In this episode of Simply Robust, the Elevate PT teamdives into a recent paper from the Austrailian Journal of Physiotherapy (PMID: 40579311) that explores how diagnostic labels influence patient beliefs, emotions, and treatment decisions. Does calling it “non-specific low back pain” help or hurt? Do patients feel better with a label—even if it’s scary?

We try to dispell the tension between clarity and confusion, explore the real-life implications of using jargon, and share insights from our own practice. Whether you're a clinician learning to talk with patients or a patient trying tounderstand your own care, this episode may make you think what you say matters less than why you say it.

Papers cited in this episode:

"Non-specific diagnostic labels..." (Martin et al. 2025) PMID: 40579311"A study on relative contributions of the history, physical examination and investigations in making medical diagnosis." (Roshan and Rao. 2000) PMID: 11273467

"Diagnostic Labels for Rotator Cuff Disease Can Increase People's Perceived..." (Zadro et al. 2021) PMID: 33789444