Back pain, a bad knee, a shoulder that won't heal — most musculoskeletal pain is
treated with guided exercise, not surgery. The programs on this shelf are digital physical
therapy: a real PT designs your plan, sensors or your phone camera check your form, and a coach
keeps you going. The catch is access: they are almost always paid for by an employer or health
plan, so the first step is an eligibility check, not a download.
⚠ Back or joint pain can be an emergency — call 911 or go to the ER for:
Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the groin/saddle area, with back pain
Weakness spreading down a leg or arm, or pain after a fall, crash, or serious injury
Chest pain or trouble breathing — call 911
Fever with a hot, swollen joint
Loss of consciousness or bleeding that won't stop — call 911
Digital physical therapy programs
Hinge Health
FREE THROUGH EMPLOYER
Virtual physical therapy in an app: personalised exercise therapy with motion feedback (its TrueMotion system), a care team of physical therapists, orthopedic doctors and health coaches, and the FDA-cleared Enso wearable for pain relief. Some in-person care is also offered.
Who pays: Your employer or health plan pays. Hinge’s own FAQ: it “is covered through employers and health insurance plans, so there’s no cost to you… without the burden of copays.”
Price: $0 to you when covered. No self-pay enrollment is offered on its site — start with the eligibility check at hingehealth.com.
Age: Adults 18+ — you, a spouse/partner, and dependents 18+ are eligible when covered, per Hinge’s FAQ.
Privacy: Access starts with an eligibility check and a roughly 10-minute questionnaire through your employer/plan coverage.
Verified Oct 23, 2026, on the provider's own site.
At-home digital physical therapy led by a Doctor of Physical Therapy, overseen by a human clinical specialist, with an AI care specialist giving real-time feedback on your form through your phone or tablet camera (many plan kits instead ship a tablet and motion sensors). Sword also runs Bloom (pelvic health) and Move (movement) programs.
Who pays: Employers, health plans and labor unions provide it as a benefit. Sword’s plan FAQs: “available at no additional cost to you… no out-of-pocket costs or expensive co-pays.”
Price: $0 to eligible members. No consumer self-pay price is published on its site.
Age: Varies by program and plan — some plans cover dependents 13+, others are 18+. Check your specific plan.
Privacy: Eligibility confirmation asks for name, email, date of birth and state; your session movement data is shared with your assigned PT to adjust your program.
Verified Oct 23, 2026, on the provider's own site.
An app-based program for joint and muscle pain that needs only your smartphone: its Motion Coach uses computer vision through your selfie camera to give real-time feedback on your exercise form, alongside personalised exercises, relaxation and pain-coping content, education, and access to coaches and physical therapists. All programs are developed by in-house Doctors of Physical Therapy.
Who pays: Employers and health plans offer it; Kaia’s own words: “Your health plan or employer may offer Kaia at no cost to you.”
Price: Not published, and no self-pay offer was found on Kaia’s site tonight — access runs through your employer or plan.
Privacy: Enrollment runs through your employer/health-plan route; the app analyzes your movement via your phone camera to score form, flexibility and range of motion.
Verified Oct 23, 2026, on the provider's own site.
If a program isn't covered for you, compare the cash price of ordinary physical therapy
and imaging first. Our sister project publishes real hospital prices.