AI-Driven Assessments And A Hybrid Care Model Will Reshape Musculoskeletal Treatment In India

Stance Health is transforming musculoskeletal (MSK) care in India by integrating orthopedic expertise, physiotherapy, and strength training into a seamless, data-backed recovery process. Co-founded by Rohit Arora, the company aims to make MSK treatment more accessible and outcome-oriented through a hybrid online-offline approach.

"One in five Indians struggles with MSK health but lacks meaningful solutions," says Arora in an interview with Bizz Buzz. "We are building an MSK-first brand that simplifies care by bringing all essential disciplines under one roof."

Stance Health is addressing industry gaps by using objective assessment tools, improving patient education, and promoting long-term engagement to prevent surgeries. With over 5,000 in-person sessions and 12,000 AI-guided consultations in just six months, the company is rapidly expanding. Its focus on verticalized healthcare and digital interventions positions it as a game-changer in preventive and rehabilitative care. "Our vision is to make the Stance methodology mainstream and accessible to all," Arora adds

What is the vision behind Stance Health, and how is it transforming musculoskeletal care in India?

Stance started as a project where we wanted to get more data-backed answers to our conditions. But as we spoke to more users, we realized how large this problem statement is. One in five people in India has been postponing action on their musculoskeletal (MSK) health or has struggled to find meaningful solutions in healthcare. Our goal is to build an MSK-first brand that works across Orthopaedics, Physiotherapy, and Strength, helping individuals navigate these multiple disciplines with ease.

Apart from building centers close to users, we believe that long-term chronic issues require an omnichannel approach. Hence, we are looking at this from an Offline plus Online perspective—how can patients continue their recovery (or at least maintain their state) without having to visit a center and, if possible, without needing to pay for expensive at-home consultations? Our larger vision is to make the Stance methodology mainstream and reach everyone over a period of time.

What is your perspective on the current state of musculoskeletal care?

MSK-related conditions (according to WHO) contribute to 19 per cent of the Years Lived with Disability (YLDs), yet there seems to be a dichotomy here. We are massively undersupplied in terms of the total number of orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists needed for our population, yet there is also a large pool of underutilized therapists. Two key factors drive this divide:

Historically, consumers haven't understood what causes MSK problems they're facing and why these issues keep recurring

Can they get a long-term program which is under one roof rather than finding different experts for different things (e.g.: physio, fitness trainer, yoga etc.)

Is there a way to objectively measure the extent of the problem and progress over time?

By introducing objectivity and evidence-based protocols while working with the existing ecosystem, we believe we can both improve outcomes and showcase them to users. This will help patients gain a better understanding of their conditions and encourage them to act before it’s too late.

How critical is musculoskeletal care in India, and what challenges does the industry face?

The challenges are similar to those in any nascent healthcare ecosystem:

Insurance and OPD: While post-surgical treatments are covered by insurance, non-surgical interventions (which can even help avoid surgeries) are not covered by most insurance providers. This leads to patients delaying action until their condition escalates to the point where surgery is necessary.

Lack of Defined Outcomes: Although enough published research proves the efficacy of conservative protocols, too few people use these defined pathways, leading to suboptimal outcomes.

Lack of Understanding from Patients: Patients often drop out because they feel insufficient progress is being made, or the process takes too long. It is imperative to show outcomes to users while also educating them about the importance of staying the course.

How can vertically focused primary care chains help reduce the burden on the healthcare system?

Tertiary care has always focused on surgical interventions, but hospitals have had to rely on generating enough outpatient (OP) volume to filter patients who actually need interventions. Out of 100 patients visiting a hospital’s orthopaedic OPD, only 8-10 per cent require surgery. The remaining 90 per cent unnecessarily burden the tertiary care ecosystem. This time for orthopaedic specialists could be better utilized for cases that require their expertise.

Interestingly enough consumers also do not like the inconvenience of being to a large hospital for a very niche/verticalized problem. Vertically focused primary care chains are recognized as a super-specialty set up that consumers trust.

This is where there is a great opportunity to build a vertically focused primary care MSK system that consumers trust, is extremely convenient, very comprehensive (Orthopaedics, physiotherapy, strength & conditioning, imaging, etc.,) and focuses on providing great healthcare outcomes.

