Finding the right words — How clinicians can navigate the high stakes of diagnostic labels
Lauren Finestone
The way clinicians label musculoskeletal pain can validate and guide patients — or create fear, confusion and unnecessary treatment.The words healthcare providers use to describe pain conditions can make a big difference in how well patients recover. When diagnosing musculoskeletal problems like back pain or shoulder pain, they can use specific labels (like ‘disc bulge’ or ‘torn rotator cuff’) or general labels that describe symptoms without attributing them to specific problems (like ‘non-specific back pain’). But a study shows tha...