Clinical Communication

Discussing degenerative meniscal tears with patients can be particularly tricky. They sound scary, are quite common and don’t often come with an easy solution.

Thankfully on this episode I am joined by Khalid Maidan from Clinical Physio, who himself is a Knee Specialist Physio where we discuss:

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:20) – Why Is The Meniscus The Bridesmaid To The ACL?

(02:40) – The Limits Of Meniscal Objective Tests

(03:47) – Analogies For Degenerative Meniscal Tears & Nocebic Messaging

(10:30) – Discussing Scan Results & Management Options

(22:50) – Does Saying There Is No Suitable Surgery Help With Rehab Buy-In?

(29:55) – Knowing When To Feedback Scan Results & Options

(33:40) – Where To Find More

You can find Khalid on LinkedIn, plus Clinical Physio on Instagram @clinicalphysio or https://www.clinicalphysio.com/

For more details on the Clinical Communication Course you can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio or email [email protected]

Communicating well with the person in front of you can be tricky in a calm clinical environment at times. But how do we manage when the environment you’re in becomes more challenging?

Whether that’s in extreme environments up mountains, in jungles, deserts or space. Or with a camera crew filming your every move. Or if it’s the middle of the night and you’re exhausted from being awake for over 18 hours.

On this episode I am joined by Dr Will Duffin who; is a doctor working across primary and urgent care services, is the joint medical director of World Extreme Medicine, is an on-screen medical doctor for “Survivor”, and a whole lot more, where we discuss:

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:47) – What Is Extreme Medicine & How Will Got Into It

(08:47) – Wills Experience As An On-Screen Reality TV Doctor On Survivor

(11:47) – How To Stay & Exude Calm Under Pressure

(23:07) – How To Manage Unsafe Expectations

(37:37) – The Importance Of Using Simulations

(42:57) – How To Communicate Well When Tired

(45:42) – Where To Find Out More About Will & Extreme Medicine

(47:15) – Would Will Consider Space Medicine?

(49:37) – How AI Will Change Extreme Medicine

You can find Will on LinkedIn & Instagram @the.extreme.medic

His website is www.drwillduffin.com

You can find out more about Extreme Medicine here www.worldextrememedicine.com  

You can see Ben at the North East Musculoskeletal Society (NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

For more details on the Clinical Communication Course you can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio or email [email protected]

Welcome to this new type of episode where I take other clinicians communication queries and discus them to help fellow clinicians with similar dilemmas. If you’ve got questions that you’d like help with (and are happy to be recorded) then do let me know!

On this episode I am joined by Luka who is a Physiotherapist originally from Croatia and now working in the Switzerland, we discuss:

(00:00:00) – Introduction

(00:01:06) – When To Speak Formally & Informally

(00:08:33) – How To Manage Patient Nocebic Beliefs & Distress

(00:30:30) – How To Give Realistic Hope & Visual Explanations

(00:36:06) – WIIFM

(00:40:00) – Explaining Pain Without Causing Upset

(00:54:20) – How To Discuss Sleep

You can see Ben at the North East Musculoskeletal Society (NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

If you’d like to take part in an episode or know more you can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio or email [email protected]

You can find Luka on Instagram @lukapavlinoviclb

“Explaining Pain” has evolved over the past decade and has become almost a common part of clinical practice. Whilst this can be done individually, discussing it to an audience comes with its own challenges and requires a different approach.

On this episode I am joined by Professor Cormac Ryan from Teeside University & Flippin Pain where we discuss:

(00:00:00) – Do More People “Get” Chronic Pain Now?

(00:10:30) – The Importance Of Stories In Explaining Pain

(00:24:10) – The Value Of Humour

(00:36:10) – The Importance Of Practising Talks

(00:41:30) – Cormac’s Fun Fact Introductions

(00:52:15) – The Power Of Lived Experience Input & Feedback

(01:09:55) – Ben & Cormac at the NEMS Conference

The Flippin Pain website is here: https://www.flippinpain.co.uk/

They can be found across social media & YouTube.

You can see Ben & Cormac at the North East Musculoskeletal Society (NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

You can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysioor email [email protected]

Welcome to this new type of episode where I take other clinicians communication queries and discus them to help fellow clinicians with similar dilemmas. If you’ve got questions that you’d like help with (and are happy to be recorded) then do let me know!

On this episode I am joined by Suki, who is a Physiotherapist originally from Serbia and now working in the USA, we discuss:

(00:00:00) – Introduction

(00:02:07) – Can We Use Clinical White Lies? & Cultural Differences

(00:18:30) – How To Manage Cultural Expectations For Passive Treatment

(00:24:00) – Chunking & Checking

(00:24:46) – Where’s The Line Between A Simple Explanation And A Lie?

(200:8:30) – Addressing Difficult Beliefs

(00:34:30) – Should Clinical Discussions Change If Patients Want The Blunt Truth

(00:40:30) – Saying “I Don’t Know” In Practice

(00:43:50) – Reframing Pain Without Upsetting The Patient

(00:59:15) – What Words Has Ben Removed From Explanations

(01:04:30) – How Much Uncertainty Can We Show Before Losing Patient Confidence?

