape Results? (with Mark Bishop)”
The Shoulder Jam (Whitney’s charts)
Cook, Chad, and Eric J. Hegedus. Orthopedic Physical Examination Tests: An Evidence-Based Approach. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education, 2013.
Zulak, David. Clinical Assessment for Massage Therapy: A Practical Guide. Edinburgh: Handspring Publishing, 2018. (Save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout.
Whitney Lowe’s Online Clinical & Orthopedic Massage Courses
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

51: Neuroinflammation (with Todd Hargrove)

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Til & Whitney talk with Todd Hargrove of the Better Movement blog and podcast about neuroinflammation and its role in pain and health. Topics include:

What is neuroinflammation, and how is it relevant to hands-on work?
How does the concept of the "neuro-immune system" change things?
What are our levers for helping with neuroinflammatory conditions?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

“Neuroinflammation: A common factor in many chronic health problems" blog post
Todd's Better Movement blog and podcast
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

50: A View Across The Border (with Jamie Johnston & Eric Purves)

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney interviews Jamie Johnston and Eric Purves
Topics include:

How does massage education differ in the U.S. and Canada
How have things changed with the adoption of educational competencies for MTs in British Columbia
Should we keep performing special orthopedic tests if they aren't considered as accurate?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Hegedus, E. J., Wright, A. A., & Cook, C. (2017). Orthopaedic special tests and diagnostic accuracy studies: House wine served in very cheap containers. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(22), 1578–1579. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097633
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

49: Interoception Is The Key, Like It Or Not (with Til Luchau)

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney interviews Til about his upcoming “Three Questions About Interoception” article in Massage & Bodywork magazine. Topics include:

What is interoception, and why should I care?
Is interoception our profession’s “mindfulness?”
How can I actually use interoception with my clients?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

“Three Questions about Interoception” article in Massage & Bodywork November/December 2021
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

48: Psoas Work: Is it Safe? Is it Necessary? (Hip Jam rebroadcast)

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

In honor of the upcoming Hip Jam, Whitney and Til discuss the controversies, disagreements, considerations, and their own views on the infamous psoas muscle in manual therapy and massage in this "Greatest Hits" rebroadcast of ep25. Download the handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests, and a special chapter from Til’s book from https://a-t.tv/ttp-psoas/, plus check out the Hip Jam at https://bit.ly/Hip-Jam-TTP

Topics include:

Psoas: Holy Grail muscle, or wholly irrelevant?
Psoas and back pain, leg length, etc.;
Safety considerations;
What Til and Whitney actually do (and don’t do) in practice.

Get the full transcript and handout at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Free Episode Handout with extras
Book: Yoga Biomechanics (Mitchell 2018)
Blog: ‘Psoas, So What’ (Ingraham 2015)
Study: Psoas and lumbar disability (Wagner et al 2018)
Video: Whitney Lowe demonstrates a modified Thomas test
Video: Til Luchau demonstrates a hands-on psoas technique
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode image copyright Primal Pictures, used by permission

Sponsor Offers:

The Hip Jam bit.ly/Hip-Jam-TTP
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

47: Getting Over Over-Pronation (Ankle & Foot Function)

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

In celebration of Til's upcoming "Leg Knee & Foot" online course, he and Whitney geek out on conditions, anatomy, function, and biomechanics of the ankle and foot.

Topics include:

How the structure of the foot/ankle complex determines function
Are we over over-pronation yet?
Plantar fasciitis/fasciosis, bunions, hammertoes, and other things you wouldn’t have thought of as ankle issues.

Episode Outline:

Structure of the foot/ankle complex
- Medial side deltoid ligament complex
- Lateral side ATF, CF, PTF
- How does structure govern function
- Distal tibiofibular joint & talocrural joint form mortise & tenon
- Primary supporting ligaments

Mechanics of the region:
- Talocrural motions: dorsiflexion & plantarflexion
- Type I and type II limitations
- Subtalar motions: inversion & eversion
- Pronation and supination (definitions and confusion)
- Phases of gait

Some common issues/problems
- Valgus and varus angulations (toes and calcaneal region)
- “Overpronation”
- Bunions & hammertoes
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendon overuse (Achilles tendon etc.)
- Trauma: sprains breaks
- Nerve entrapments mimicking soft-tissue pathology (i.e. tarsal tunnel syndrome, Baxter’s neuropathy, etc.)

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Til Luchau’s “Principles: Leg Knee & Foot” live-online course (join live thru mid-September ‘21, or later by recording)
Trail Guide to Movement: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Podcast anatomy image from Advanced Myofascial Techniques, Volume 1. Used under license from Primal Pictures.

