How Do You Talk To Your People About Their Bodies?

Something that a colleague said the other day made me really happy.

She said that after working beside me she can predict now when I'm going to challenge a client on the language they've used to talk about their bodies.

That I'm consistent with the positively-framed language I use, and equally consistent with the language I challenge.

The words we use in the studio have power.

They can help, as well as harm, even when we have the best of intentions.

Stewart & Loftus wrote a great article about this in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy in 2018 - you can download it HERE.

They suggest alternatives to some commonly used phrases in the rehab world that can potentially help our people feel less broken and more empowered!

Instead of things like...

“Chronic degenerative changes"
“Instability”
“Lordosis/kyphosis”
“Wear and tear”
“Bone on bone”

We could say....

“Normal age changes”
“Need for strength and control”
“The normal curve of your back”
“Narrowing/tightness”

Making these seemingly small changes to the words we use as a community can add up to positive long-term changes for all of us!