Monday, September 28th, 2026 — Digital musculoskeletal care has moved beyond the early adoption stage, with companies such as Sword Health and Hinge Health showing strong demand for technology-enabled approaches to MSK care. The next area of development is earlier measurement of functional decline. Instead of waiting for a condition to progress into disability, AI-supported tools could help identify changes in strength, balance, muscle activation and movement quality before they become obvious during routine care.
Wearables already track activity, heart rate and sleep, but newer systems could combine electromyography, inertial measurement units and movement analytics to assess how a person moves, not just how much. AI could analyze those data over time and identify patterns tied to mobility loss, frailty or other functional changes. That could give clinicians, insurers and employers more objective information to support earlier intervention and more personalized care.
For claims professionals, the potential value lies in disability management, rehabilitation, workers’ compensation and other areas where physical function affects recovery and return to activity. These tools are still emerging, and their effectiveness in reducing claims costs or improving claims decisions has not been established. Their longer-term significance will depend on whether functional measurements prove accurate, clinically useful and practical enough to support real-world insurance and healthcare decisions.