Til Luchau’s “Principles: Leg Knee & Foot” live-online course (join live thru mid-September, or later by recording)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

46: To ITB, or Not To ITB? (Iliotibial Band Controversies, Conditions, and Approaches)

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til unfold the controversies, compare thoughts, and share approaches for working with the iliotibial band. Download the free handout!

Topics include:

Little-known facts, well-known myths, and over-heated controversies about the ITB,
When and why would (or wouldn’t) we work, roll, or massage the ITB (aka the iliotibial tract or fascia lata)?
Hands-on techniques for some of the most common ITB-related client complaints.

Get the HANDOUT and full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites, plus sign up for Til's upcoming Leg Knee & Foot course!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Baker RL, Fredericson M. Iliotibial Band Syndrome in Runners. Biomechanical Implications and Exercise Interventions. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2016;27(1):53-77. doi:10.1016/j.pmr.2015.08.001
Aderem J, Louw QA. Biomechanical risk factors associated with iliotibial band syndrome in runners: A systematic review Rehabilitation, physical therapy and occupational health. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;16(1):7-9. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0808-7
Fairclough J, Hayashi K, Toumi H, et al. The functional anatomy of the iliotibial band during flexion and extension of the knee: implications for understanding iliotibial band syndrome. J Anat. 2006;208(3):309-316. doi:JOA531 [pii]10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00531.x
Podcast ITB image used under license by the National Library of Medicine Visible Human Project. Arrows show location of ITB.

Til Luchau’s “Principles: Leg Knee & Foot” live-online course (join live thru mid-September, or later by recording)
Download this episodes free handout for full references and more
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

45: Fascia in Sport & Movement (with Robert Schleip)

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe talk with researcher and Robert Schleip about fascia, movement, and research updates in the newly released second edition of Fascia in Sport and Movement, co-edited by Jan Wilke.

Topics include:

Should bodywork cost half of what movement therapy costs? {joke!}
Is the issue fascial stiffness, or fascial shearing?
What does fascias' extensive sensory innervation mean for manual therapists?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Book: Fascia in Sport & Movement at Handspring (Get 15% off with coupon code TTP)
fasciaresearch.de
somatics.de
Fascia Research Society
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

44: Table Lessons (with Doug Nelson)

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney talks to Doug Nelson about the challenges and learning experiences of a great massage career spanning over four decades.

Topics include:

What keeps you going after all this time?
What are some of the most fascinating lessons your clients have provided for you?
How do we all learn to be humble in the face of our own fallibility in the clinic and the classroom?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Doug's Book: Table Lessons
NMT Midwest
Massage Therapy Foundation
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.
Healwell: save 10% Healwell courses when you join the Healwell Community at community.healwell.org

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

43: Trauma, MDMA Psychotherapy, and the Body (with Marcela Ot'alora G.)

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Til Luchau talks about trauma, psychedelic psychotherapy, and the body, with Marcela Ot'alora G., the principal investigator in a very promising FDA-approved study into MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD.

Topics include:

How does trauma relate to bodywork, and how does MDMA therapy help with trauma?
How is psychedelic therapy different from just taking psychedelics?
What can we learn from your MDMA/PTSD study that can help us be more effective as massage and manual therapy practitioners?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Marcela Ot'alora’s Tim Ferriss Podcast interview
About MAPS.org (and training as an MDMA psychotherapist)
About the MDMA/PTSD Study
Apply to be a subject in the MDMA/PTSD clinical trials
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

42: Scars and Scar Tissue (with Cathy Ryan)

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Til and Whitney talk to Cathy Ryan RMT about her book 'Traumatic Scar Tissue Management: Massage Therapy Principles, Practice and Protocols,' co-authored with Nancy Keenan Smith.

Topics include:

How has fascial research informed our understanding of scars?
Is it about the "fuzz," or the fluids?
Erasing scars, once and for all. (Not really.)

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Book: Traumatic Scar Tissue Management: Massage Therapy Principles, Practice and Protocols (save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout)
Book: Oncology Massage (save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout)
Email Cathy Ryan: cryanrmt@gmail.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode image credit: Nancy Keenan Smith

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.
Healwell: save 10% Healwell courses when you join the Healwell Community at community.healwell.org

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

41: Going For It: The Massage Mentor (with Diane Matkowski)

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til talk to Diane Matkowski (a.k.a. the Massage Mentor) to find out what gave her the chutzpah to ask 10 of her favorite massage and bodywork teachers to teach in her first online event, what it was like when nearly 600 people showed up, and what she's working on next.

Topics include:

There are a lot of male teachers in our field. Where are the women? (Here.)
Finding your thing, and going for it.
Do we have to be good at business, to be good practitioners?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

The Hip Jam Oct 4-8, 2021
The Massage Mentor Institute (online courses)
Inside Job (upcoming training)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us: info@thethinkingpractitioner.com

40: How To (Not) Fix It (with Cal Cates)

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 05:30:00 -0700

Til and Whitney talk to Healwell’s Cal Cates about how their work with death and dying brought perspective and presence to their work as a massage therapist; and to living itself.

