The Thinking Practitioner Podcast

14: 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.

13: 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,

12: 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? 

11: 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?

10: 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?”

09: 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?

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.

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 is scoliosis a problem?
– What are conventional treatments?
– What’s manual therapy’s role? And much more.

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…

05: 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.

04: 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

03: 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.

02: In this episode, Til and Whitney interview each other about their backgrounds, histories, and current interests. (Part 2 of 2)

In this episode, Til and Whitney interview each other about their backgrounds, histories, and current interests. Part 1 of 2.

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.