Latest articles
Fresh healthcare insights
Innovative employee benefits ideas that deliver strong ROI
Discover innovative employee benefits ideas that attract and retain talent while delivering ROI for employers.
September 12, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: what it is and why it matters
Learn how pelvic floor physical therapy can help women relieve pelvic pain, improve function, and restore confidence.
September 10, 2025
Jennesa Atherton
How HR leaders can maximize the ROI of employee health benefits plans
Learn how HR can maximize employee benefits ROI with digital-first care. Discover proven strategies to reduce costs and improve outcomes.
September 10, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
How to maintain muscle during weight loss
Discover 5 proven ways to maintain muscle during weight loss. Learn why movement and nutrition protect strength, energy, and long-term outcomes.
September 7, 2025
Morgan Hollis
Sword Health’s NPS results rated exceptional in the healthcare industry
Learn how Sword Health’s exceptional NPS of 82 proves strong member satisfaction, ROI, and clinical outcomes for large self-insured employers.
August 28, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
Digital pelvic health care: The accessible, effective alternative to traditional treatment
Learn how digital pelvic therapy programs like Bloom reduce stigma, and drive down treatment costs and make access to care so much easier.
August 27, 2025
Jennesa Atherton
How to minimize pelvic floor treatment costs with proactive digital care
Pelvic floor disorders often go untreated until symptoms escalate, driving up claims and costs. Learn how digital solutions like Bloom prevent downstream spend and improve outcomes with proactive, evidence-based pelvic care.
August 27, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
The hidden cost of pelvic floor dysfunction in the workplace
Pelvic floor dysfunction affects 1 in 3 women, draining productivity and increasing costs. Learn how digital-first care like Bloom addresses this hidden workplace issue.
August 27, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
Menopause and work: Addressing the unspoken barrier to productivity
Learn how targeted digital benefits like Bloom by Sword Health keep employees healthy, engaged, and productive.
August 27, 2025
Jennesa Atherton
Solving for urinary incontinence without surgery or shame
Treat urinary incontinence without surgery. Learn causes, proven therapies, and how digital pelvic care supports private, effective recovery.
August 27, 2025
Jennesa Atherton
Pelvic floor therapy: what every HR leader should know
One in three women experience pelvic floor disorders, costing employers millions in claims and lost productivity. Learn how digital pelvic therapy like Bloom delivers proven outcomes and ROI.
August 27, 2025
Jennesa Atherton
Employer’s guide to pelvic health benefits
Pelvic health issues impact nearly 1 in 3 women, yet most benefit plans overlook them. Learn how digital pelvic care improves outcomes, boosts productivity, and reduces spend.
August 27, 2025
Sword Editorial Team
For employers
Workplace health advice
How digital physical therapy improves employee retention
Did you know that fear of pain can be more disabling than pain itself? Chronic pain and employee turnover prevention are critically linked, but with the right MSK benefits coverage, employers can help their team members recover from pain to increase workplace productivity. 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. Overall, MSK conditions are responsible for 44 missed work days each year on average.
October 24, 2025 • 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.
October 24, 2025 • 6 min read
Sword Editorial Team
Reduce MSK costs with more effective digital MSK care plans
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?
October 24, 2025 • 5 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.
October 23, 2025 • 8 min read
Morgan Hollis
Expert guidance
From the experts: 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
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
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.
November 1, 2023 • 6 min read
Megan Hill
Healthcare contributors
Meet Sword's expert authors
Vijay Yanamadala
Chief Medical Officer at Sword Health
Fernando Correia
SVP Clinical & Regulatory Affairs at Sword Health
Megan Hill
Director, Clinical Specialists
Morgan Hollis
Head of Clinical Strategy, Sword Move
Jennesa Atherton
Head of Clinical Affairs, Sword Bloom
Liz Santo
Senior Clinical Program Manager, Sword Bloom ·