Topics include:

How is “being a massage therapist in the modern world a total setup”?
What do we say when our clients just want results?
How do our personal experiences influence the way we engage with our clients?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

"Death, Dying, and the Breakability of Us All" article in Massage & Bodywork
Interdisciplinary podcast
“Opening to the Mystery” online retreat
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Healwell: save 10% on the“Opening to the Mystery” online retreat save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout at healwell.org
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

39: Are You Thinking Critically? (with Ruth Werner)

Wed, 26 May 2021 02:00:00 -0700

How often do we think about the assumptions that inform our decisions? Til Luchau talks to writer Ruth Werner about her recent work on critical thinking skills, steps, and stages.

Topics include:

What is the big deal about critical thinking?
What are the signs that I might not be thinking critically?
Is intuition the opposite of critical thinking? And more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Supplemental video: Ruth interviews Til: “What is critical thinking?”
“Critical Thinking” article in Massage & Bodywork magazine
I Have a Client Who... Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner (podcast)
A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology (book)
What Next? COVID-19 Updates for Massage Therapists (online course)
Ruth Werners’ site: www.ruthwerner.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

The Shoulder Jam event, via Til or Whitney‘s links
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

38: Frozen Shoulder & Adhesive Capsulitis: Updating our Approach

Fri, 14 May 2021 16:53:28 -0700

Whitney Lowe & Til Luchau give a crash course on frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis, discussing recent research and comparing their respective views and strategies. Download the free handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests, and join them at the upcoming Shoulder Jam event via Whitney or Til’s sign-up link.

Episode topics include:

Types, terms, stages, and debates
Who gets it, why, and what makes it stiff?
What can we do about it, from biomechanical and biopsychosocial perspectives?

Get the handout or get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Download the handout for full references and more
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

The Shoulder Jam event, via Til or Whitney‘s links
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

37: Shoulder Pain, Impingement, & Rotator Cuff Issues: The Most Common of Problems

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 09:37:28 -0700

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe share their ideas, strategies, techniques, and tests for better results with the most common type of shoulder condition, subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS) and its myriad presentations, including rotator cuff pain, etc. Download the handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests from http://a-t.tv/ttp-saps/

Episode topics include:

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome: SIS or SAPS?
Rotator cuff syndrome, labrum injuries, adhesive capsulitis, and more
Biomechanical and biopsychosocial perspectives and approaches

Get the handout or get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Download the handout for full references and more
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

The Shoulder Jam event, via Til or Whitney‘s links
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

36: Research and Education (with Robin Anderson)

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney Lowe talks with Robin Anderson about her new role as president of the Massage Therapy Foundation and how research plays an important role in our field. They also dive deep into some issues around curriculum design and the crucial importance of developing solid educational programs to ensure the future success of our field.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

35: Resources That Inspire Our Learning

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe share their top resources for information and inspiration, both professionally and personally, letting us in on everything from their favorite podcasts, playlists, books, and apps, to how they recharge and find meaning in their work and in their lives.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Mendeley
Zotero
PubMed
Sci-hub (note this URL often changes)
Concast (Conor Collins)
2 Massage Therapists and & Microphone (Canadian perspective)
Clinical Edge/Physio Edge (David Pope)
Physio Matters (Jack Chew)
Gait Guys
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
Wiggins: Understanding by Design
Christensen: Innovators’ Dilemma
Jarvis: A Company of One
Greg Lehman: Reconciling Biomechanics (online version)
Pat Metheny Group
Micheal Hedges
Indian Classical Music for Studying
Til Luchau on Spotify
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

34: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: What You Didn’t Know

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau share trivia, tips, tests, and techniques for working with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), including some cool self-care methods for you and your clients. Find out why TOS is “one of the most controversial topics in musculoskeletal medicine,” and how Til and Whitney actually work with TOS symptoms in practice. Download the handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests from http://a-t.tv/ttp-tos/

Get the handout or get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Download the handout for full references etc.: http://a-t.tv/ttp-tos/
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

Episode image from an 3D tomography image by Hellerhoff (public domain image).

