🎙 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
• 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

(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.)

🎙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 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

(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.)