The Physio Matters Podcast

12

In this inspiring episode of Chewing It Over, Jack speaks with Laurie, whose remarkable story spans decades of living with the consequences of a devastating childhood injury, multiple reconstructive surgeries, and an extraordinary journey back to mobility.
Laurie reflects on undergoing complex limb reconstruction surgery after living with altered biomechanics and chronic pain for over 40 years. Her rehabilitation became even more challenging when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented access to the specialist physiotherapy service that had been planned, forcing her to largely guide her own recovery.
The conversation explores how she gradually relearned to walk, rebuilt strength, and adapted through careful trial and error. Despite setbacks, including muscle weakness and knee problems caused by years of altered movement, Laurie describes how she slowly regained confidence and function. Today she is pain-free, regularly attends the gym, and continues to surprise herself with what she is capable of achieving.
Jack uses Laurie's story to challenge the common assumption that decades of abnormal movement patterns permanently limit rehabilitation potential. Instead, her experience highlights the remarkable adaptability of the human body when combined with persistence, patience, and realistic expectations.
The discussion also touches on resilience, mindset, and the value of lived experience. Laurie explains that while she is unsure whether optimism can be taught, she believes sharing experiences with others beginning similar rehabilitation journeys can provide reassurance and hope.
This is an uplifting conversation about recovery, perseverance, and the importance of believing that meaningful improvement remains possible—even after decades of disability.
The human body can continue adapting after decades of altered movement. Long-standing biomechanical changes do not automatically prevent meaningful recovery.

Patient-led rehabilitation can still be highly successful. When supported by sound principles, self-directed recovery can produce impressive outcomes, particularly when circumstances limit access to healthcare.

Recovery is rarely linear. Setbacks, muscle weakness, and periods of uncertainty are often part of successful long-term rehabilitation.

Mindset and persistence matter. Optimism alone is not enough, but resilience and willingness to keep progressing can profoundly influence rehabilitation.

5 clinical/professional takeaways

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack sits down with Dr Grainne Donnelly to discuss her newly published textbook on pelvic health in sport, the journey of becoming an editor, and the evolving role of physiotherapists in advancing evidence-based care.
Grainne reflects on the enormous challenge of leading a first-edition textbook while simultaneously balancing clinical work, research, teaching, and a PhD. Although initially hesitant to take on such a significant project, she describes how a leap of faith—and encouragement from those around her—led to a resource designed to fill a major gap in sports medicine literature.
The conversation explores the growing recognition of pelvic health as a critical component of athletic performance and participation. Grainne discusses the need for better education across professions and highlights the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in addressing issues that have historically been under-recognised or poorly understood.
A particularly interesting section focuses on her research into pelvic floor dysfunction, athletic performance, and the role of compression garments. While acknowledging the influence of confidence, perception, and reduced vulnerability on movement, Grainne also discusses emerging evidence suggesting measurable biomechanical effects, including improved shock attenuation and smoother running mechanics.
Throughout the discussion, Jack highlights Grainne’s rare ability to bridge clinical practice, research, education, and policy. The episode becomes a wider conversation about curiosity, scientific rigour, and the value of asking better questions rather than rushing to simple answers.
Overall, this is an insightful discussion for clinicians interested in sports medicine, women’s health, pelvic health, performance, and the future direction of physiotherapy research.

AI, health tech, digital systems, clinician workflows… are we entering healthcare’s biggest technological shift yet?

In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack sits down with Pete Greenberg (EQL) to discuss the evolving world of healthcare technology and what it means for clinicians, clinics, and patients.

Topics include:

Why healthcare is finally having its “tech moment”
AI hype vs meaningful innovation
The challenges clinicians face navigating new technology
Digital overwhelm and decision fatigue
How health tech should support—not replace—human care
Data, trust, workflows, and adoption barriers
What clinics should be paying attention to now
The future relationship between technology and MSK practice

This isn’t a conversation about replacing clinicians with AI.

It is a discussion about using technology wisely, protecting the human side of healthcare, and understanding where innovation genuinely adds value.

🎧 Ideal for:

Physiotherapists
MSK clinicians
Clinic owners
Healthcare leaders
Digital health enthusiasts
Anyone curious about AI in healthcare

💬 How are you using technology in clinic right now?
Helpful tool or growing headache?

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In this episode of Chewing It Over, Jack speaks with Nick Ilic about shockwave therapy, clinical uncertainty, and the problem with taking overly confident positions in MSK practice.
Nick argues that shockwave is only really “shocking” when clinicians either oversell it as a powerful long-term solution or dismiss it entirely without proper consideration. Much of the conversation sits deliberately in the middle ground: shockwave may have a role, but the evidence does not support grand claims across broad MSK conditions.
The discussion explores the tension between proposed mechanisms and clinical outcomes. Shockwave is often described as creating a pro-inflammatory or mechanotransductive stimulus, potentially “restarting” a repair process in chronic tissue. However, Nick is cautious about mechanistic certainty, noting that many MSK interventions have attractive theoretical explanations that become far less convincing when tested rigorously.
They also discuss how shockwave may simply act as another form of neuromodulation, particularly when outcomes appear similar between focused and radial approaches, or when benefits are mainly short term. Nick is especially critical of “condition creep,” where a modality gradually becomes marketed for more and more problems despite limited supporting evidence.
Importantly, he does not dismiss shockwave altogether. He acknowledges stronger evidence for indications such as calcific tendinopathy and non-union fractures, where the mechanism and evidence appear more plausible. But for common tendinopathies and broader pain presentations, he remains sceptical of inflated claims, especially when patients are paying privately.
Overall, this is a funny, sharp, and thoughtful conversation about evidence, uncertainty, informed consent, and why clinicians should be wary of both hype and lazy scepticism.
5 clinical/professional takeaways
Avoid overconfidence in either direction. Shockwave should not be sold as a miracle treatment, but dismissing it completely may also be too simplistic.
Mechanistic plausibility is not enough. Claims about pro-inflammatory effects, mechanotransduction, or tissue “restart” need to be matched by meaningful clinical outcomes.
Context matters. Shockwave may be more defensible in areas like calcific tendinopathy or non-union fractures than in broad tendinopathy or general pain presentations.
Short-term pain relief is not the same as recovery. Clinicians should be careful not to confuse temporary neuromodulation with long-term tissue change.
Consent and expectation-setting are crucial. If patients are paying privately, they deserve a clear explanation of likely benefits, uncertainty, cost, and alternative options.