Overview

Most people in MSK talk about “community” like it’s a slogan. Jack Chew actually built one.
In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael sits down with Jack, founder of Physio Matters, co-creator of Therapy Live and clinic owner at Choose Health, for a blunt conversation about the realities MSK keeps avoiding. They start with the Timperley Trundle, a walking group that accidentally became a public health intervention, then dig into AI, business ethics, evidence, over-servicing, CPD, and why the industry still refuses to call out nonsense.
If you want an honest look at where MSK is heading, this episode hits every nerve.

Show Notes

Michael and Jack begin with the Timperley Trundle: how a simple walking group grew into a 30–40 person weekly fixture with frailty testing, social cohesion and genuine clinical impact. Jack explains why real community work looks uncommercial but becomes the highest-trust marketing a clinic can do, and why most clinics copy it badly because they refuse to invest time or leadership.
They move into AI and business practice: how AI is already acting as the new regulator by telling patients to avoid over-treatment, why free consultations and funnels force clinicians into unethical incentives, and how both chiropractors and physios fall into the same trap of causal storytelling dressed up as “specific” care. They discuss why many minor MSK issues would improve with time alone, and what happens when AI starts telling patients exactly that.
The conversation shifts to evidence and education: the backlash to evidence-based practice, the gap between evidence-informed reasoning and NICE-worship, and how outdated university teaching still shapes clinical habits. They explore why CPD is broken inside most clinics, why owners rarely invest in learning for their teams, and how ideological silos replace critical thinking.
They also confront the topics MSK avoids:
• Why it remains too easy to be clinically poor and fully booked
• How politeness culture protects weak ideas
• The ethics of placebo, nudging and “ends justify the means” care
• Why health tech and gamification can be powerful or pure theatre
They close with Whoop, VO2 testing and full-body scanning outfits like Neko Health, and what these trends mean for future MSK clinics trying to stay credible without drifting into hype.

What You’ll Learn

• How community work becomes the strongest marketing a clinic can do
• Why funnels and packages push clinicians toward over-servicing
• How AI exposes weak reasoning and inflated clinical claims
• Why evidence-based practice is under attack
• How outdated education harms new grads
• Why CPD is weak in most clinics
• How tech and gamification help or mislead
• What future-proof MSK clinics will need to survive

Who This Episode Is For

Clinic owners, physios, osteopaths, chiros, sports therapists, new grads, and anyone who prefers honest industry analysis over polite noise. Essential listening for anyone preparing for a future where AI shapes patient expectations and exposes poor practice.

Guest Details

Jack Chew — Physiotherapist, founder of Physio Matters, co-creator of Therapy Live and co-owner of Choose Health. Known for calling out nonsense, modernising MSK reasoning and building genuine community initiatives. One of the few voices in MSK willing to say what others won’t.