Manual, manipulative, musculoskeletal or just therapeutic care? The journey so far with Dr Clair Hebron

The Words Matter Podcast with Oliver Thomson

Welcome to another episode of The Words Matter Podcast.

On this episode I’m speaking with physiotherapist, educator and researcher Dr Clair Hebron. Clair is Principal Lecturer at The University of Brighton, where she is course leader for the MSc Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. As you’ll hear, Brighton University is how Clair and I know each other, where both of us were PhD students.

She has a special interest in musculoskeletal care and works with students and researchers exploring related areas such as health promotion, exercise prescription and conceptual research exploring understandings of more abstract ideas such as the therapeutic alliance, person-centredness and holistic care.

Clair has developed an interest in qualitative research methodologies such as phenomenological, phenomenographic and grounded theory approaches and utilising research integrating art, health and science.

So on this episode we talk about:

• Clair’s journey as a PhD student and her research exploring the dose-dependent effects of spinal mobilisation
• The personal challenges of applying reductionist research methods to a complex therapeutic intervention, but also how these experiences contributed to her current interest in phenomenological and conceptual research to explore a more complex and ambiguous topography of MSK practice.
• The false dichotomy associated with the hands on, hands-off debate in MSK therapy (see her 2017 paper here).
• Her rich and insightful qualitative work and how this research offers a perspective of the excellent work physiotherapists are doing but also where more changes need to occur
• Simple strategies to incorporates to start a more psychologically informed way of being as clinicians.
• Clair reads a powerful poem from a physiotherapist experiencing back pain, and the persons own feelings of guilt and embarrassment.

I had organically planned to talk with Clair about the current (but perpetual) debates within manual therapy, but was delighted not to dwell on previously well trodden discussions.

It was telling that a conversation by two MSK/manual therapists talked about the topics we did, and it is hopefully indicative of the journey individual clinicians and whole professions are making away from patients being mechanistic bodies needing fixing towards being people with complex situations, histories and experiences needing support.

Find Clair on Twitter @C_Hebron

If you liked the podcast, you'll love the Words Matter online course in effective language and communication when managing back pain - ideal for all MSK therapists and students (discounts for students available)

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