The Physio Matters Podcast

Welcome to the penultimate Health Matters and this one touches on a very tough subject! Opioids are in the news a lot these days and there are moves away from over prescription. Where do Therapists fit into all this? How can we help both on an individual level and a population level.  First we must understand the medications, the problems and how we can help. Helen Liddell experts guides us through all the queries and this is mandatory listening! Follow us on twitter @TPMPodcast Subscribe to the podcast feed for updates on release and give the podcast a rating or share with colleagues!

Jack Chew jumps on Jack March's Physio Natters stream for a pair of interviews about the WCPT's decision to host their 2021 conference in Dubai, UAE.  We went live with James McAulay (against the decision) and Othman Kassabi (in favour of the decision) to discuss the issues in detail. As ever, let's keep nattering! Share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TPMPodcast

This month we let Jack Chew back behind the microphone in the studio for this frankly brilliant interview. Maddy Nicholson and Rory Allott expertly take us through the utility and limitations of Motivational Interviewing with take home messages for every clinician that treats patients. Look out for the bonus portion of this session where Rory and Maddy demonstrate Motivational Interview techniques on Jack himself! Out mid April. Follow the team on twitter @TPMPodcast @rallott @motivationalmad and @jackachew Don't forget to sign up for your ticket for #TheBigRs 2019 buytickets.at/reformingmsk

We don't ask for very much very often but we do ask you listen to Jack for 2 minutes and then click on this link! http://kck.st/2AVE02P Every penny matters, because Physio... Matters

This month to relaunch the podcast (see pretty new logo!) following 5 years of the show we give you a peek behind the TPMP curtain. Jack Chew, Felicity Thow, Jack March, Rich Barnes and George Goodwin discuss podcast plans, favourite episodes and #TheBigRs. Listen right to the end for what has to be the best sign out EVER! Follow the Team on twitter @TPMPodcast, @jackachew @physiojack @felicitythow @rehabrich and @georgetgoodwin

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack is joined by Andy Thomas, founder of Physiquip and host of the Real Health podcast, to discuss his new book Real Growth and the thinking behind it. Rather than presenting another abstract business or personal development manual, Andy explains that Real Growth is built from real conversations, real careers, and real lived experience, drawn from more than 200 long-form podcast interviews across sport, healthcare, and business .The discussion explores why “real” growth matters. Andy contrasts authentic development with surface-level metrics and performative success, arguing that growth is rooted in values such as authenticity, positivity, humility, enjoyment, and reflection. The book weaves together insights from elite sport practitioners, clinicians, business leaders, and entrepreneurs, showing how lessons learned in one domain often translate powerfully into others.Andy describes the challenge of turning hundreds of conversations into a coherent structure, ultimately creating 30 short, accessible chapters grouped into themes. Each chapter ends with reflective questions designed to help readers apply insights to their own lives and work. The format mirrors how Andy himself learns: practical, digestible, and easy to dip into.The conversation also links Real Growth to Andy’s wider work with Physiquip. He explains his belief that profitability, trust, and purpose are not opposites, but essential ingredients for sustainable healthcare businesses. Technology, he argues, is not about novelty, but about fit—supporting a clinic’s vision rather than defining it.Overall, this episode is a thoughtful reflection on growth as a human process: built through curiosity, connection, optimism, and doing meaningful work well over time.

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack is joined by Heather Mclellan, physiotherapist, occupational health specialist, and founder of The Return to Work Mentor, to explore a largely invisible gap in healthcare: what happens when people—especially small business owners and the self-employed—become ill or injured and have no access to occupational health support.Heather explains that while large organisations often have structured return-to-work systems, most UK workers are employed by micro-businesses with fewer than ten staff, where occupational health simply doesn’t exist. As a result, people are left to “chance it”: either staying off work longer than necessary due to fear and uncertainty, or returning too early without a plan, risking relapse or failure.The conversation becomes deeply personal as Heather shares her own experience of suffering a rare stroke caused by an underlying blood cancer. Despite decades of expertise in vocational rehabilitation, she found herself navigating illness, identity, and work with virtually no formal support. Even income protection policies failed her—not because she lacked cover, but because she hadn’t “played the game” correctly by formally stopping work and obtaining a sick note.Together, Jack and Heather unpack the emotional, cognitive, and financial strain of trying to hold a business together while managing a life-changing diagnosis. They discuss how performance, identity, and responsibility often mask distress, and why pathway-based or insurance-led systems routinely fail people at their most vulnerable.Heather introduces her “before, during, after” framework for health crises, which underpins The Return to Work Mentor. The goal is simple but powerful: to give people calm, practical guidance—direct to the individual—so they’re not left alone to navigate one of the hardest transitions of their working lives.

