WEBVTT

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All right,

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this episode isn't necessarily about

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stretch labs.

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It's not about assisted stretching.

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It's not even really about physical

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therapy.

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This episode is about what's on your

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website.

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What claims are you making?

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Because here's the thing.

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If you're a healthcare provider and you've

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ever criticized another healthcare

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business,

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another subsector of healthcare for making

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misleading claims...

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you should probably audit yourself first.

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Here's what I mean.

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Earlier today,

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a physical therapist on LinkedIn posted

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about assisted stretching studios,

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stretch labs and organizations like that.

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And honestly, it was a fair critique.

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They talked about short-term relief being

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marketed as long-term solutions.

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They talked about claims like eliminate

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chronic pain,

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They talked about lack of regulation,

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lack of accountability in their words.

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All valid concerns.

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So then I just asked one simple question.

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Do we,

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as a profession of physical therapists,

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make similar claims?

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And that's where things got interesting.

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Because here's the truth.

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Most people don't want to say out loud.

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Most physical therapists aren't lying.

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But we are implying,

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and implication is where expectations are

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born.

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I promise I'm going somewhere,

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just stay with me.

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We don't usually say,

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this will permanently eliminate your pain.

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We don't say that, typically.

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But we do say things like,

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the gold standard, the best,

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the only evidence-based solution,

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fix the root cause, get your life back.

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Now those aren't lies.

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But they're not neutral either.

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Here's the thing.

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Stretch labs and places like them sell a

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future where I think physical therapy

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typically sells credentials.

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One is about them.

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The other is about us.

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So let's talk about claims for a second,

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because not all claims are created equal.

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Some are safe, some are sloppy,

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and some are just downright dangerous.

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Now that's a spectrum, green, yellow, red.

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Now green claims are boring,

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but defensible, may help reduce pain,

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can improve mobility.

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Evidence suggests benefits for some

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people.

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Nobody screenshots those for Instagram,

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but they also won't get you in trouble.

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Now,

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yellow claims are where things start to

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drift, fix the root cause,

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long-term relief,

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finally address your pain.

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Not always wrong,

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but highly dependent on who's reading them

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and what they think you are promising.

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And then finally,

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Red claims their outcome promises

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eliminate chronic pain, pain-free again,

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permanent relief.

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And here's the uncomfortable part.

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If Stretch Studios shouldn't say things

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like that, neither should we.

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So if you do nothing else after listening

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to me ramble here, do this.

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Go to your own website if you own

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a business or the organization you work

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with and audit your own website.

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Not emotionally, not defensively.

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Try not.

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But practically.

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And ask yourself these seven questions.

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You ready?

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I'll put them in the show notes so

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you don't have to write them all down.

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Here are the questions.

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One.

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Does this sentence promise an outcome or

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describe a process?

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Two, does a claim imply permanence?

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Three,

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would this be true for every patient or

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just some?

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Four,

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could I back this up with evidence without

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cherry picking?

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Five,

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would a frustrated chronic pain patient

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read this as a guarantee?

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Six,

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would I feel comfortable defending this

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sentence to a regulator, an insurer,

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or an attorney?

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And finally,

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the seventh question you should ask for

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any of the statements you make on your

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website may be the most important one.

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If Stretch Studio or a chiropractor or a

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different healthcare provider said this,

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would I criticize it?

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That last one, that's the mirror test.

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Now,

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here's the thing most clinics don't want

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to admit.

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People don't leave physical therapy

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because it didn't work.

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They leave because what they expected

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didn't happen.

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Your expectations are out of alignment.

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And expectations aren't just set in the

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evaluation.

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They're set by language long before many

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patients even walk in the door.

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Marketing doesn't just attract patients.

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It doesn't just put butts in seats.

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It preloads belief.

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It sets expectations long before your

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provider ever introduces themselves.

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Now, here's the thing.

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Stretch studios aren't winning because

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they're evil.

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I think they're winning and doing well

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because their promise is simple and their

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experience matches the expectation that

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was set long before somebody walked into

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the door.

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And their message is about the person

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reading those promises,

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not the profession providing the

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experience.

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You don't need to lie to compete.

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You don't.

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You need to be honest and compelling.

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Both of those things.

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It's possible.

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So the question isn't,

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are you mad that stretch labs or other

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healthcare providers are doing what

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they're doing?

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Or are you mad that they're doing it

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better than you?

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But hey, what do I know?

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That's it for this one,

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but we're just getting warmed up.

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Smash follow, send it to a friend,

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or crank up the next episode.

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Want to go deeper?

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Hit us at pgpinecast.com or find us on

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YouTube and socials at pgpinecast.

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And legally, none of this was advice.

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It's for entertainment purposes only.

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Bullshit!

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See, Keith?

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We read the script.

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Happy now?