Does This Feel Safe?

Episode summary In a trial of a thousand adults with back pain, researchers trained clinicians on which sentence to say out loud — "this is safe" rather than "this won't hurt you." Dr. Ya-Ling covers what the trial found, then turns to the practical question: what you're actually allowed to say, ask and expect the next time you're sitting in an appointment. In this episode •           The PACBACK trial in brief: supported self-management outperformed standard medical care, and adding manipulation to it added nothing •           The three psychological shifts that accounted for around 76% of the effect •           Why a chiropractor is telling you manipulation wasn't the deciding factor •           Four things you're allowed to do in an appointment, including asking for a phrase to be said differently •           Why asking what a word doesn't mean is often more useful than asking what it does •           Why finding this kind of care isn't equally easy for everyone •           A question to use in the room: "does this feel safe?" Resources mentioned - Bronfort G, Meier EN, Leininger B, et al. Spinal Manipulation and Clinician-Supported Biopsychosocial Self-Management for Acute Back Pain: The PACBACK Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, June 1, 2026. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.1893 - The Everyday Pain Guide series - Better Pain Coping,  Dr. Ya-Ling's Substack  Connect Find Dr. Ya-Ling at ya-ling.com. Subscribe, share, or leave a review — it helps more people find the show.