145 - Can Discs Heal? (with Stuart McGill)

🎙 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. Get the show notes and full transcript at https://a-t.tv/the-thinking-practitio... 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. (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.)