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A silent crisis is gathering strength in the corridors of health care: musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, ranging from chronic back pain to sport-related injuries, are mounting unchecked, and physiotherapy, the key to unlocking relief, is strangled by supply constraints. It’s a perfect storm of aging populations, rising chronic conditions, and a workforce that simply cannot keep pace.
Globally, about 1.71 billion people live with musculoskeletal conditions, making them the top cause of disability worldwide, with low back pain leading the way across 160 countries . In the U.S., roughly one in two adults (an estimated 127 million) already suffer from an MSK condition.
The financial toll is staggering: MSK disorders cost U.S. healthcare systems around $420 billion annually, surpassing any other chronic condition. Employer costs, too, are steep: injured workers cost businesses up to $40,000 per medically consulted injury, with indirect costs like lost productivity pushing the burden even higher.
Yet demand for physiotherapy far exceeds capacity. In the UK, for instance, waiting lists for MSK treatment in the NHS have ballooned by 27% in just one year, with more than 323,000 people languishing without care. While exact U.S. figures are hard to come by, the trend is unmistakable: a persistent and growing shortage of physiotherapists in the face of surging need.
Traditionally, physiotherapy remains reactive: patients seek care only after suffering injury or persistent pain. This model consumes precious time and resources, often after conditions have become entrenched. Recurrence is rife: without early intervention, many patients relapse. The current approach simply cannot scale effectively as populations age and MSK demands increase.
What if, instead, care became proactive? Early detection of biomechanical risks offers a powerful avenue to reduce injury incidence. Preventive physio can be embedded in workplaces, gyms, and athletic programs, sidestepping the bottleneck entirely. Embedding such practices not only curtails injury rates but also shifts culture toward long-term musculoskeletal health.
This is where AI fits in!
Artificial intelligence brings the strategic scalability that health systems need. AI-powered movement assessments, leveraging video or sensor data, can operate remotely and at scale, identifying early risk markers without waiting for clinic slots.
Once flagged, therapists can focus human expertise where it matters most, rather than spending endless hours on repetitive evaluations. Remote tracking, AI observing patients in real time, raises the bar on proactive intervention, allowing for course correction before pain becomes chronic.
The payoffs ripple across the system:
This is a healthcare trajectory that is not just smarter, it’s sustainable.
Amid this transformation, Sency presents a compelling proposition. Built for health systems and enterprises, Sency delivers scalable AI-driven movement monitoring and risk detection entirely outside the traditional clinic walls. It runs continuous, remote assessments, spotting early signs of degradation in mechanics, and funnels actionable insights back to physiotherapists. By automating routine evaluations, Sency liberates clinicians to focus on strategic treatment, tailored rehabilitation, and the complex care that demands human acumen.
In doing so, Sency not only eases the physiotherapy bottleneck, it redefines what proactive, high-value musculoskeletal care looks like in the digital age.
Want to discover how Sency can help your organization lead that change? Reach out to us today.
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