Hinge Health Vs Kaia Health Vs Lin Health: Which Chronic Pain Program Fits Your Needs?

Chronic pain affects roughly 24% of U.S. adults, and digital health programs have made it easier than ever to get help without leaving home. But not all digital pain programs work the same way. Hinge Health, Kaia Health, and Lin Health each take a fundamentally different approach to chronic pain, and the right choice depends on what is driving your symptoms.

Hinge Health uses exercise-led physical therapy. Kaia Health (now part of Sword Health) uses app-based movement coaching. Lin Health uses a brain-first behavioral approach to retrain how your nervous system processes pain. This article breaks down how each program works, what conditions it covers, what the research says, and which patients each one may serve best.

Key Takeaways

• Hinge Health delivers digital physical therapy through exercise programs, wearable sensors, and PT-led coaching, primarily for joint and muscle pain.
• Kaia Health was acquired by Sword Health in January 2026 for $285 million, and its U.S. members are transitioning to Sword's platform.
• Lin Health takes a brain-first approach using behavioral therapies (CBT, ACT, EAET) to address chronic pain that persists after tissues have healed.
• The 2025 APA clinical practice guideline recommends CBT first-line for chronic musculoskeletal pain.
• Lin Health covers a wider range of conditions than either competitor, including fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, CRPS, and chronic pelvic pain, and is covered by most major insurance plans.

What Makes These Three Chronic Pain Programs Different?

These three programs occupy different therapeutic categories. Hinge Health and Kaia Health are movement-based platforms built around physical therapy principles. Lin Health is a behavioral health program built around pain neuroscience and nervous-system retraining.

That distinction matters. For pain driven by an acute injury or movement deficit, exercise therapy is a well-supported starting point. But for pain that has persisted beyond healing, the underlying issue may no longer be structural. In those cases, a brain-first approach may offer what exercise alone cannot.

No peer-reviewed trial has directly compared these three programs head to head. The comparison below draws on each company's published outcomes, the research traditions each program is built on, and publicly available program details.

Hinge Health: Exercise-Led Digital Physical Therapy

Hinge Health is a publicly traded digital musculoskeletal (MSK) care company (NYSE: HNGE) that went public in May 2025. It is one of the largest digital health companies in the U.S., with $588 million in revenue for fiscal year 2025.

How it works: Members receive access to a mobile app and a wearable sensor kit that provides real-time feedback during exercises. A board-certified physical therapist designs a personalized exercise program, and a health coach supports adherence through text, phone, or video check-ins. The program also includes educational content and some CBT-based tools.

Conditions covered: Back pain, neck pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, arthritis, herniated discs, pinched nerves, and pelvic floor disorders. Pre- and post-surgery rehabilitation is also available.

Access model: Hinge Health is distributed almost entirely through employers and health plans. Eligible members typically access the program at no cost, but individuals cannot sign up directly without employer sponsorship.

Strengths:

• Large-scale outcomes data, including a 10,000-participant cohort study reporting a 68% average pain improvement
• Wearable sensor feedback helps with exercise form and tracking
• Reduces imaging and surgery rates, with claims data showing $2,343 in annual savings per member

Limitations to consider:

• MSK-focused only. Does not address conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, IBS, or CRPS.
• Exercise-first model may not reach patients whose pain persists despite normal imaging and completed physical therapy.
• Requires employer or health plan partnership. No direct individual enrollment.
• Limited behavioral health depth. While some CBT tools are included, they are supplementary to the exercise protocol, not the core treatment.

Kaia Health: App-Based Movement Therapy (Now Part of Sword Health)

Kaia Health was a digital therapy company specializing in MSK and pulmonary care. In January 2026, Sword Health acquired Kaia for $285M. U.S. members are now transitioning to Sword's platform, while the Kaia brand continues operating in Germany.

How it worked: Kaia used smartphone camera-based motion tracking (no wearable sensors required) to guide users through exercise programs. An AI coach provided real-time form corrections. In some configurations, teleconsultation with a physician was available for higher-acuity cases.

Conditions covered: Primarily back pain and general MSK conditions. Kaia also had a COPD management program for pulmonary care.

Access model: Kaia was available through employer partnerships and, in some markets, as a direct-to-consumer subscription at $14.99 per month. The Sword acquisition changes the U.S. access model going forward.

Clinical evidence: The Rise-uP randomized controlled trial showed a 33% reduction in pain intensity at 3 months for the intervention group, compared to 14% for standard care. High-risk patients receiving teleconsultation saw a 43.5% reduction.