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

33: Dealing With Adversity (with Drew Freedman)

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Clinician and educator Drew Freedman talks about navigating many challenges of managing a busy clinic in the heart of Boston. The clinic was severely impacted by the Boston Marathon bombing and then again this past year during the Covid challenge. We discuss how to face adversity and how to continue looking forward and not let these challenges drag you down.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Boston Bodyworker site: bostonbodyworker.com/
Learn 2 Tape: learn2tape.com/
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

32: Aging Well (with Art Riggs)

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Art Riggs was one of the first Certified Rolfers[tm] to publish a book about "advanced" techniques. His textbook (Deep Tissue Massage) was adopted by massage therapy programs worldwide, and as a result, his teaching and style has influenced tens of thousands massage and manual therapists in the decades since. Art talks with Til Luchau about his work, aging, self-care, and more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Art Riggs’ site: deeptissuemassagemanual.com
Art Riggs’ videos and DVDs on Til’s site: a-t.tv/art-riggs
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us
(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

31: Headaches of Another Kind: Cervicogenic Headaches

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 02:00:00 -0800

What are cervicogenic headaches? Are they even a thing, and if so, why are they particularly amenable to manual therapy and massage? Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe discuss these questions, and share some self-care tips for you and your clients. Download the handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests from http://a-t.tv/ttp-cgh/

Episode topics include:

What kinds of headaches CAN manual therapy help with?
What’s the controversy around cervicogenic headaches?
What kinds of self-care help?

Get the handout: a-t.tv/ttp-cgh/ or get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Toby Hall, Kathy Briffa & Diana Hopper (2008) Clinical Evaluation of Cervicogenic Headache: A Clinical Perspective, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 16:2, 73-80, DOI: 10.1179/106698108790818422
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

30: Excuses, Excuses: Our Favorite Reasons Not To ________

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 02:00:00 -0800

What makes taking care of ourselves so hard? Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe dissect the difficulties, and share their favorite excuses for not putting their own care first.

Episode topics include:

The five key self-care behaviors;
The date we’re most likely to give up on our resolutions;
Getting “internal bipartisanship” around your own self-care initiatives.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Stress in America™ report on caregivers’ self-care
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

29: Season 1 Retrospective - Best of the Thinking Practitioner

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe review highlights and take-aways from the star-studded first season of their acclaimed podcast (yea, right).

Most-Downloaded:

03 Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations

15 Robert Schleip: Talking to Fascia, Changing the Brain, 20 Years Later

07 Scoliosis and Manual Therapy

11 Stretching the Tissues, or the Truth?

12 The Cytokine Storm of COVID-19

First Season, by Episode:

01,02 The Back Story, Pt. 1, Pt 2

03 Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations

04,08 Key Challenges Facing Our Field, Pt. 1, Pt 2

05 Documentation and Electronic Health Records (with Diana Thompson)

06 Tendons and Tendinopathies

07 Scoliosis and Manual Therapy

09 What the Heck is Descending Modulation?

10 When Does the Tissue Matter?

11 Stretching the Tissues, or the Truth?

12 The Cytokine Storm of COVID-19

13 Inflammation: Hands-On

14 Do We Keep Doing This?

15 Robert Schleip: Talking to Fascia, Changing the Brain, 20 Years Later

16 Benny Vaughn: Black Lives Matter.

17 Who Charts our Path?

18 Ann Blair Kennedy and Kemi Balogun: Project COPE

19 What About Risk? (cohost: Ruth Werner)

20 A Pain in the Neck: Cervical Challenges and Strategies

21 My Aching (Upper) Back: Thoracic Spine Pain

22 Gil Hedley: Fascia, Fuzz and Furor

23 Do Expectations Shape Results? Mark Bishop

24 Plantar Foot Pain Crash Course

25 Psoas Work: Is it Safe? Is it Necessary?

26 Zoga: Movement for Manual Therapists (with Wojtek Cackowski)

27 The Little Man in Your Brain: The Homunculus

28 Advanced Credentialing and Massage as Healthcare (with Cal Cates)

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

28: Advanced Credentialing and Massage as Healthcare

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Whitney Lowe talks with Cal Cates, executive director of Healwell. They tackle the challenging issues of how to recognize advanced training and the challenges of integrating massage into the healthcare system.

Episode topics include:

Why is advanced credentialing important for us?
What are some of the big challenges we face when attempting to be part of the healthcare system?
Who is ultimately responsible for advanced credentialing?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Healwell: https://www.healwell.org/
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

27: The Little Man In The Brain: The Sensory Homunculus

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe discuss the most famous (yet, unreplicated) illustration in neuroscience, the sensorimotor homunculus, which purports to show the proportion of the brain dedicated to each body part. Is it accurate?

Episode topics include:

Is the cortical homunculus a map, or the territory?
How did it come about? Penfield's methods and limitations.
How might this all apply to manual therapy and massage?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources and references discussed in this episode:

Catani, Marco. 2017. “A Little Man of Some Importance.” Brain 140 (11): 3055–61. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx270.
Schabrun, Siobhan M., Edith L. Elgueta-Cancino, and Paul W. Hodges. 2017. “Smudging of the Motor Cortex Is Related to the Severity of Low Back Pain:” SPINE 42 (15): 1172–78. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000000938.
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

Episode image from a sculpture by Sharon Price-James (public domain image).

