Movement health is misunderstood.
From athletes to office workers, musculoskeletal (MSK) dysfunction runs rampant. But until recently, approaches to exercise, injury prevention, and rehab have remained stagnant.
Affecting half of Americans, MSK issues are a $420B burden on our healthcare system — costing more than diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and any other chronic condition.
The leading cause of disability and lost work days, chronic back pain alone impacts 619M people globally — including over a quarter of US adults. A major pain point, ~90% of cases are idiopathic, meaning they lack structural explanation.
As AI-powered tech and mind-body science demystify biomechanics, both training and treatment must evolve to meet the moment.
The Business of Movement Health
MSK companies have attracted $4.2B+ from VCs over the past 15 years, with funding for digital solutions nearly doubling from ’23–’24, per Rock Health.
But the opportunity in movement health stretches far beyond PT — spanning smart gear, performance analytics, regenerative medicine, new fitness modalities, and more.
Bridging mental and physical components of MSK function, an integrative movement health model could change the way we think about exercise, recovery, pain, and well-being for good.
Pt. I: Training
To prevent injury, exercisers should value sustainability over intensity and achievement. Trying to be like Mike, average joes overexert, forgetting the price pros pay for pushing through.
Up to 80% of ex-soccer players have osteoarthritis, knee issues bother the majority of NBA’ers, >80% of NFL retirees live with pain, and over two dozen competitive bodybuilders died in 2021.
Removing fake pressure, the fitness industry must remind people slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and the real win is remaining mobile.
Brief Anatomy
An interconnected system, MSK health rests on more than muscle.
Supporting stability, protecting organs, boosting circulation and energy, stimulating blood cell production, and preventing chronic illness, the MSK system is foundational to well-being.
Inextricable, the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) communicates with the MSK system (bones, muscles, tendons, and connective tissue) to create movement.
Mainstreaming mind-body concepts, books like The Body Keeps the Score raised awareness of a mental-to-physical symptom pipeline — yet the communication highway works both ways, with sensory neurons throughout the body speaking back to the brain.
Underpinning the MSK crisis, people are socialized to value top-down processing alone, approaching movement formulaically rather than listening to what the body wants.
Talking Body
Healthy movement starts with learning the body’s language.
In the US, physical intelligence is severely lacking. Kids are spending more time on screens and less playing, to the detriment of fine motor skills. Meanwhile, more than 70% of adults fail to meet the CDC’s minimum activity guidelines, with a quarter completely sedentary.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, even fit Americans ignore their body’s natural rhythms in the name of discipline. Pursuing end goals at all costs, many chug energy drinks, pop ZYN, and inject substances, chasing aesthetic gains at the expense of mind-body awareness.
WHOOP and Oura’s readiness metrics broke through by teaching people to resync, but consumers shouldn’t need external validation to heed internal signals.
Setting a stronger foundation, PLT4M, Hiveclass, and Sworkit are reimagining PE for youth, teaching mindfulness, sports, dance, and more. Loosening long-held patterns, somatic circuits from Taryn Toomey’s The Class, Tracy Anderson studios, and Soulsway reeducate adults.
Softening
Most people should be moving more, less intensely.
Approaching movement as a chore, half of regular exercisers find no joy in it. “Mentally checking out” to withstand workouts, they’re prone to boredom, frustration, and injury.
Switching gears, Strava users logged more movement “snacks,” social fitness, and active rest days in 2024, while lululemon’s surveys show consumers want relaxed routines. Adapting pace, On enlisted Elmo for a campaign encouraging runners to celebrate “soft wins,” plus teamed with Zendaya and FKA twigs to rebrand movement as art and ritual.
Ahead of the curve, StrongFirst founder Pavel Tsatsouline, the man behind the rise of kettlebells, has been preaching “Grease the Groove” since the early 2000s. Framing fitness in terms of neuromuscular efficiency, the technique involves “training as often as possible while staying as fresh as possible” — challenging the conflation of soreness and progress.
Strengthening
Maintaining strength is key to aging well.
A miracle drug, regular strength training reduces all-cause mortality by 10–17%, boosts sleep, diminishes anxiety, and preserves brain function.
Expanding low-impact options, Pvolve’s program is clinically proven to reverse back pain. Pioneering zero-impact, Katalyst’s electro muscle stimulation suit mimics natural brain signals, amplifying muscle contraction for a full-body workout that doesn’t stress joints.