(01:06:00) – How To Stay Calm When Saying “I Don’t Know”

(01:09:50) – How Much Credit Should Clinicians Claim When Patients Improve?

(01:12:35) – How To Explain To Someone Why They Got Better

(01:15:30) - Reflections

You can see Ben at the North East Musculoskeletal Society(NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

If you’d like to take part in an episode or know more youcan find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio or email [email protected]

Welcome to this new type of episode where I take other clinicians communication queries and discus them to help fellow clinicians with similar dilemmas. If you’ve got a query that you’d like help with (and are happy to be recorded) then do let me know!

On this episode I am joined by Carol who is a soft tissuetherapist and personal trainer to discuss the following queries:

(00:00) – Introduction

(03:40) – What Is Info Dumping?

(06:35) – Controlling The Need To Correct Every Belief

(14:35) – Managing Catastrophising Beliefs

(20:10) – Knowing When To Discuss Beliefs

(41:22) – Carol’s Hardest Conversations

You can see Ben at the North East Musculoskeletal Society(NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

If you’d like to take part in an episode or know more youcan find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio or email [email protected]

This is a different episode to usual, as for the first time ever rather than a clinician I am joined by someone with a very rare condition.

On this episode I am joined by Jen who has a diagnosis of thevery rare painful neurovascular condition Erythromelalgia and reached out to me to arrange this episode where we discuss:

(00:00:00) – What Is Erythromelalgia?

(00:02:08) – How It Feels Having A Very Rare Condition

(00:04:38) – Jen’s Journey Before & After Diagnosis

(00:43:50) – What Jen Would Have Changed About Her Journey

(00:51:40) – What Were The Best Conversations Jen Had

You can see Ben at the North East Musculoskeletal Society(NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

You can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysioor email [email protected]

You can contact Ben on the above if you’d like to speak withJen

Conversations with young athletes and their parents can lead to a range of difficult topics related to recovery, performance or even changing sport entirely.

On this episode Ben is joined by Angela Jackson, YoungAthlete Consultant Physiotherapist, where they discuss:

(00:00:00) – How To Motivate Teenagers

(00:04:20) – At What Ages Can Sport Become More Serious ForKids?

(00:11:07) – How To Discuss Expectations For Late Development

(00:14:20) – Childrens & Parents Reactions To RecoveryExpectations

(00:21:50) – Ages That Children Can Grasp Complex Ideas

(00:24:05) – Managing Different Parent & Child Interests

(00:29:40) – Encouraging Choice With Children

(00:31:34) – Knowing How Much To Involve The Parent

(00:33:40) – How To Manage Interrupting Parents

(00:37:03) – Managing Fear Of Not Being Able To Return To Play

(00:47:16) – Breaking News Of Recovery Time

(00:55:40) – Angie’s Hardest Clinical Conversation

(01:02:30) – The Future Of Conversations With Young Athletes

You can see both Ben & Angie at the North East MusculoskeletalSociety (NEMS) Conference on Saturday 19th of September in Durham.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

You can find Angie on LinkedIn and Instagram @angiejphysio

Her website for all resources and courses is: https://kidsback2sport.com/

You can find Ben on LinkedIn and Instagram @bwhybrowphysio

Experiences are often much more powerful for influencing beliefs and understanding that words and descriptions.

Behavioural experiments give you an option to achieve this.

But what does this mean?

How should we go about doing them?

This brief episode covers how.

You can see Ben at:

North East Musculoskeletal Society (NEMS) Conference

Durham - Saturday September 19th 2026

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-east-musculoskeletal-conference-2026-tickets-1981008464645

Therapy Show

Birmingham - Wednesday November 25th 2026

https://www.therapyshow.co.uk/

Most clinicians are in the business of behaviour change,whether that’s with patients or members of staff. A task that often sounds easy, but can be very difficult at times.

But what really changes behaviour?

Do previous theories need to change with evolving evidence?

On this episode Ben is joined by Orla O’Doherty, Behaviour Change Specialist & Educator where they discuss:

(00:00) – Do We Have Too Many Behaviour Change Experts?

(02:20) – The Lack Of Evidence For The Stages Of ChangeModel

(07:21) – Evidence Based Behaviour Change Models

(10:15) – Do We Rely On Motivation To Change Behaviour Too Much?

(12:58) – Can We Overcomplicate Behaviour Change?

(17:23) – Making Habit Plans & Behavioural Goals

(21:58) – Why Have Habits Not Gained As Much Interest Clinically?

(26:52) – Starting vs Maintaining Behaviour

(30:21) – Orla’s Hardest Clinical Conversations

(33:16) – When It’s Not The Right Time To Discuss BehaviourChange

(36:41) – The Future Of Behaviour Change

(41:20) – Where To Find Orla

You can find Orla on LinkedIn & Instagram @thecliniccoach

Her website is: cliniccoach.co.uk

Stages Of Change Paper Mentioned:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01139.x

EAST Framework:

https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/management/east-framework

COM-B Framework:

https://www.com-b.org/

You can find Ben on LinkedIn or Instagram @bwhybrowphysio

You can email in questions to [email protected]