Fresh health insights
How HR leaders can maximize the ROI of employee health benefits plans
Every benefits leader knows the promise: invest in employee health, and you get healthier people, fewer absences, and lower plan costs. But reality rarely works out that neatly. Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, the number one healthcare cost driver in the U.S., quietly drain billions each year in unnecessary spend, lost productivity, and avoidable surgeries.¹ In fact, U.S. employers waste an estimated $10.3 million every hour on low-value MSK care, much of it from surgeries that could be prevented with earlier and better support.² At the same time, CFOs demand evidence of ROI, and employees expect convenient care that fits their lives. HR teams sit squarely in the middle, under pressure to contain costs, prove value, and keep people satisfied and productive.
September 11, 2025 • 7 min read
Sword Editorial Team
How to maintain muscle during weight loss
Losing weight often feels like progress. The number on the scale drops, clothes fit better, and motivation climbs. But if your plan isn’t protecting muscle retention at the same time, that progress may not last. Most people focus on pounds lost. But few stop to ask what kind of weight they’re actually losing. Without the right strategy, weight loss doesn’t just reduce fat. It can also reduce lean muscle mass, the very tissue that keeps you strong, stable, and metabolically healthy. This is especially common in programs that rely on calorie restriction alone or medications like GLP-1s that suppress appetite¹.
September 7, 2025 • 9 min read
Sword Editorial Team
GLP-1 employer healthcare costs: lower spend with better outcomes
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are transforming how employers approach obesity care. Once reserved for diabetes patients, these drugs are now widely prescribed for weight loss. GLP-1 drugs do deliver on their promise of improved cardiometabolic outcomes. Simply, these medications do help users lose weight. But for health plans and employers, the real challenge goes beyond pharmacy claims. The bigger risk is in the hidden costs that accumulate over time when GLP-1 treatment is not paired with sustainable lifestyle changes. Without movement programs to protect lean muscle and build healthy habits, employers may face a second wave of musculoskeletal (MSK) claims, re-prescriptions, and long-term disability costs. GLP-1 users often don’t develop the behaviour change needed to sustain weight loss over time. Also, lean muscle mass is often lost during GLP-1 use which leaves people at increased risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) issues as a result of lower strength and stability levels.
September 7, 2025 • 8 min read
Sword Editorial Team
- WOMENS HEALTHCARE WHITEPAPER
The innovative pelvic health solution with 2.9x ROI
Mapping MSK insurance models for employers to lower healthcare costs
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are a top cost driver in employer health plans, yet most coverage conversations stop at “does the plan cover physical therapy?” While that’s important, it only scratches the surface. Employers have more strategic levers available with a number of different MSK insurance models available for consideration. These structures can determine whether you’re paying for waste or investing in real healthcare outcomes. This article explores how different MSK insurance models work, what they mean for employer costs, and how value-based options can unlock ROI without cutting care. You’ll get seven proven strategies that employers can use to reduce healthcare costs without cutting benefits. From smarter plan design to digital-first care models like Sword Health, we’ll explore how to lower spend, improve outcomes, and deliver more value to your workforce.
September 5, 2025 • 14 min read
Sword Editorial Team
Sword Health’s NPS results rated exceptional in the healthcare industry
Net Promoter Score (NPS) starts with a simple question: “Would you recommend us to a friend or colleague?” For most healthcare vendors, this answer is underwhelming. At Sword Health, it’s one of our strongest proof points. In our latest survey, Sword Health earned an NPS score of 82, which is double the industry average¹. This reflects the exceptional care and the outstanding results we provide for our clients. With 100% of responses scoring Sword a 7 or above² our clients are more than satisfied, reflecting back the level of quality of our service. NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a simple way to measure loyalty. But in healthcare, it’s not so simple to earn.
August 28, 2025 • 7 min read
Sword Editorial Team
Digital pelvic health care: The accessible, effective alternative to traditional treatment
Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is among the most common and least addressed health challenges women face. One in three women experience PFD symptoms like urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, or urgency¹. Despite its prevalence, pelvic care often goes unspoken and untreated. The reasons are structural and social. Traditional in-clinic pelvic care is hard to access, time-consuming, and deeply stigmatized. Women navigating work, caregiving, and daily demands struggle to make time for care, especially when it means traveling to a clinic, taking time off work, and discussing intimate symptoms in a public setting. Digital pelvic health care changes that. With app-based therapy, virtual physical therapist guidance, and clinically validated technology, programs like Bloom by Sword Health offer care that fits women’s lives, not the other way around.
August 27, 2025 • 12 min read
Sword Editorial Team
How to minimize pelvic floor treatment costs with proactive digital care
Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) are among the most prevalent, underdiagnosed, and expensive conditions impacting women today¹. For employers and health plans, this means hidden costs in the form of surgical claims, specialist referrals, and pharmacy spend. All of this can be mitigated with earlier, more accessible care. Yet most care models wait until symptoms are severe to offer treatment, presenting a huge missed opportunity for employers and health insurers alike. The key to reducing pelvic floor treatment costs lies in shifting some investment into proactive pelvic health treatment to reduce symptoms and pains early before treatment requirements and costs of intervention escalate.
August 27, 2025 • 8 min read
Sword Editorial Team
- GLP-1 COST SAVINGS WHITEPAPER
The GLP-1 treatment playbook you need for long term success
All about workplace health
How Digital Physical Therapy Improves Employee Retention
Did you know that fear of pain can be more disabling than pain itself? Half of American adults suffer from musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, negatively impacting job satisfaction and quality of life. Pain makes it difficult to even show up to work. Nearly 28% of people in the workplace will take leave for MSK pain over the course of a year. Patients who suffer the two most common conditions of low back and neck pain have an average return to work of 7 days.