How does a data-backed assessment methodology enhance musculoskeletal care and treatment outcomes?

Traditional imaging has not been very successful in identifying non-surgical issues. Take for example case of back pain issues wherein research shows that about 50 per cent of asymptomatic patients also exhibit signs of disc degeneration and protrusion in spinal imaging. Hence currently available imaging mechanisms cannot be the only available pathologies, and hence there is a need for much improved and highly reliable assessment methods to assess MSK health.

Think of how blood work guides people in making health decisions—this is what we need for MSK health. The best part is that these principles have already been proven with athletes. All we need to do is integrate them into general population care. Continuous testing at Stance helps us alter treatment pathways based on progress. It keeps progress objective while also showcasing improvements to patients.

Why is verticalized healthcare essential, and why does orthopaedic care require a specialized approach?

Orthopaedic care involves a combination of Orthopaedics, Physiology, and Biomechanics to treat and manage conditions. Since it is one of the largest contributors to chronic health issues (such as low back pain and arthritis), these problems often persist for decades.

When a long-term treatment journey spans multiple disciplines, verticalized care helps streamline the experience. In multi-specialty care (because it is so diverse), the burden of managing these disciplines falls on the patient, leading to both loss of information and loss of motivation. Verticalized healthcare solves these issues by investing in specialisation-specific staff, processes, and documentation to ensure that nothing hinders better outcomes. Specifically in orthopaedics and MSK, the duration of most conditions are long-term (and often non-surgical for large periods in this journey), and require high-frequency interventions across disciplines, while maintaining objectivity in the process. The more critical part is for the protocol to extend beyond the centers, to help people manage conditions at home (omnichannel) with or without clinicians being present, while also ensuring support at different levels of intensity.

What are the key revenue streams driving Stance Health’s business model?

We see the center as a hub with many spokes. At present, Stance relies on service offerings across Orthopaedic Consultations, Physiotherapy Sessions, and Strength Building Programs. However, in the future, we intend to expand revenue streams to include: Assessments, athletic performance, corporate mobile clinics, residential apartment engagements, MSK-specific products, technology tools and protocols (to be used by existing clinics). These will be built as we scale across multiple locations, bringing us closer to our primary patient cohorts.

How has Stance Health grown over the past year, and what milestones has it achieved?

We have achieved in six months what most clinics take three to four years to accomplish. These milestones span patient volume, retention, profitability, and more. Some achievements we are particularly proud of:

Customer Referrals: About 40 per cent of our customers come from referrals, and 70 per cent are completely organic. Unlike most physiotherapists, we have minimal reliance on doctor referrals. Achieving such high organic growth for a new healthcare setup is unheard of.

Retention: While for surgical patients retention is a given, but even our non-surgical patients stay with us for a longer duration. 50 per cent of our patients with chronic issues stay with us for at least 2 Months. For usual physio clinics, this would be in the range of 20-25 per cent (for Month 2). This is primarily because we transition patients into strength training quickly through our Sports Scientists, who are trained to handle this transition.

In a short period, we have conducted over 5,000 in-person sessions and more than 12,000 AI-guided sessions via our app. This level of growth is more typical of a consumer app than a healthcare setup, and we are thrilled to be merging the best of both worlds.

Who is your target audience, and how does your solution improve patient outcomes?

While our protocols can help both clinical and non-clinical groups, our primary focus is on assisting people in pain as they transition into a more active lifestyle.

Our key target groups are: Surgical Patients (Pre or Post-Surgery); Individuals with Chronic Pain (lasting more than six weeks); Our approach—combining tech-first assessments with programs that guide patients from pain management to mobility, balance, strength, and performance—is highly differentiated and tailored to a clinical-first audience.

Many of our customers tell us that Stance feels like a "safe space" where they can push themselves toward faster recovery, knowing we have their backs if they overstrain themselves.

What are the future growth prospects for Stance Health?

Very few industries benefit from being both a healthcare sector and a habit-forming consumer category. We see this as an opportunity to create a new category altogether.

In the short to medium term, our goal is to get closer to users through our existing format while expanding into hospitals, clinics, residential societies, and corporate offices.

In the long term, we aim to build processes and technology that integrate into the broader healthcare ecosystem, providing diagnostic toolkits, protocols, and engagement technology to improve patient outcomes across the industry.