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack is joined by Rosie Sexton — osteopath, former MMA fighter, academic, and commentator — for a deep, nuanced conversation on “reasonable adjustments”, neurodivergence, and where workplace accommodation becomes ethically, practically, and emotionally complex.The discussion is sparked by a satirical MSK Mag article, Unreasonable Adjustments, written under the Glenohumeral pseudonym. Rosie explains why the piece felt frustrating and harmful to her: not because unreasonable adjustments don’t exist, but because satire can slide from critique into reinforcing stereotypes, particularly around neurodivergence. She highlights how portrayals of “comfort-seeking” or “trend-driven diagnoses” can discourage people from requesting adjustments that would genuinely allow them to work better and avoid burnout.Jack responds by situating the article within its satirical intent and wider editorial context, acknowledging both its provocations and its blind spots. A central tension emerges: how do we hold space for individual needs while also recognising system-level constraints, particularly in under-resourced environments like the NHS?Both agree that unreasonable requests can exist — but they strongly resist framing this as neurodivergent staff versus patient care. Instead, they explore how adjustments can conflict with one another, how severity and context matter, and why careful, good-faith conversation is essential. Rosie argues that dismissing needs as “trivial” is dangerous, while Jack reflects on the uncomfortable reality of triage, scarcity, and competing demands.This episode doesn’t offer neat answers. Instead, it models something rarer: a respectful, intellectually honest disagreement, showing how complex issues can be explored without shutting conversation down.

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack speaks with researcher and osteopath David Evans about what has actually changed in low back pain care over the past 20 years — and what hasn’t. Using data from a unique follow-up study comparing physiotherapists, osteopaths, and chiropractors, David reveals that the story is more nuanced than the usual “hands-on vs hands-off” narrative.Spinal manipulation use has fallen across all three professions — not just physios — while massage and acupuncture have increased, suggesting clinicians haven’t abandoned hands-on care, but have shifted the type of intervention used. Specific exercises have declined while general exercise has risen, aligning more closely with guideline messaging around activity and self-management. Interestingly, these trends don’t map neatly onto clinical guidelines, raising questions about what really drives practice change: pain science discourse, safety concerns, professional identity, training exposure, and system pressures all emerge as possible influences.The conversation moves beyond techniques to bigger issues in MSK care: the limits of pathway-based models, the “average effect” problem in RCTs, and why back pain research may be set up to underestimate treatment impact by measuring outcomes many months later. A major theme is the long-standing struggle to move beyond “non-specific low back pain.” David argues the future may lie in mechanism-based subgrouping (nociceptive, neuropathic, nociplastic, inflammatory) — if diagnostic precision can improve enough to meaningfully guide treatment.

