What if some of the stories we’ve been told about massage therapy are incomplete… outdated… or just plain wrong?
In this thought-provoking episode, David sits down with Paul Ingraham, former Registered Massage Therapist and founder of PainScience.com, for a wide-ranging conversation about pain science, manual therapy myths, fascia, trigger points, nocebo effects, clinical humility, and the complexity of human healing.
Paul shares his journey from massage therapist to science writer, why he became increasingly sceptical of overconfident explanations in physical medicine, and why he still deeply values massage therapy despite critiquing many of the stories surrounding it.
Together, David and Paul explore questions such as:
- Are therapists overestimating what massage actually does?
- Do concepts like fascia release, adhesions, and postural correction hold up scientifically?
- Why do some clients experience profound change while others don’t?
- Can therapists unintentionally create fear and dependency through language?
- What role do touch, reassurance, context, and therapeutic alliance play in recovery?
This is not an anti-massage episode. It’s a conversation about intellectual honesty, curiosity, and how therapists can evolve without losing the deeply human side of care.
- PainScience.com
- Massage Therapist Reassurance Article
- Paul’s Articles on Fascia
- Trigger Point Article Index
- The Trouble With Vitalism
- Patellofemoral Pain Guide
- The Obsession With Biomechanics
- Why Physical Medicine Is Surprisingly Primitive
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Theme Music: Simon Pettersson "All Alone" (2020), Licensed use through Audio Hero Inc
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