The lore
PTCH Wiki
Recurring bits, running jokes, terms, and lore — cross-linked to the episodes they come from.
"Coming for You, Joe Rogan"
PTCH's tongue-in-cheek rivalry with the JRE — they're not chasing Rogan, they're inviting him into the gauntlet.
Running bits"Couldn't Get Into Chiropractic School?"
Jason's signature opening question for every MD or DO guest — a deadpan role-reversal of the usual chiropractor jokes.
Running bits"Everybody Should Sponsor Us"
The hosts' ongoing, shameless, half-joking pitch for sponsors — anointing brands mid-episode whether or not a dime has changed hands.
Lore100 Days of Evidence for Chiropractic
Jason's ongoing social media series posting peer-reviewed research on chiropractic — a project born partly from the podcast's focus on evidence-based practice and partly from wanting a clean answer ready for the haters.
TermsBlood Flow Restriction Training (BFR)
A rehab and performance tool that uses a specialized cuff to restrict venous blood flow during low-load exercise, tricking the body into the same hormonal and neuromuscular response it would have under heavy load.
Running bitsBurpee-Free Zone
The studio is officially a burpee-free zone, declared in episode one and upheld through the series — though the hosts spent an entire episode investigating the exercise they refuse to do.
TermsCortisone Injections
The most commonly used joint injection — a synthetic anti-inflammatory delivered locally to break an inflammatory cycle and give you a window to do your rehab.
Running bitsDegenerative Hair
A reframe introduced by guest Amy McDevitt: if we're going to call spinal changes 'degenerative,' we should be consistent and call gray hair 'degenerative' too — and see how patients respond.
PeopleDon Butzner, LMT
Licensed massage therapist who worked with Olympians including decathlete Ashton Eaton, spent a summer as his personal therapist through the 2016 Rio Olympics, and learned early that making a world-class sprinter too relaxed before a race is a career-limiting mistake.
PeopleDr. Liam Vu, DO
Sports medicine physician at Samaritan Athletic Medicine, team doctor for the Oregon State athletic department, and the first guest Jason admits he might show his patients instead of explaining things himself.
PeopleDr. Rick Green, MD
Board-certified plastic surgeon with three decades of practice in Vancouver, Washington — the original Vancouver — who answered the questions about plastic surgery that nobody usually gets to ask.
TermsEvidence-Based
The phrase the show lives by — and a word that gets abused enough to deserve its own entry.
TermsExercise Snacks
Short bursts of physical activity — one to five minutes, two to four times a day — that accumulate real cardiovascular and strength benefits without requiring a gym visit or a gym mindset.
LoreGo Beavers
Jason Young's allegiance to Oregon State University, which comes up unprompted in approximately every third episode and shapes more sports conversation than the topics technically warrant.
Running bitsGo Spartans
Jason's Corvallis High School allegiance — and the 'Go Spartans!' rally cry that gets shouted across the show.
Running bitsGood for Business
The hosts' shorthand for any health behavior — bad form, risky exercises, ignoring pain — that is likely to result in clinical visits. Used affectionately, and with a straight face.
Running bitsHighland View Middle School Sit-and-Reach Champion
Jason's self-proclaimed flexibility record, established at a school that no longer exists and therefore cannot be verified.
LoreI Want to Be There When the Awesome Happens
Jason's articulation of why he chose chiropractic over medicine — he wanted to be present for the moment a patient felt better, not prescribe something and wait for a phone call.
Running bitsIt Depends
The show's most-used two-word answer — and an honest summary of how healthcare actually works.
PeopleJake
One of the booth engineers before Raul — still good for a trivia ruling from off-mic.
PeopleJim Kurtz, DC
Retired chiropractor who spent 12 seasons working with the Seattle Seahawks — through the Legion of Boom, a Super Bowl win, and roughly 30,000 adjustments where one wrong move could have ended his career.
Running bitsMy Older Son
Jason's curious habit of referring to his firstborn, Alston, only as 'my older son' — while name-dropping younger brother Griffin constantly.
