Many of the frustrations MSK clinicians feel when assessments, diagnoses, or outcomes don’t go to plan aren’t down to lack of skill, but to unseen COGNITIVE BIASES and JUDGEMENT NOISE shaping everyday decisions. In the final part of our focus this month, ‘Common Frustrations For MSK Clinicians’, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Tristen Attenborough of movementpossible.co.uk, a Sports Therapist with BSc Psychology & MSc Pain Management, who explains how unawareness or misunderstanding of these human factors fuel inconsistency, self-doubt, and missed learning.

Tristen discusses perceptual errors like pareidolia and confirmation bias, how natural history and survivorship bias can mislead clinicians, and practical strategies to reduce bias, including reflection, humility, and supervision.

Together, Tristen and Matt discuss better clinical reasoning, avoiding absolute language, and giving clients agency in their care. The episode closes with advice for clinicians to hold results lightly and focus on listening to patients, plus details of Tristen’s presentations at the up & coming STA Regional Conferences.