26: Zoga: Movement for Manual Therapists (with Wojtek Cackowski)

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

Til Luchau talks with Polish physical therapist, Anatomy Trains teacher, and manual therapist Wojtek Cackowski about his innovative Zoga Movement method, and how it can help manual therapists not only with their clients, but with their own embodiment and self care.

Episode topics include:

What is Zoga? How does it relate to manual therapy and massage?
Fascial shearing and gliding, vs fascial “stretching”
Til and Wojtek’s collaborative online courses combining Zoga and Advanced Myofascial Techniques

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Zoga online courses with A-T (from $20, plus save 15% with coupon “TTP”)
Zoga video clip (scroll down)
Wojtek Cackowski’s site: Zoga-Movement.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Next Zoga course with A-T: from just $20, plus save 15% by entering “TTP” at checkout at a-t.tv/zoga-amt-headaches/
Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

25: Psoas Work: Is it Safe? Is it Necessary?

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til discuss the controversies, disagreements, considerations, and their own views on the infamous psoas muscle in manual therapy and massage. Download the handout with detailed episode notes, techniques and tests, and a special chapter from Til’s book from http://a-t.tv/ttp-psoas/

Episode topics include:

Psoas: Holy Grail muscle, or wholly irrelevant?
Psoas and back pain, leg length, etc.;
Safety considerations;
What Til and Whitney actually do (and don’t do) in practice.

Get the full transcript and handout at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Free Episode Handout with extras
Book: Yoga Biomechanics (Mitchell 2018)
Blog: ‘Psoas, So What’ (Ingraham 2015)
Study: Psoas and lumbar disability (Wagner et al 2018)
Video: Whitney Lowe demonstrates a modified Thomas test
Video: Til Luchau demonstrates a hands-on psoas technique
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode image copyright Primal Pictures, used by permission

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

24: Plantar Foot Pain Crash Course

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til share a treasure chest of foot-pain ideas and techniques, packed full of assessments, anatomy, concepts, and hands-on tools. Download the free (optional) handout and follow along as Til and Whitney give an audio preview of their upcoming Plantar Foot Pain collaborative webinar (part of the ABMP CE Summit).

Get the full transcript and handout at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Free Episode Handout
Whitney & Til’s Foot Pain Webinar at the ABMP CE Summit, Oct 20 2020
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Episode image from Advanced Myofascial Technique Vol 1, under license from Primal Pictures.

References:

Insert comparisons: Bonanno, Daniel R., Karl B. Landorf, and Hylton B. Menz. 2011. “Pressure-Relieving Properties of Various Shoe Inserts in Older People with Plantar Heel Pain.” Gait & Posture 33 (3): 385–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2010.12.009.
Slow heel raises vs stretching: Rathleff, M. S., C. M. Mølgaard, U. Fredberg, S. Kaalund, K. B. Andersen, T. T. Jensen, S. Aaskov, and J. L. Olesen. 2015. “High-Load Strength Training Improves Outcome in Patients with Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 12-Month Follow-up: HL Strength Training and Plantar Fasciitis.” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 25 (3): e292–300. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12313.
Arch height and other biomechanical factors: Warren, B. L. 1984. “Anatomical Factors Associated with Predicting Plantar Fasciitis in Long-Distance Runners.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 16 (1): 60–63.
Plantar fascia core/sheath anatomy: Zhang, Jianying, Daibang Nie, Jorge L. Rocha, MaCalus V. Hogan, and James H.-C. Wang. 2018. “Characterization of the Structure, Cells, and Cellular Mechanobiological Response of Human Plantar Fascia:” Journal of Tissue Engineering, October. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041731418801103.

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

23: Do Expectations Shape Results? (with Mark Bishop)

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Mark Bishop’s research shows that clients who think treatment will help benefit more than those who don’t expect much relief. What is more, practitioners who expect their modality will help actually get better results than practitioners who are less certain. What’s up with that?

In this episode, Til and Whitney interview manual therapist, physiotherapist and researcher Mark Bishop about his fascinating investigations into how expectations can shape results; the role of client preferences in treatment success; and how practitioners can most effectively leverage these effects.

Mark Bishop PT PhD FAPTA is a physiotherapist with more than 30 years of clinical and research experience in the area of rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain disorders. His work has focused predominantly on the mechanisms underpinning the efficacy and effectiveness of conservative interventions for pain, especially manual therapy and exercise. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy with affiliations in the Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health, and the Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence at the University of Florida.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health
Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence
“Patient Expectations of Benefit From Interventions for Neck Pain and Resulting Influence on Outcomes” (Bishop et al, 2013)
Spinal stiffness study mentioned by Dr Bishop (Fritz et al, 2011)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

22: Fascia, Fuzz and Furor (with Gil Hedley)

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Anatomist Gil Hedley discusses fascial debacles, debates, and dissection with Til Luchau.

