The Thinking Practitioner

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!  Whitne...

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   Sp...

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-...

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...

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: fascialmanipula...

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...

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...

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:...

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 Int...

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 Ja...

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...

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...

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 m...

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 T...

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/P...

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! ...

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 g...

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? G...

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 Wh...

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 i...

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:...

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...

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   Zo...

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...

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 Whit...