Topping ClassPass’s rankings two years running, Pilates bookings rose 84% YoY, with endorsement from legends like LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo broadening appeal. Riffing on the workout, reformer-based studios like [solidcore] and BODYROK are scaling up.
Training technique, AI-powered tools can auto-adapt to users and guide progressive loading. Acquired by Hydrow, Speede’s machine combines isokinetic, eccentric, and isotonic workouts with advanced range of motion analysis. Supplying commercial facilities, EGYM and Technogym’s equipment optimizes resistance without sacrificing form.
Mobilizing
Mobility-first modalities are undersold.
Neglecting fundamental mobility work is a major cause of injury, and being sidelined by inflammation can set off a downward health spiral. In the words of Peter Attia, if longevity is the aim, “We need to re-learn how to roll, crawl, and hang.”
A niche owned largely by online content creators, pain-reducing programs like Kneesovertoesguy’s ATG and KaisaFit’s Just Move promise to bulletproof the body, while Ido Portal’s Movement Culture and Animal Flow motivate people to exercise on all fours.
Insisting range of motion shouldn’t change with age, DPT Kelly Starrett’s The Ready State app delivers daily movement health drills. Serving sport-specific routines, pliability’s platform uses smartphone cameras to analyze dysfunction and design personalized mobility plans. Integrating third-party apps, movr translates screenings to corrective exercises.
Offering certifications, FMS Academy, Functional Range Conditioning, Foundation Training, and Functional Patterns upskill trainers, while The Prehab Guys’ app democratizes physical therapy.
What it means: Overly mechanistic fitness misses the mark. For elites and obsessives, the joy of working extra hours may be worth the injury toll, but the average American is better off with a minimum effective dose. Prioritizing holistic wellness and healthspan, more consumers will embrace fun, freeing fitness, sparking the surge of “embodied exercise.”
Pt. II: Treating
Improving PT starts with reassessing fixed beliefs about the body. Led by longevity startups and mindset science, expert views on inevitable vs. preventable degeneration are shifting.
A red flag, “wear and tear” starts relatively young, accounting for a majority of MSK-related claims from commercial plan members under 65. Accepting aches as normal, many don’t know preventative PT is an option, and half think it’s too expensive to try.
Accessible PT
Digital solutions are making quality MSK care accessible to all.
Waiting weeks for appointments, 76% of patients referred to PT never go, and up to 70% of those who start don’t finish. Alternatively, an analysis by PHTI suggests virtual services can be as effective, more affordable, and drive better adherence than in-person.
Filing for an IPO this week, Hinge Health claims 67% of patients start programs the same day. Upholding quality, members can use smartphone cameras to receive AI-powered audiovisual feedback in real time, plus the option of a wearable TENS unit to temper pain. A $3B competitor, Sword Health added $130M and conversational AI features last June.
Prioritizing non-operative care, Vori Health added $53M for its physician-led model this month. Boasting an 84% completion rate, hybrid provider Kins combines digital assessments with 1:1 in-home visits. Upgrading existing clinics, Academy Medtech Ventures’ Move PT software bundles computer vision movement analysis and remote monitoring tools for data-driven rehab.
Pelvic Care
Specialized providers must unpack the most complex aspects of anatomy.
Integral to core strength and quality of life, pelvic floor imbalances throw off the entire kinetic chain. Housing crucial organs and nerves, problems in the pelvis also impact the autonomic nervous system, affecting digestion, heart rate, and immunity.
A hidden epidemic, 83% of women experience some form of dysfunction, but just 4% get treated. Historically embarrassed and/or undereducated, many aren’t sure what’s normal, sending “pelvic care” searches up 67% in five years.
But with <10k providers for 40M people and 80% out-of-network, finding help isn’t easy. Too intricate for general PTs, treating pelvic health requires specialized understanding of the reproductive system, bowels, and bladder. Not to mention, comfortability discussing common cofactors like pregnancy, menopause, and sexual abuse.
With 17 clinics across seven states, Origin is leading the charge to scale empathetic care, calling out stigmatized symptoms ranging from painful sex to tearing during childbirth. Another approach, Y Combinator-backed Liv Labs swaps awkward clinical visits for self-care courses.
Innovating devices, Elvie’s smart kegel exerciser uses biofeedback to help strengthen vaginal muscles, while Materna Medica’s Milli dilator makes it easier to relax them. Recognizing the issue, Hinge, Sword, and Kaia Health all offer pelvic floor programs.
High-tech Therapies
Surgeries are failing to solve root causes of pain and dysfunction.
A moneymaker for hospitals, invasive procedures account for over half of MSK spending, yet 20–40% of spinal fusion surgeries fail.
