AI-Powered Physiotherapy: A New Frontier in Back Pain Management?
Back pain is a widespread issue, often leading to long-term disability across the globe. With millions suffering from this condition, healthcare systems are seeking innovative ways to manage the growing burden. In the UK, an AI-powered physiotherapy app is offering a unique approach to managing back pain symptoms. But does it live up to the expectations?
My Personal Back Pain Journey: A Tale of Human and AI Therapists
In October 2024, I found myself experiencing sudden, severe lower back pain. The cause was unclear—perhaps it was from lifting my young nephew or moving a bed to adjust a rug. Regardless, my back pain became more than just a nuisance; it radiated down my sciatic nerve and left me in agony. Sitting became excruciating, while standing was more tolerable. Even sleeping required me to wedge a pillow under my legs just to manage the shockwaves of pain.
By mid-December, I sought medical help in Washington, DC, where I live. After various tests and X-rays, a specialist diagnosed me with “lumbar radiculopathy” and referred me to physical therapy. In the U.S., the path from pain to treatment took about three months—while relatively fast, this timeline still seemed too long for such a common condition.
Since early January, I’ve been seeing human physical therapists who have provided relief through targeted exercises and soft tissue massage. Though the pain isn’t entirely gone, it’s under control. But this wasn’t the only form of therapy I sought. I also tried a new AI-based physiotherapy service from the UK called Flok Health, designed to assist patients remotely.
Flok Health: AI-Assisted Physiotherapy for the Masses
Flok Health offers an innovative approach to physiotherapy by providing AI-assisted sessions through an app. The service is part of the UK’s first AI-powered physiotherapy clinic, which is currently being trialed by the National Health Service (NHS). Flok has been approved by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and began offering services in late 2024.
The motivation behind Flok Health is clear: lower back pain is pervasive, and many individuals face long waiting times for care. As of September 2024, over 350,000 people in England were waiting for treatment for musculoskeletal issues—creating the longest waiting lists for any medical condition. In 2022 alone, the UK government reported 23.4 million lost workdays due to untreated musculoskeletal conditions, with lower back pain affecting an estimated 223 million people globally.
Flok Health aims to tackle this issue by offering immediate, scalable access to physiotherapy and reducing the strain on the NHS. However, as I experienced firsthand, the question remains: Can AI truly replace or complement traditional physiotherapy?
Flok’s Journey: From Rowing Athlete to AI Innovator
Flok’s CEO, Finn Stevenson, knows what it’s like to rely on healthcare professionals. A former Olympic rower, Stevenson had access to top-tier doctors and physiotherapists throughout his career. However, when his own back pain flared up after leaving professional sports, he faced a stark realization about the accessibility of care for the general public.
“It was quite a big shock in terms of what access to care looked like for 99.5% of people,” says Stevenson. “In theory, I should be pretty well placed to manage this. I had an academic background, I’d had three years of professional physio. If I was struggling, other people probably were too.”
Stevenson and his co-founder, Ric da Silva, both previously worked at CMR Surgical, a company focused on robotics for soft-tissue surgery. With Flok, they aim to offer a solution for people with manageable conditions, avoiding unnecessary medical interventions like scans or surgery. Instead, they focus on simple, effective treatments such as regular stretching.
“There are quite a few conditions where that’s true, where you don’t need a scan, you don’t need hands-on manipulation, you don’t need medication,” says da Silva. “What you need is 10 minutes of stretches a few times a week, and that will solve the problem.”
My Experience with Flok: AI-Powered Physiotherapy at Your Fingertips
When I first opened the Flok app, I was greeted by Kirsty, a virtual physiotherapist. Though her presence was in a minimalist setting reminiscent of a yoga class, she was more than just a typical fitness instructor. As I answered a series of multiple-choice questions about my pain, the AI adapted her responses, tailoring the session to my needs. Instead of a live video call, I was watching pre-recorded videos stitched together by AI based on my inputs.
Unlike popular AI models like ChatGPT, Flok uses AI to create a customized, non-generative experience. The system avoids the “hallucination” problem in AI, where algorithms may invent answers. Instead, it provides a more structured, clinical response based on billions of possible “intervention combinations.” According to Stevenson, this “perfect software problem” allows the platform to scale effectively.
Flok has now expanded into Scotland and is signing contracts to offer its services in England, with plans to expand to other regions of the UK within a year. The company is also diversifying its offerings to include treatments for conditions like hip and knee osteoarthritis and women’s pelvic health.
The Challenge of Adoption: Flok vs. Traditional Care
While Flok provides a convenient solution, the question of whether AI can fully replace traditional human physiotherapists remains uncertain. Flok’s system, like other AI-based apps such as selfBACK, offers personalized exercises based on prior successful treatments for similar patients. Although studies suggest these apps can help reduce pain, selfBACK faced slow adoption rates in trials, with a third of participants never using the app and another third using it sporadically. This suggests that AI may function best as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, traditional care.
Elizabeth A. Stuart, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, argues that AI healthcare tools must undergo rigorous evaluations similar to traditional medical treatments. “In some ways, these AI tools are no different from other healthcare interventions that we want to learn about the effects of,” she says. “We need to assess how well they work, do they work, who do they work for, just as carefully as we have done for other healthcare interventions.”
The Future of AI in Healthcare: A Complementary Tool, Not a Replacement
Pranav Rajpurkar, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, believes that the future of AI in healthcare lies in using it to support clinicians, not replace them. “The systems that succeed won’t be those claiming to ‘replace doctors,’ but those that thoughtfully redistribute clinical work to make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and human-centered,” Rajpurkar explains.
As I continue my journey with Flok, I’ve found the app helpful, but it doesn’t entirely replace the need for human oversight. My back pain improved, but I rely on my human physiotherapists to ensure my form is correct during exercises. Perhaps, in the future, AI may evolve to offer more interactive feedback, but for now, I’ll stick with the hands-on care provided by human professionals.
Conclusion: The Role of AI in Physiotherapy
Flok Health represents a promising step forward in making physiotherapy more accessible and efficient. While AI-powered platforms like Flok may not yet replace traditional care for everyone, they offer an innovative solution for patients in need of timely, remote assistance. As AI in healthcare continues to evolve, it’s clear that a hybrid approach—combining human expertise with AI capabilities—could be the future of managing musculoskeletal pain.
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