Whitney and Til discuss a very common (but poorly researched) complaint: upper thoracic spine pain, and what to do about it. 

In this episode, 

1. Does posture drive upper back pain? Does psychology? 

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

Resources discussed in this episode: 

• Free Episode Handout 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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, 

1. Neck issues: shifting from tissue fault to nociceptive driver 

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) 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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. 

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: 

• Project COPE (Chronicling healthcare prOviders' Pandemic Experiences) 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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? 

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: 

• Kiva.org Join the Hands-OnTherapists’ Lenders Team, Or borrow, interest-free 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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. 

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: 

• Contact Benny Vaughn at [email protected] 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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, 

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. 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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. 

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: 

• “Acts of kindness prevent a downward spiral from solitude to loneliness.” (Economist, Apr 18th 2020) 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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? 

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: 

• Til Luchau’s “Inflammation” 1hr online course (preview free) 

Sponsor Offers: 

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

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? 

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: 

• Til Luchau’s “Understanding COVID-19’s Cytokine Storm” article in the May/June 2020 issue of Massage & Bodywork (p80) 

Sponsor Offers: 

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