The Thinking Practitioner

🎙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

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🎙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:

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🎙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

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🎙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:

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode 

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