Limitations to consider:

• U.S. program is being folded into Sword Health. The standalone Kaia product is no longer available for new U.S. users.
• App-only model with no live coaching sessions (AI-guided only, pre-acquisition).
• MSK-focused. Does not address neurological pain conditions, fibromyalgia, or persistent symptoms beyond musculoskeletal areas.
• Smaller U.S. evidence base compared to Hinge Health.

Lin Health: A Brain-First Behavioral Approach to Chronic Pain

Lin Health is a digital health company that treats chronic pain and persistent symptoms through behavioral therapies grounded in pain neuroscience. Unlike Hinge Health and Kaia Health, Lin Health's core treatment does not use exercise or physical therapy. Instead, it targets the nervous system directly.

How it works: When pain persists beyond three months, tissues typically heal, but the brain's pain alarm can get stuck on alert. This is sometimes called nociplastic pain or central sensitization. The pain becomes a learned pattern in the nervous system, firing without structural cause. Lin Health's program is designed to retrain these neural pathways.

Members work one-on-one with trained recovery coaches through weekly live sessions, between-session chat support, and a mobile app with structured learning modules. Treatment modalities include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for restructuring pain-related thoughts and behaviors
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for building psychological flexibility around pain
• Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) for processing emotions tied to chronic symptoms
• Somatic tracking and pain reprocessing principles for reappraising pain signals as non-dangerous

Conditions covered: Lin Health treats a significantly broader range of conditions than either competitor:

• Lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic migraine
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Sciatica
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Tension myositis syndrome (TMS)
• IBS, long COVID, and other persistent symptoms (per Lin Health; dedicated condition pages are available for the conditions listed above)

Access model: Lin Health is in-network with major insurers. Patients can self-refer online, receive a same-day callback for eligibility, and typically pay zero out of pocket. High-coverage states include Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York.

Clinical foundation: Lin Health's approach is based on findings from research on PRT, CBT, ACT, and EAET. In a randomized trial, pain reprocessing therapy helped 66% become pain-free, compared to 20% in the placebo group. A five-year follow-up confirmed that more than half of those participants maintained their gains without any booster sessions.

Separately, emotional awareness and expression therapy reduced pain in 63% of older veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain at 10 weeks, compared to 17% receiving CBT alone.

Hinge Health Vs Kaia Health Vs Lin Health: Side-by-Side Comparison

Why a Brain-First Approach May Address Chronic Pain at the Source

Exercise therapy is well-supported for many musculoskeletal conditions. A Cochrane exercise review found moderate-quality evidence that it improves pain and function compared to minimal treatment. For acute injuries, post-surgical recovery, and movement deficits, exercise-based programs like Hinge Health and Kaia Health offer real value.

But chronic pain that persists for months or years often involves changes in how the nervous system processes signals. Research on central sensitization shows that the brain and spinal cord can amplify pain signals even when no structural damage remains. In these cases, targeting the body through movement alone may not resolve the underlying neural patterns keeping pain alive.

This is where behavioral approaches come in. The APA's 2025 clinical practice guideline recommends CBT first-line for chronic musculoskeletal pain, alongside multicomponent self-management interventions. A Cochrane CBT review found that CBT produces small but consistent improvements in pain, disability, and emotional distress for adults with persistent pain.

Lin Health's program integrates these evidence-backed behavioral therapies with emerging approaches like EAET and pain reprocessing principles. The goal is not to replace exercise or medication, but to address the nervous-system component that other treatments may miss.

For patients who have already completed physical therapy, tried medications, or undergone imaging that shows no structural cause, a brain-first approach may be the missing piece.

Which Program Treats the Widest Range of Conditions?

One of the most significant differences between these three programs is the scope of conditions each one addresses.

Hinge Health and Kaia Health focus on musculoskeletal pain. This includes back, neck, knee, hip, and shoulder pain, along with conditions like arthritis, herniated discs, and (for Hinge Health) pelvic floor disorders. These are important conditions, but they represent one segment of the chronic pain landscape.

Lin Health treats musculoskeletal pain and extends into conditions that exercise-based programs typically do not cover:

• Fibromyalgia: A widespread pain condition with strong central sensitization features. Fibromyalgia falls under the chronic musculoskeletal pain umbrella that the APA 2025 guideline addresses with its CBT recommendation.
• Chronic migraine: Behavioral approaches including CBT and biofeedback have evidence for reducing migraine frequency in adults.
• Chronic pelvic pain: Often involves both musculoskeletal and nervous-system components.
• CRPS: A condition strongly linked to central nervous system dysregulation.
• IBS and other persistent symptoms: Lin Health reports treating conditions like IBS and long COVID where the brain-body connection plays a central role in symptom maintenance.