In this episode,

Gil Hedley’s Fuzz Speech: facts, fantasies, and furor;
Sexuality in the dissection room;
Conspiracies: pattern of meaning, or menace?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Gil Hedley’s Fuzz Speech on YouTube
Gil Hedley’s site: gilhedley.com
Til's “patternicity” reference: Finding Meaningful Patterns in Meaningless Noise: Why the brain believes something is real when it is not (Michael Shermer)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

21: My Aching (Upper) Back: Thoracic Spine Pain

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til discuss a very common (but poorly researched) complaint: upper thoracic spine pain, and what to do about it.

In this episode,

Does posture drive upper back pain? Does psychology?
Breaking the Upper-Cross-Syndrome rules (and what “PhD” doesn’t really stand for).
The Over-the-Edge technique for upper back pain.

Get the full transcript and handout at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Free Episode Handout
Thoracic spine pain in the general population: Prevalence, incidence and associated factors in children, adolescents and adults. A systematic review. (Briggs et al 2009)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

20: A Pain in the Neck: Cervical Challenges and Strategies

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Whitney and Til discuss assessment and treatment considerations unique to working with the neck and cervical region; how their respective training programs are adapting to the challenges of COVID-19; and much more.

In this episode,

Neck issues: shifting from tissue fault to nociceptive driver
Can we treat the neck in isolation?
Thoughts on “text neck,” and more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

The Relationship Between Forward Head Posture and Neck Pain: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Mahmoud et al 2019)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

19: What About Risk?

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 02:00:00 -0700

How do we manage risk, in a world where we don’t even agree about what the risks are? Pathology writer Ruth Werner joins Til and Whitney for a lively conversation about risk, risk tolerance, and ethical decision making in massage and manual therapy, in the face of both COVID-19, and in the differences in how we perceive the risks involved.

In the Thinking Practitioner series, join two of the leading educators in manual therapy, bodywork, and massage therapy, as they delve into the most intriguing issues, questions, research, and client conditions that hands-on practitioners face. Stimulate your thinking with imaginative conversations, tips, and interviews related to the somatic arts and sciences, with Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Ruth Werner’s site: ruthwerner.com
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

18: Project COPE (with Ann Blair Kennedy and Kemi Balogun)

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Project COPE is tracking the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on both essential and “non-essential” healthcare practitioners, including massage therapists and bodyworkers. It’s already revealing some insights about representation and diversity in our field. Listen to learn more, and participate in the project at the link below.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Project COPE (Chronicling healthcare prOviders' Pandemic Experiences)
International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

17: Who Charts Our Path?

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Manual therapy and massage practitioners are voracious consumers of professional continuing education. Who should be deciding what they learn?

In this episode,

What implications does the “medically necessary” discussion have on massage and bodywork education, CE, and credentialing?
Why don’t Rolfers™ think they’re doing massage, anyway?
What is the post-COVID roadmap for professional continuing education?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Kiva.org Join the Hands-OnTherapists’ Lenders Team, Or borrow, interest-free
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

16: Black Lives Matter (with Benny Vaughn)

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:28:29 -0700

Benny Vaughn, an iconic figure in massage therapy, talks with Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau about his experiences as a African American massage therapist, and offers both practical advice and deep inspiration on how manual therapists can address racism and bias in their own lives.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Benny Vaughn at benny.vaughn@bennyvaughntherapy.com
More about Benny Vaughn: “Celebrating 40 Years of Benny Vaughn’s Contributions” in Massage and Bodywork magazine.
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

15: Talking to Fascia, Changing the Brain, 20 Years Later (with Robert Schleip)

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:30:00 -0700

Fascia evokes widely divergent responses from manual therapists, with viewpoints ranging from “incredible” to “irrelevant.” Til Luchau talks with fascial researcher Robert Schleip PhD about his current perspectives on tissue change and the nervous system in manual therapy; fascial debates; and much more.

In this episode,

Questioning the tissue-based narratives in manual therapy,
Putting to rest the question “How is your work misunderstood?”
Inflammation, insula, networking, and much more.

Join two of the leading educators in manual therapy, bodywork, and massage therapy, as they delve into the most intriguing issues, questions, research, and client conditions that hands-on practitioners face. Stimulate your thinking with imaginative conversations, tips, and interviews related to the somatic arts and sciences. With Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Robert Schleip, “Talking to Fascia—Changing the Brain: Explorations of the Neuro-Myofascial Net,” Rolf Lines 19, no. 2 (2005):18–21.
More about Robert Schleip and his work is at www.somatics.de/en and www.fasciaresearch.de.
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

14: Do We Keep Doing This?