September 27, 2022 • 5 min read
Sword Editorial Team
How to evaluate and select the best digital MSK vendors
Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are one of the most expensive and under-addressed cost centers facing U.S. healthcare providers. MSK disorders affect 1 in 2 Americans and cost over $190 billion per year, more than heart disease, cancer, or mental health conditions. For employers and health plans, MSK claims are often among the top 3 cost drivers. And for members, chronic pain reduces quality of life, drives absenteeism, and often leads to costly downstream interventions. That’s why digital MSK solutions have surged in popularity. The promise is compelling: better access, which drives stronger engagement, delivers better outcomes, and therefore lowers overall healthcare costs.
August 13, 2020 • 6 min read
Sword Editorial Team
5 Reasons Why MSK Care is a Top Priority for Employers
You’ve likely seen numerous digital health solutions that promise to lower medical spend. You’ve probably zeroed in on the top conditions with significant digital solutions in the marketplace: musculoskeletal (MSK), mental health, and diabetes. For most companies, prioritizing MSK care over other digital health solutions will drive the biggest benefits for your employees and your bottom line when it comes to savings. Given the multitude of vendors, platforms, and solutions available, prioritization can be a daunting task. How do you choose from among the thousands of digital health tools? What combination of condition focus and solution selection will drive the best outcomes for your population and the biggest return for your business?
September 19, 2022 • 5 min read
Sword Editorial Team
Tackling the #1 driver of employers’ health costs: MSK
The phrase ‘musculoskeletal disorder’ may not ring a bell — but the feeling might. The term refers to any type of pain in the muscles or joints, from chronic pain to injuries to post-surgical pain. Many of us have suffered from a musculoskeletal (MSK) issue at some point in our lives. In fact, one in two Americans is struggling with an MSK condition right now. And it’s causing economic ripples, especially in the workplace.
January 20, 2020 • 6 min read
Sword Editorial Team
More from Sword: Ask a physical therapist
Ask a PT: when is the best time to do my exercises?
Before I joined Sword Health, I worked in brick-and-mortar clinics. I never worked weekends, and rarely worked past 6 pm. My schedule was great...for me. But for my patients, it was a real challenge. Attending a physical therapy appointment might require leaving work early or slipping out at lunch. Even patients with more flexible schedules would sometimes lament about finding childcare or arranging transportation. A thirty-minute appointment could easily take an hour or even 90 minutes once travel was taken into account. When I was in a clinic, the “best” time for a patient to do their exercises was the time that worked for me, not for them. Sword's virtual model gives our members the power to do their exercises when AND where it's most convenient for them. Now that I work remotely for Sword, I’m able to help our members figure out the best time to do their exercises at home. Now, when my members ask me when they should do their exercises, I tell them - the best time is when you’ll actually do them!
February 11, 2021 • 6 min read
Megan Hill, PT, DPT
Ask a PT: Does walking really help with pain?
If you’ve ever stood on the sidelines of a sporting event, you’ve likely witnessed many falls, trips and tackles. Whether the players are small children or professional athletes, the advice from the coach may have simply been to “walk it off.” While that is not always the best solution after an acute injury, walking can be a really effective way to manage chronic pain. Motion is lotion. Movement increases blood flow, which brings nutrients to our tissues. It also helps those that don’t have blood flow, like cartilage. Cartilage lines our joints, absorbing impact. It’s surrounded by a liquid which provides it with nutrients, flowing in and out of it like a sponge. Exercise, like walking, causes loading that fills and squeezes that sponge, particularly in the joints of our legs and spine.
August 13, 2020 • 4 min read
Megan Hill, PT, DPT
Ask a PT: What Is Causing My Shoulder Pain?
When your shoulder hurts, it can be difficult to tell exactly what’s gone wrong. You’ve probably heard of pinched nerves and rotator cuff tears. Perhaps you’ve also heard about shoulders being ‘impinged’ or ‘frozen.’ It’s not easy to keep these various shoulder conditions straight, especially when they all cause similar pain symptoms. The first step towards fixing a problem is identifying it. This article, written by a team of Doctors of Physical Therapy, is designed to help you figure out what’s causing your shoulder pain — so you can begin the process of healing it. We will dive into the five most common causes of shoulder pain and how to differentiate them. Cervical refers to the neck, and radiculopathy is pain that radiates to another body part. Hence, cervical radiculopathy: a pinched nerve in the neck, which can cause radiating pain affecting the shoulder. It occurs when the cervical spine becomes damaged due to sudden injury or degeneration over time, and squeezes or puts pressure on a nearby nerve.
February 20, 2024 • 6 min read
Megan Hill, PT, DPT
Meet our editors
Sword Editorial Team
Experts in pain, movement, and digital health
The Sword Editorial Team brings together expert clinicians, researchers, and health writers dedicated to clear, evidence-based insights on pain, movement, and digital care. The team is always focused on Sword’s mission to free the world from pain and draws on backgrounds in physical therapy, pelvic health, mental health, behavioral science, and health policy.
Megan Hill, PT, DPT
Director, Clinical Specialists, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Megan specializes in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and chronic pain management. After a knee injury from the Chicago Marathon led her to discover the power of PT firsthand, she dedicated her career to helping others regain strength and movement. Megan holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BA in psychology from Duke University.
Dr. Fernando Correia, M.D.
Founding Team & SVP Clinical & Regulatory Affairs
Dr. Fernando Correia is a physician specializing in Neurology and a member of the company’s founding team. He leads clinical validation and medical affairs at Sword, with his work driven by his belief that technology and human connection can make high-quality, evidence-based care accessible for all.