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack is joined by Joshua Catlett, former physio, founder of Bodyset, and now founder of Verilo, to unpack the realities of buying and selling MSK clinics—and why it’s far more complex than most owners expect. Joshua explains that for many clinic owners, a sale is a once-in-a-lifetime event with huge consequences: get it right and it can be life-changing; get it wrong and you can lose money, damage reputation, or sell to the wrong buyer.A key theme is preparation and timing. Joshua warns against selling out of necessity (lease pressure, staff loss, burnout), and encourages owners to plan ahead so they can sell from a position of strength. He also challenges a common assumption: the “natural” exit via associate buyout is often more myth than reality, with fewer clinicians wanting (or able) to buy practices today due to funding constraints and higher borrowing costs .The conversation highlights why some practices aren’t truly “saleable”—often because they’re essentially a job: highly owner-dependent revenue, home-based setups, or limited transferable infrastructure. Joshua outlines the main levers that increase valuation and buyer confidence: reducing owner dependency by building a team, securing strong premises and lease terms (ideally 5+ years remaining), and lowering risk for the buyer .They also discuss the brokerage landscape, contrasting passive “listing” brokers with high-end corporate finance, and positioning Verillo in the middle: structured, strategic, and specialist. The episode closes with practical advice: prepare early, stabilise key risks, and get the right representation—because structured sales processes tend to achieve higher prices and higher completion ratesFREE GUIDE HERE

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In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack is joined by pain coach and clinician Richmond Stace for a wide-ranging, thoughtful exploration of what pain coaching is, and why it matters for people living with persistent and chronic pain.Richmond traces the origins of pain coaching from his multidisciplinary background in nursing, pain science, and coaching, describing it not as a rigid framework but as an approach and a way of being. Central to this approach is meeting people exactly where they are, prioritising relationship, presence, and communication over protocols or prescriptive solutions. Pain coaching, he argues, is less about “fixing” pain and more about supporting meaningful, sustained change in a person’s life.A core theme of the conversation is the idea of pain as a lived experience or need state, rather than a purely structural or biological problem. Richmond challenges dominant biomedical narratives, suggesting that pain is information rather than error, and that persistent pain often reflects unmet needs, limiting beliefs, and misaligned ways of living rather than “broken” bodies. This perspective reframes recovery as a process of growth, insight, and updated understanding, rather than symptom eradication alone.The discussion explores why rigid beliefs, fear-based avoidance, and future-focused thinking can keep people stuck, and how coaching helps individuals reconnect with the present moment, their own strengths, and their capacity for change. Drawing on motivational interviewing, psychotherapy, and Eastern philosophy, Richmond emphasises that transformation happens through insight, relationship, and self-compassion, not through protocols or techniques alone.This episode is a deep, reflective conversation for clinicians and patients alike who want to rethink pain, recovery, and what it truly means to help people get better.https://richmondstace.substack.com/

In this episode of Chewing It Over, host Jack Chew speaks with Carolyn Kent, founder and director of the Women’s Football Hub, about the history, culture, health, and future of women’s football. Kent explains that her passion is rooted both in a love for the game and in a desire to address historical injustices, particularly the 1921 ban on women’s football that continues to shape attitudes today. Drawing on her background as a former player, physiotherapist, academic, and practitioner within elite football, she describes how the sport shaped her career while also exposing persistent barriers faced by women.Kent outlines the vision behind the Women’s Football Hub: a deliberately broad, multidisciplinary platform that combines sport science, health, sociology, business, and lived experience. Rather than focusing narrowly on injuries or feminism alone, the Hub aims to engage women who are “football curious” and to close widespread knowledge gaps, particularly around female health. She emphasises the importance of teamwork and diverse perspectives in building the Hub, noting that its success depends on contributors who often remain behind the scenes.The conversation also explores key differences between men’s and women’s football, including fan culture, safety, marketing strategies, and media narratives. Kent argues that women’s football should not simply replicate the men’s model, but instead develop approaches that reflect its unique audiences and values. She also addresses misconceptions around injuries, highlighting that while ACL injuries receive disproportionate attention, hamstring and MCL injuries are more common, and that inadequate training environments play a major role.Ultimately, Kent frames women’s football as a powerful social, public health, and cultural intervention. Looking ahead, she hopes to reduce participation barriers, encourage more women to play for enjoyment, and shift the conversation from education alone toward implementation and meaningful behaviour change.

