“It’s not broken it’s just a crack in the bone!” This is interesting because the words we tell our patients have different connotations in spite of the same meaning to us as physiotherapists. This is important as we want to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety as this will hinder some patients with fear-avoidance behaviours. A broken bone, a fracture, a crack in the bone all medically mean the same thing but people don’t perceive this. Do the words we use as medical professionals influence our patients’ expectations?