Running bitsNARD (Not a Real Doctor)
The hosts' self-deprecating badge of honor — NARD, 'Not A Real Doctor' — plus the merch, the honorary degrees, and the RARD counterpart.
LoreNazareth
Kathy's D3 basketball alma mater — Nazareth College (now University) in Rochester, NY — and a running 'as in Jesus of Nazareth' callback.
Running bitsNotre Dame
Kathy's not-so-secret allegiance — the Fighting Irish loyalty that surfaces every few episodes, double-layered shirts and all.
TermsPelvic Floor
The group of muscles at the base of your pelvis — men have one too — and the topic that Carrie Boen will discuss at any meal, with or without a glass of wine.
TermsPlacebo and Nocebo
The placebo effect is not a trick that failed — it's the standard against which all treatments are measured. Its evil twin, nocebo, is what happens when negative expectations produce real negative outcomes.
TermsPlantar Fasciitis
The heel pain condition that patients tend to self-diagnose and announce upon arrival — often correctly, sometimes dramatically, occasionally in both feet and one hand.
LorePodcast Day
Recording days have their own name and their own energy — Jason wakes up thinking about it, Kathy says it makes her a better PT, and both hosts agree it is often the most fun part of their week.
TermsProgressive Overload
The foundational principle behind getting stronger: your muscles need to be progressively challenged to adapt. Doing the same weight for the same reps indefinitely is not a training plan — it's a holding pattern.
Running bitsPT Stands for Physical Terrorist
The unfortunate nickname that follows physical therapists — and Kathy's earnest effort to correct the record: it doesn't have to hurt.
TermsPTCHes
What the show calls its people — the PTCH listener community, addressed directly and often.
PeopleRaul
The voice from the booth — PTCH's current engineer, reluctant game-show contestant, and accused serial cheater.
PeopleRoyal H. Burpee
The man who invented the burpee — a PhD physiologist who just wanted a four-rep fitness test and is now blamed for CrossFit.
TermsSarcopenia
Age-related muscle loss that begins in your 30s, accelerates in your 50s, and is both preventable and partially reversible — if you actually do resistance training.
TermsSarcopenic Obesity (Skinny Fat)
A body composition state where someone has a normal or low BMI but high body fat percentage and insufficient muscle mass — the kind of thing BMI alone completely misses.
PeopleScott
The podcasting-studio engineer the hosts both thank and stage an intervention for.
TermsStatic vs. Dynamic Stretching
Static stretching before exercise has been oversold — the evidence shows it may reduce power output and doesn't reliably prevent injury. Dynamic stretching is the better pre-workout choice.
LoreThe Chiropractor vs. PT Rivalry (That Doesn't Actually Exist)
The supposed turf war between chiropractic and physical therapy that launched the podcast — and keeps getting undercut by the fact that Jason and Kathy agree on almost everything.
Running bitsThe Games
The show's defining ritual — every single episode ends with a game. 'We torture you for about 45 minutes so we can play a game.'
TermsThe Lactic Acid Myth
Lactic acid is not the enemy. It does not cause delayed muscle soreness. Jason grew up in the 80s believing it did, and he was wrong, and he will tell you about it.
LoreThe Theme Song Debacle
Spotify yanked episodes over an unlicensed theme track — so Jason started improvising his own theme song on the spot.
TermsThe Wolverine Stack (BPC-157 and TB-500)
A gray-market peptide protocol popular in online fitness communities that promises Marvel-grade tissue regeneration — the science says something more nuanced.
LoreThere's No I in PTCH
What the name stands for — PT + CH — and why 'there's no I in PTCH,' a play on the old 'no I in team.'
Running bitsTrigger Warning (The Game)
A recurring segment where the hosts hurl health myths at each other and try to provoke a passionate rant — all within five seconds.
Running bitsWonder Woman Island
The hosts' imaginary all-women fitness island — check your vibe at the door, no gym bros, and someone please file the trademark.
No entries in this type.