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Author: Nicholas B. Washmuth, DPT

Nicholas B. Washmuth, DPT is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Samford University, and a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Keele University. During the first part of his career, he gained experience as a clinician and manager in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinics. He then transitioned into academia, and his current interests have expanded to examine the effects of swearing in physical therapy clinical settings, in higher education classrooms, and in consumer products. His current projects explore the potential for strategic swearing to achieve reliable positive results. He enjoys the humility gained by studying the difficult-to-define constructs that surround the humanities. Correspondence address: Nicholas B. Washmuth, Department of Physical Therapy, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, Alabama, 35299. E-mail: nwashmut@samford.edu

Can Swearing Be Professional and Patient-Centered?

Exploring the Role of Swearing in the Physical Therapy Clinical Setting by Nicholas B. Washmuth and Adam Meakins, et al, shines a light on a somewhat taboo subject. Is swearing ever appropriate in the physical therapy clinic? Might it actually help give a patient added strength and endurance during a difficult regimen? And what if the physical therapist curses to indicate empathy toward a patient’s challenges? The authors present evidence that some swearing may indeed produce ‘hypoalgesic’ effects in patients, such as increased pain tolerance and compliance.