For patients living with pain that crosses multiple body systems, or pain that does not fit neatly into a musculoskeletal category, Lin Health's broader scope may be a better fit.

Insurance Coverage, Cost, and Access Compared

Hinge Health is available at no cost to eligible members, but access requires an employer or health plan that partners with the company. Individuals cannot enroll on their own. If your employer does not offer Hinge Health, it is not an option.

Kaia Health previously offered a direct-to-consumer subscription at $14.99 per month, alongside employer partnerships. With the Sword Health acquisition, the U.S. access model is changing. New enrollment options depend on Sword's distribution partnerships.

Lin Health is in-network with major insurers including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Patients in Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York have particularly high coverage rates. The enrollment process starts with an online signup, followed by a same-day callback to verify insurance eligibility. Most enrolled patients pay zero out of pocket.

For patients who want to enroll directly without waiting for employer sponsorship, Lin Health's individual insurance model offers the most accessible path.

How Lin Health Helps with Chronic Pain

Lin Health's approach is built on a well-documented principle in pain neuroscience: after tissue healing, chronic pain often reflects a stuck nervous-system alarm rather than ongoing structural damage. The brain keeps sending danger signals even when the original cause has resolved. Fear of movement, emotional distress, and repetitive thought patterns can reinforce this cycle, making pain spread and intensify over time.

Lin Health's program is designed to interrupt that cycle. Recovery coaches guide patients through structured behavioral modules, including CBT, ACT, EAET, and somatic tracking techniques. Sessions happen weekly via live video, with chat support and app-based practice between sessions. The program is built by clinical experts and Lin Health's clinical team, including advisors like Dr. Howard Schubiner, a recognized leader in neuroplastic pain research.

Lin Health partners with major health systems, including Mayo Clinic and WellSpan, adding clinical credibility that most digital health startups do not have.

Patient stories illustrate what this looks like in practice. Gina reports that after working with Lin Health, there are days she forgets she was ever in pain. Lynne describes feeling more confident knowing that she has control over her pain, rather than pain controlling her.

If you have been living with chronic pain and exercise-based programs or medications have not provided lasting relief, Lin Health's behavioral approach may be worth exploring. The program is covered by most major insurance plans in CO, TX, FL, CA, and NY, with short wait times and a same-day eligibility check. Check your eligibility.

FAQ

Is Hinge Health the same as Lin Health?

No. Hinge Health is an exercise-based digital physical therapy program for musculoskeletal conditions. Lin Health is a behavioral health program that uses therapies like CBT, ACT, and EAET to retrain how the nervous system processes pain. They target different mechanisms and cover different conditions.

What happened to Kaia Health?

Sword Health acquired Kaia Health in January 2026 for $285 million. U.S. Kaia members are transitioning to Sword's platform. The Kaia brand continues operating independently in Germany through its digital health reimbursement pathway.

Can I use Hinge Health without an employer?

Currently, Hinge Health requires an employer or health plan partnership for enrollment. Individuals cannot sign up directly. Lin Health, by contrast, allows individual enrollment through standard insurance coverage.

Does Lin Health use physical therapy or exercise?

No. Lin Health's program is entirely behavioral. It uses CBT, ACT, EAET, and somatic tracking delivered through live recovery coaching sessions, chat support, and a mobile app. It does not include exercise prescriptions or physical therapy.

Which program is best for fibromyalgia?

Among these three, Lin Health is the only program that specifically treats fibromyalgia. Hinge Health and Kaia Health focus on musculoskeletal joint and muscle pain. Lin Health's behavioral approach may be particularly relevant for fibromyalgia, which involves widespread central sensitization.

Is Lin Health covered by insurance?

Yes. Lin Health is in-network with most major insurance carriers, including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Most patients in covered states pay zero out of pocket. Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York have the highest coverage rates.

Can I use Lin Health and Hinge Health together?

In principle, yes. These programs address different aspects of chronic pain. Hinge Health focuses on movement and physical conditioning, while Lin Health focuses on the nervous system and behavioral patterns. Some patients may benefit from both, though you should discuss with your healthcare provider before combining programs.

How long does the Lin Health program take?

Lin Health includes weekly coach-led sessions plus app-based learning. Program length varies, but most patients begin noticing changes within the first few weeks. Research on pain reprocessing therapy shows durable gains from PRT for some patients with chronic back pain.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. Always talk with your doctor before starting or changing any treatment plan for chronic pain.