Rodger Duckworth (Trauma Physiotherapist) – Why Great Clinicians Stay Curious

In this episode of The Physio Coach Podcast, Charlie Goodchild sits down with trauma physiotherapist Rodger Duckworth to explore manual therapy, trauma, chronic pain, the autonomic nervous system, and why the best clinicians never stop being curious. From the evolution of therapeutic touch and clinical reasoning to attachment, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and Rodger's own life-changing health journey, this conversation challenges how we understand pain, recovery, and what it truly means to treat the whole person. Topics covered: Manual therapy & the therapeutic alliance Why touch still matters in rehabilitation Trauma & the autonomic nervous system Chronic pain beyond the biomedical model Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & lifelong health Clinical reasoning, intuition & pattern recognition Attachment, emotion & the nervous system Rodger's personal recovery journey and how it transformed his practice ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 CONNECT & LEARN MORE 📸 Instagram:   / betterphysiogroup   ▶️ YouTube:    / @the-physio-coach-podcast   🏥 Book a physio appointment in London, UK: https://betterphysiogroup.com/ 🎧 Guest: Rodger Duckworth 📸 Follow Rodger:   / rdphysio   🌐 Website: https://www.rdphysio.com 🤝 This episode is sponsored by Jane App Jane is a clinic management software designed to help healthcare professionals run smoother, more efficient practices — from booking and scheduling to notes and payments. 🔗 Learn more: https://jane.app 📸 Follow Jane UK:   / janeapp_uk   📅 Book a demo: https://jane.app/en-GB/demo If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it with a friend or leaving a review — it helps us more than you know. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Has the Pendulum Swung Back to Manual Therapy? 03:23 Why Therapeutic Touch Still Matters 06:52 "Science Is the Pursuit of Understanding" 10:28 From Manual Therapy to Neurophysical Touch 15:27 Connecting Pain, IBS & Whole-Person Care 19:08 How Rodger's Clinical Practice Evolved 26:40 Hope, Fear & the Therapeutic Alliance 37:15 What Trauma Really Is 43:05 Why Some Patients Never Fully Recover 49:30 Rodger's Personal Health Journey 55:56 "Trauma Isn't What Happened to You" 01:05:28 ACEs, Childhood Adversity & Long-Term Health 01:13:12 Intuition & Pattern Recognition in Clinical Practice 01:17:00 Why Every Clinician Should Consider Therapy 01:20:18 Learning to Sit with Difficult Emotions 01:30:42 Advice for the Next Generation of Clinicians 01:55:25 Outro