Sword Health vs Vori Health vs Lin Health: Which Chronic Pain Program Is Right for You?

Chronic pain affects roughly one in four adults in the US, and the search for relief has moved well beyond the doctor's office. Digital health platforms now offer everything from AI-guided exercises to virtual physician visits to behavioral pain coaching. Three names show up often: Sword Health, Vori Health, and Lin Health.

Each takes a fundamentally different approach to chronic pain. Understanding those differences can help you find the program that actually fits your situation, especially if past treatments have not delivered lasting results.

Key Takeaways

• Sword Health focuses on exercise-based digital physical therapy for musculoskeletal conditions and is available only through employer-sponsored benefits, not individual insurance.
• Vori Health offers physician-led virtual MSK care with a multidisciplinary team, primarily accessible through employer health plans and select Medicare Advantage programs.
• Lin Health uses a brain-first behavioral approach (CBT, ACT, PRT) to address the neuroplastic and emotional drivers of chronic pain, and is in-network with major insurers including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
• Only Lin Health treats persistent symptoms beyond musculoskeletal pain, including chronic migraine, fibromyalgia, and IBS.
• The right program depends on what is driving your pain: structural/movement issues may respond to Sword or Vori, while pain that persists despite physical treatment may benefit from Lin Health's behavioral approach.

What Makes These Three Programs Different?

The biggest distinction is not features or technology. It is what each program believes is causing your pain, and what it does about that.

Sword Health treats chronic pain as a movement and exercise problem. It delivers physical therapy through an app, guided by AI and wearable sensors.

Vori Health treats chronic pain as a medical and physical condition. It pairs you with an MSK physician, physical therapist, health coach, and dietitian for a team-based clinical model.

Lin Health treats chronic pain as a brain and nervous system problem. When pain persists beyond tissue healing, the nervous system can get stuck in a pain alarm loop. Lin Health uses behavioral therapies to retrain those neural pathways and reduce or resolve pain.

These are not interchangeable approaches. They target different mechanisms, and the right choice depends on your specific situation.

Sword Health: AI-Powered Digital Physical Therapy

Sword Health is an employer-sponsored digital MSK platform that delivers exercise-based physical therapy through an app with AI motion tracking.

• How it works: You complete exercise sessions at home using wearable sensors or camera-based tracking. Licensed physical therapists supervise your progress remotely and adjust your program. The platform uses AI to guide form correction and progression.
• What it treats: Lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Sword has a fibromyalgia information page on its site, but its core intervention is exercise therapy, not behavioral or psychological treatment.
• Access: Employer-benefit only. You need your employer to offer Sword as a covered benefit. There is no way to sign up with your own insurance card or pay out of pocket as an individual.
• Clinical evidence: Sword has published studies on its digital PT outcomes. One trial in partnership with Emory found digital PT outcomes comparable to in-person care with higher engagement. Another study reported 54.8% pain reduction in chronic shoulder pain across 296 participants. These studies focus on MSK exercise therapy outcomes.
• Key acquisition: In January 2026, Sword acquired Kaia Health for $285 million. US Kaia members have been transitioned to Sword's platform, and Kaia is no longer a separate US option.
• Best for: People with clearly musculoskeletal pain (joint, back, or neck pain related to movement or injury) whose employer offers Sword as a benefit.

Limitations:

• Not available without employer sponsorship
• Does not address the brain/nervous system component of chronic pain
• No treatment for migraines, IBS, fibromyalgia, tinnitus, or other persistent symptoms
• No behavioral therapy (CBT, ACT, PRT) for pain-related fear, catastrophizing, or emotional pain drivers

Vori Health: Physician-Led Virtual Musculoskeletal Care

Vori Health provides virtual MSK care led by specialty physicians, supported by a multidisciplinary team including physical therapists, health coaches, and dietitians.