Jack Chew talks all about measurement tech for the clinical space with Athan who is CEO of our partners Kinvent! He is an interesting charecter with a background in sport and engineering which led him to develop MSK specific measurement equipment!Get all your equipment for measuring here: http://landing.kinvent.com/partner-physiomatters

Physio Matters and Physiquipe have joined forces in a partnership to enable access to best in class clinical education AND clinical technology. The collaborative aim to improve rehabilitation standards for better patient outcomes across the MSK landscape is intentionally challenging and lofty. It also aligns perfectly with both Physiquipe and Physio Matters respective aims helping to elevate both simultaneously!Interested in Diagnostic Ultrasound and/or shockwave for your clinic? Go to this link and if you get a machine then you will unlock 3 years of Physio Matters Premium Membership at no extra cost!https://content.physiquipe.com/physiomatters

In this mini episode of You Matter, Joanne and I discuss the power of setting agreements with your patient, not just at the beginning of an episode of treatment but at every session, and even within a session. Rather than wondering, "Is this right? Are they happy? Am I doing a good job? " You get an answer in real time. Your patient gets seen and heard, and you are relieved from the pain of wondering. There are surprising benefits for both of you.Coaching Unpeeled: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mehab/1737501Future Dates: https://tinyurl.com/4f5nh8fm

In this episode of Physio Matters, Jack Chew and Rob Bevan dive deep into how they use Cliniko to streamline and grow their clinics. Drawing on Jack’s experience running a smaller practice and Rob’s decade of managing a larger MDT clinic, they share practical insights into online bookings, patient communication, diary management, and notes systems.They unpack why Cliniko consistently delivers higher conversion rates for online bookings, how tailored reminders and confirmations reduce admin and no-shows, and why small tweaks in setup can transform patient experience. The discussion also explores clever ways to categorize services, manage next-available appointments, and integrate automations to free up time while keeping a human touch.Whether you’re just getting started with Cliniko or want to optimize how your practice uses it, this episode offers actionable tips, real-world examples, and lessons learned from years of trial, error, and success in MSK practice management.90 day free trial: cliniko.com/physio-matters

Today I'm Chewing Over sore young knees and how to help manage them with Claire Robertson & Tom JacobsCIO is a weekly lunchtime livestream with Jack Chew chatting about whatever is topical. Usually healthcare and education, occasionally current affairs, always honest.

Chewing It Over — AI, Ethics & the Future of PhysiotherapyJack Chew is joined by Ash James (CSP’s Director of Practice and Development) to tackle the hot topic of artificial intelligence in physiotherapy — and the newly released CSP Statement of Principles on the subject.This wide-ranging conversation explores the origins of the document, the reasons for its principle-based approach over policy, and what it means for clinicians across sectors — from MSK to sport, education, and beyond.In this episode:▪ Why the CSP chose agile principles instead of hard rules▪ Data governance, patient safety, and protecting professional titles▪ How AI might support — not replace — clinical decision-making▪ What physios need to know about legal and ethical use of generative tools▪ The future role of human touch in a tech-enhanced professionAsh and Jack don’t shy away from critiques — including whether the CSP is reacting too slowly, or even too early, and how the profession can keep its identity amidst change.Want to weigh in? Check out the CSP’s guidance and send your thoughts to info@physio-matters.comMentioned in this episode:CSP Statement of Principles on AINHS Lanarkshire serviceMedical device regulationData privacy, GDPR, and patient trustLike, comment, and subscribe to keep the conversation moving.

Chewing It Over — MVPs, Belief & Building Before You’re ReadyJack digs into the messy middle of product development — when you’re building something people can believe in, even if it’s not finished with two wonderful Jo’s (Turner and Elphinston).Prompted by a conversation about MVPs, early-stage traction, and product storytelling, Jack explores how clarity, confidence, and customer obsession shape successful products long before they’re “ready.”This episode touches on:▪ Why belief is often more valuable than features▪ The fine line between feedback-driven and vision-led development▪ How to communicate what you’re building — even when it barely exists▪ And why showing enough to inspire action beats waiting for perfect polishWhether you're launching a product, building a business, or just figuring out how to talk about your idea, this one’s for you.Got thoughts or questions? Reach out at: info@physio-matters.comLike, comment, and subscribe for more deep dives from the front lines of innovation, leadership, and healthcare.