Background: People that have more intense symptoms and greater incapability might have less rapport with the clinicians that care for them.

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that perceived clinician empathy is related to pain intensity and magnitude of incapability among people seeing a musculoskeletal specialist.

Patient involvement: After a consult with a musculoskeletal specialist, 211 adult patients completed a survey recording demographics, and measures of pain intensity, incapability, and perceived clinician empathy.

Results: Higher perceived empathy was associated with being in a committed relationship and, to a modest degree (r = -0.16) lower pain intensity in bivariate and multivariable analyses.

Discussion: People experiencing greater pain may be slightly less likely to perceive the clinician as empathetic.

Practical value: Study of the relationship between the patient's experience of care and patient and clinician personal factors can inform efforts to improve patient experience. Advances may depend on experience measures with more normal distributions and less ceiling effect.