• How it works: You start with a one-hour joint consultation with a physician and physical therapist. From there, you receive approximately two virtual PT sessions per week, plus health coaching and nutrition support. The model is closer to a virtual orthopedic clinic than a self-guided app.
• What it treats: Back pain, neck pain, hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, foot and ankle pain, arthritis, and sports injuries. The scope is musculoskeletal and orthopedic.
• Access: Available through employer health plans and select Medicare Advantage partnerships (such as Univera Healthcare). Like Sword, Vori is not a direct-to-consumer platform. You cannot sign up independently with a standard insurance card.
• Clinical evidence: Vori has published observational studies on its patient outcomes. A 2025 study in Telemedicine Reports found 75.2% of 2,851 patients reported meaningful pain relief, with pain scores dropping from 4.7 to 2.6. A June 2026 study reported 47% pain reduction in 784 adults with low back pain. These are observational cohort studies on Vori's own patients, not randomized controlled trials.
• Best for: People who want a physician-led, team-based virtual MSK experience and whose employer or Medicare Advantage plan includes Vori coverage.

Limitations:

• Not available without employer or plan sponsorship
• No behavioral or psychological pain treatment (no CBT, ACT, PRT, or EAET)
• Does not treat persistent symptoms beyond MSK (no migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, or long COVID)
• Does not address the neuroplastic or central sensitization component of chronic pain
• Published evidence is observational, not from randomized controlled trials

Lin Health: Brain-First Behavioral Pain Recovery

Lin Health takes a different approach entirely. Rather than treating chronic pain through exercise or physical medicine, Lin Health targets brain-level changes that keep pain signals firing after tissue has healed.

• How it works: You work one-on-one with a trained recovery coach through live weekly sessions, between-session chat, and an app with structured learning and practice modules. The program uses evidence-based behavioral therapies, including CBT, ACT, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), to retrain the nervous system's pain response.
• What it treats: Chronic pain across multiple conditions, plus persistent symptoms that other programs do not cover: chronic migraine, fibromyalgia, IBS, long COVID, tinnitus, and POTS. This broader scope reflects Lin Health's focus on the neuroplastic mechanisms shared across these conditions.
• Access: In-network with major US insurers, including Aetna, Anthem, BCBS, Cigna, Humana, Medicare, and UnitedHealthcare. High-coverage states include Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York. Patients can self-refer and check their eligibility directly, without needing an employer to offer the benefit.

Clinical evidence: Lin Health's approach is based on findings from peer-reviewed research across its core modalities:

• PRT: A randomized trial found that 66% were nearly pain-free after treatment, compared to 20% with placebo. A durable at five years, with more than half of participants maintaining pain relief without booster sessions.
• CBT: A Cochrane review of 75 studies found that CBT reduces pain and distress in adults with chronic pain, with effects generally maintained at follow-up.
• EAET: A 2024 randomized trial found that EAET achieved outperformed CBT for pain with chronic musculoskeletal pain, with 63% achieving clinically meaningful improvement versus 17% with CBT alone.
• ACT: A 2024 overview of systematic reviews found that ACT improves pain and functioning00539-4/fulltext) across multiple chronic pain populations.

Best for: People whose chronic pain has persisted despite physical treatments (PT, injections, medication, surgery), people with pain that moves or spreads, and those dealing with persistent symptoms like migraine, fibromyalgia, or IBS.

What sets it apart:

• Accepts individual insurance (no employer requirement)
• Live human coaching (not AI-guided exercises)
• Behavioral therapy for the emotional and cognitive drivers of pain
• Treats persistent symptoms beyond MSK
• Mayo Clinic collaboration for clinical development
• Same-day eligibility callback and short wait times

Side-by-Side Comparison

Insurance Coverage and Out-of-Pocket Cost

How you access each program, and what you pay, varies significantly.

