A 44-year-old woman recovering from a partial knee replacement got an unusual instruction from her physical therapist: swear out loud during the hardest, most painful exercises. She did, and she later said that repeating the word was funny, took her mind off the work, and made her feel more confident.
The case, published in November 2023 in Health Psychology Research, was described by its authors as the first known report of a patient swearing during a course of physical therapy. It has become a touchstone for researchers who think taboo words may have a rehab place.