Among the Medicare population alone, an unnecessary back procedure is performed every eight minutes, wasting $2B over three years. More troubling, studies link pre-op opioid use to worse post-op outcomes, reinforcing the need for a mind-body approach over numbing and shortcuts.
A complex cycle, MSK patients often develop anxiety and depression, perpetuating symptoms. Brain training has been missing from the movement health model, but new companies are changing that. As XRHealth leverages virtual reality to treat chronic conditions, neurotech upstarts are launching tools to help athletes master their minds.
Meanwhile, more Americans are trying alternative therapies, with practices like meditation and progressive muscle relaxation jumping >17% from 2002 to 2022. Per Evernorth, addressing mental/behavioral layers alongside physical saves $460/patient per month.
On the regenerative front, PRP and stem cells are gaining traction, but most remain priced out. Minimally invasive options, Vitruvia performs ultrasound-guided injections to remodel scar tissue, while pain management clinics offer practices like dry needling and nerve blocks. Elsewhere, Wavegate Corporation raised $26M for its device that modulates nerve signals.
Foreshadowing future breakthroughs, a game-changing study using ONWARD Medical’s ARC-EX spine stimulator suggests spinal cord injuries—once thought helpless after a “critical recovery window”—can be improved even 34 years post-incident.
What it means: Prescribing dead bugs and planks isn’t enough. With so many of the body’s functions—from pelvic tension to pain perception—often overlooked, physical therapy must expand its scope. If quality biopsychosocial models can scale, more people will find relief.
Pt. III: Tracking
Staying ahead, insights from continuous data will optimize ongoing routines.
Real-time Tools
Tracking apps and recovery tools can keep consumers ahead of injuries.
With neuromuscular measures like toe and grip strength linked to falls and dementia, movement minimums should be viewed as vital signs.
Tapping smartphones to capture patterns, OneStep landed $36M for its FDA-listed Gait app last year — using daily walks to decode MSK, CNS, and cardiorespiratory function. For runners, runeasi.ai’s wearable sacral sensor measures dynamic stability, symmetry, and impact. In the gym, STRIVE’s smart apparel measures muscle strain, while Plantiga’s insoles track load.
Keeping the body fresh, Therabody linked with Garmin to factor wearable metrics into its AI-powered recovery coaching, while Hyperice struck a similar deal with WHOOP. Advancing muscle health, Springbok Analytics uses flash MRIs to quantify muscle size, asymmetries, scar tissue, tendon morphology, and more.
Combo Clinics
Merging multiple specialties under one roof can boost adherence.
Distinct from reactive PT, Myodetox’s model highlights the value of regular, hands-on tune-ups. Connecting services for convenience, its clinics house PTs, physios, and chiropractors.
Bundling services within its gyms, Monarch Athletic Club is setting a new precedent for proactive plans. More than one-off treatments, it integrates medical, nutrition, and movement health for personalized strategies and frequent follow-ups.
Scaling a therapeutic touch, Equinox is adding Aescape’s customizeable AI-led robomassages, while Life Time and others are leaning into stretching as a service. Keeping it in-house, members are more likely to nip minor issues before they become major problems.
Sports Med Labs
Pushing the limits of high-performance, pros will continue to raise the bar.
Piloting biomechanics labs, the NBA is integrating motion capture analysis tools from Qualisys and Theia, along with Bertec’s force plates and BreakAway Data’s athlete health dashboards to keep players in the game. Consulting on the project, P3 translates data into training plans that target biomechanical flaws.
Trickling into consumer settings, Nike is leveraging decades of elite sports science research to launch lab-grade performance testing in stores.
What it means: Part of an AI-powered healthcare future, predictive analytics can make overuse injuries a thing of the past. New tech can inform personalized training to target individual imbalances, while integrated facilities remove friction from preventative treatment.
Moving Forward
Supporting the cardiorespiratory, endocrine, and central nervous systems, MSK function is fundamental to healthspan and peoples’ ability to do the things they love — whether that’s pro sports or playing with their kids.
Across schools and primary care settings, sit-to-stand tests, running gait, spinal mobility, and pelvic tilt should be checked like scoliosis, with metrics like VO2 Max and body comp core to broader medical plans. As integrative MSK science evolves, fitness routines will follow.
Pursuing exercise either too rigidly or not at all, Americans are losing the plot. More than max reps, the future of movement health should emphasize fluidity, adaptability, and mind-body connection — training for life rather than training to train.