Wed, 20 May 2020 03:00:00 -0700

A lot of hands-on therapists are wondering about “staying with it.” Til and Whitney explore the reasons massage and manual therapy practitioners might (and might not) be thinking about quitting.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

“Acts of kindness prevent a downward spiral from solitude to loneliness.” (Economist, Apr 18th 2020)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

13: Inflammation: Hands-On

Wed, 06 May 2020 03:00:00 -0700

Inflammation is implicated in nearly all musculoskeletal complaints, including chronic pain. Til and Whitney explain this, and talk about the implications for massage and manual therapy.

In this episode,

Are most client complaints related to inflammation?
What most practitioners don’t understand about inflammation,
Key points practitioners should keep in mind,

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Til Luchau’s “Inflammation” 1hr online course (preview free)
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

12: The Cytokine Storm of COVID-19

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 06:30:00 -0700

Coronavirus symptoms range from mild to fatal. Though still mysterious, in many patients it seems to be the patient’s own inflammatory reactions that tip the scale. Til and Whitney explain this, and talk about the implications for massage and manual therapy.

In this episode,

What is the deal about COVID-19 and cytokine storms?
What is a cytokine, and why do I care?
As massage therapists and bodyworkers, where does this leave us?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Til Luchau’s “Understanding COVID-19’s Cytokine Storm” article in the May/June 2020 issue of Massage & Bodywork (p80)
Apoorva Mandavilli’s “The Coronavirus Patients Betrayed by Their Own Immune Systems,” article in the New York Times
Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

11: Stretching the Tissues, or the Truth?

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 06:30:00 -0700

Does manual therapy stretch the tissues? Til and Whitney consider the history, evidence, debates and implications of this fascinating question.

In this episode,

Myths and misperceptions about stretching,
Are we stretching connective tissue, or nervous system?
What does this mean for massage, bodywork, and manual therapy?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Ingraham, Paul. “Quite a Stretch: Stretching Hype Debunked.” https://www.painscience.com/articles/stretching.php.
Mitchell, Jules. 2019. Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined. Pencaitland, East Lothian: Handspring Publishing.
Smith, Nancy Keeney, and Catherine Ryan. 2016. Traumatic Scar Tissue Management: Massage Therapy Principles, Practice and Protocols. Edinburgh: Handspring Publishing.
Weppler, Cynthia Holzman, and S. Peter Magnusson. 2010. “Increasing Muscle Extensibility: A Matter of Increasing Length or Modifying Sensation?” Physical Therapy 90 (3): 438–49. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20090012.
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

10: When Does The Tissue Matter?

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 11:32:10 -0700

Whitney and Til consider the debates about tissue-based effects in manual therapy, and share their views about when it makes sense to think about the actual tissues and physical effects of hands-on works.

In this episode,

Why would people say that the tissue doesn’t matter in manual therapy?
Examples of tissue-based narratives; the arguments for, and against
Til and Whitney ask each other, “What tissue effects do you think about when you’re working?”

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Rathbone A, Henry J, Kumbhare D. Comment on: A critical evaluation of the trigger point phenomenon. Rheumatol (United Kingdom). 2015;54(6):1126-1127. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kev028,
Jacobs D. Dermoneuromodulating. Victoria: Tellwell Talent; 2016,
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

09: Descending Modulation in Manual Therapy

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 05:50:38 -0700

Whitney and Til discuss the descending modulation of pain in manual therapy.

In this episode,

What is descending modulation?
What are the implications?
How do we use it?

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Olson, Mark. “Descending Modulation: Why Massage Therapy Can Alleviate Pain.” Blog. Massage And Fitness Magazine, October 24, 2019. https://www.massagefitnessmag.com/massage/descending-modulation-why-massage-therapy-alleviates-pain.
Vigotsky, Andrew D., and Ryan P. Bruhns. “Corrigendum to ‘The Role of Descending Modulation in Manual Therapy and Its Analgesic Implications: A Narrative Review.’” Pain Research and Treatment 2017 (2017): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1535473.
———. “The Role of Descending Modulation in Manual Therapy and Its Analgesic Implications: A Narrative Review.” Pain Research and Treatment 2015 (2015): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/292805.
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

08: Key Challenges Facing Our Field, Part 2

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:01:58 -0800

Til and Whitney talk about the key challenges and opportunities facing manual therapy, bodywork, and massage therapy. (Part 2 of 2)

In this episode,

Increasing the accuracy of our explanations,
Polarization, divisiveness, and infighting within the profession,
Consolidation and up-scaling of the bodywork “industry,”
and more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Todd Hargrove Blog Post: Three Reasons It Matters Why a Treatment Works https://www.bettermovement.org/blog/2015/three-reasons-it-matters-why-a-treatment-works
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

07: Scoliosis and Manual Therapy

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 05:45:37 -0800

Scoliosis and Manual Therapy

Til and Whitney talk about hands-on work with scoliosis.

In this episode,

What do we know about scoliosis' causes?,
What are some common scoliosis myths?,
When scoliosis is a problem?,
What are conventional treatments?,
What’s manual therapy’s role?,
And much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

John P. Kostuik and John Bentivoglio, “The Incidence of Low-Back Pain in Adult Scoliosis,” Spine 6, no. 3 (May/June 1981): 268–73, https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-198105000-00009 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6455747
Schwab et al., “Adult Scoliosis: Prevalence, SF-36, and Nutritional Parameters in an Elderly Volunteer Population,” Spine 30, no. 9 (May 2005): 1082–85, https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brs.0000160842.43482.cd. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15864163
https://www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

06: Tendons and Tendinopathies

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 23:28:03 -0800

Til and Whitney discuss considerations for hands-on work with tendinopathies and tendon issues.

In this episode,

What is a tendinopathy? Examples?
Tendinitis vs.tendinosis; tenosynovitis;
What are typical signs?
What is known about causes?
Inflammation or degeneration?
Collagen, paretenon, fascicles, etc;
Nerval arborization/sprouting;
What’s manual therapy’s role?
Approaches, debates, consensus;
And much more...

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Chen PC, Wu KT, Chou WY, et al. Comparative Effectiveness of Different Nonsurgical Treatments for Patellar Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. Arthrosc - J Arthrosc Relat Surg. 2019;35(11):3117-3131.e2. doi:10.1016/j.arthro.2019.06.017
Cook JL, Purdam C. Is compressive load a factor in the development of tendinopathy? Br J Sports Med. 2012;46(3):163-168. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090414,
Lederman E. The Science and Practice of Manual Therapy. 2n3 ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier; 2005.
Murtaugh B, Ihm JM. Eccentric training for the treatment of tendinopathies. Curr Sports Med Rep. 1987;12(3):175-182. doi:10.1249/JSR.0b013e3182933761,
Lipman K, Wang C, Ting K, Soo C, Zheng Z. Tendinopathy: Injury, repair, and current exploration. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018;12:591-603. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S154660,
Witvrouw E, Mahieu N, Roosen P, McNair P. The role of stretching in tendon injuries. Br J Sport Med. 2007;41(4):224-226.
Van Der Vlist AC, Breda SJ, Oei EHG, Verhaar JAN, De Vos RJ. Clinical risk factors for Achilles tendinopathy: A systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2019;53(21):1352-1361. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099991
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

05: Documentation and Electronic Health Records (with Diana Thompson)

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 07:29:23 -0800

Whitney talks with Diana Thompson about documentation, health records, and including massage therapy in mainstream healthcare practices.

In this episode,

Introducing Diana Thompson,
History of Hands Heal and SOAP documentation for massage therapy,
Washington’s “every category of provider” clause,
Electronic health records and the future of clinical documentation,
and more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Hands Heal Electronic Health Record: https://www.handshealehr.com/
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

04: Key Challenges Facing Our Field, Part 1

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 13:01:00 -0800

Til and Whitney talk about the key challenges and opportunities facing manual therapy, bodywork, and massage therapy. (Part 1 of 2)

In this episode,

Aging practitioners, younger students,
Split personality of the profession,
The epidemic of over-busyness,
Income issues,
and more.

(Part 2 of this conversation is scheduled to be released as Episode 8 on Feb 26, 2020.)

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

03: Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Causes, Controversies, and Considerations

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:00:00 -0800

Til and Whitney discuss sacroiliac joint pain and hand-on therapies: causes, controversies, and considerations.

In this episode,

What causes SIJ pain?
Does the SIJ move a little, or a lot?
What about hypermobility?
What are the controversies?
What does the research say?
Key considerations for manual therapists,
and much more.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Laslett 2008 (Descriptive, questions of manual therapy approaches; good cataloging of diagnostics) http://ahpsuffolk.co.uk/Portals/1/Users/159/59/159/Laslett%20SIJ.pdf
Palsson 2019 (Lehman et al questioning the narratives and nocebic effects of "pathoanatomical thinking.") https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31355883
Booth 2019 (BPS-informed; great one to read if you have time for just one) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521694219300178
AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com
Advanced-Trainings.com

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: save 20% by entering “TTP” at checkout at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau | Email Us

02: The Back Story, Part 2

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:55:39 -0800

Til and Whitney interview each other about their backgrounds, histories, and current interests. Part 2 of 2.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: enter “TTP” at checkout for a discount at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau

01: The Back Story, Part 1

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:50:00 -0800

In this episode, Til and Whitney interview each other about their backgrounds, histories, and current interests. Part 1 of 2.

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites!

Resources discussed in this episode:

Sponsor Offers:

Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com.
ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking.
Handspring Publishing: enter “TTP” at checkout for a discount at handspringpublishing.com.

About Whitney Lowe | About Til Luchau