• Sword Health is an employer benefit. If your company offers Sword, you pay nothing. If it does not, you cannot access the platform at all. There is no individual signup, no insurance billing, and no cash-pay option.
• Vori Health works through employer health plans and select Medicare Advantage partnerships. Like Sword, you need your plan to include Vori. Individual insurance cards from Aetna, Cigna, or UnitedHealthcare will not work on their own.
• Lin Health is covered by major insurers, including Aetna, Anthem, BCBS, Cigna, Humana, Medicare, and UnitedHealthcare. You can check your eligibility directly and self-refer without a physician order. Most patients pay zero out of pocket, with highest coverage in Colorado, Texas, Florida, California, and New York.

This is one of the most meaningful differences for patients. If your employer does not offer Sword or Vori, those platforms are simply not available to you. Lin Health is accessible to anyone with qualifying insurance, regardless of employer.

Who Each Program Works Best For

Choosing between these programs is not about which is "best" overall. It is about which one matches what is driving your pain.

Consider Sword Health if:

• Your pain is clearly tied to a movement or injury issue (knee surgery recovery, shoulder strain, acute back injury)
• Your employer offers Sword as a benefit
• You prefer structured, app-guided exercise with PT oversight
• You have not yet tried consistent physical therapy

Consider Vori Health if:

• You want a physician-led, team-based approach to MSK pain
• You need a clinical diagnosis or medication management discussion alongside PT
• Your employer or Medicare Advantage plan includes Vori
• You prefer a virtual clinic experience with multiple specialists

Consider Lin Health if:

• Your pain has lasted months or years despite physical treatment
• You have tried PT, injections, or medication without lasting relief
• Your pain moves, spreads, or worsens with stress
• You deal with persistent symptoms beyond MSK (migraine, fibromyalgia, IBS, tinnitus)
• You want to work with a human coach, not an AI or app alone
• You need a program you can access with your own insurance card

Why Chronic Pain Often Needs More Than Physical Treatment

Many people with chronic pain cycle through physical therapy, injections, medications, and even surgery without finding lasting relief. There is a reason for that.

When pain persists beyond three months, the original tissue injury has typically healed. But the nervous system gets stuck, continuing to fire even when there is no ongoing tissue damage. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defined nociplastic pain in 2017, defining it as pain arising from altered nervous system processing rather than structural damage.

This is why exercise-only or medication-only approaches often fall short for chronic pain. They target the body, but the pain is being maintained by the brain.

The CDC's 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline recommends non-pharmacological therapies as the preferred first-line approach for chronic pain. The American College of Physicians recommends behavioral therapies including CBT, mindfulness, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation as initial treatment for chronic low back pain, before medications.

This does not mean physical approaches are wrong. It means they may not be enough on their own for pain that has become centralized in the nervous system. For those patients, addressing the brain's role in maintaining pain is the missing piece.

How Lin Health Helps With Chronic Pain

Lin Health's program is built around the understanding that chronic pain often involves a stuck pain alarm in the nervous system. Rather than treating the body alone, Lin Health's approach targets brain-level changes that keep pain signals active.

What the program looks like:

• Weekly 1:1 coaching with a trained recovery coach specializing in chronic pain conditions
• Structured behavioral therapies including evidence-based CBT approaches, ACT, PRT, and EAET
• An app with learning modules, guided practices (somatic tracking, graded exposure, journaling), and between-session support
• Insurance-covered through Aetna, Anthem, BCBS, Cigna, Humana, Medicare, and UnitedHealthcare

The modalities Lin Health uses:

• CBT helps identify and change thought patterns that amplify pain (catastrophizing, fear-avoidance, pain-anxiety loops)
• ACT builds psychological flexibility so pain does not control daily decisions
• PRT retrains the brain to reinterpret pain signals as non-dangerous, based on findings from a JAMA back pain trial
• EAET addresses the emotional roots of chronic pain, shown to achieve greater pain reduction than CBT alone in older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain

Lin Health also partners with Mayo Clinic and works with clinical advisors including Dr. Howard Schubiner, a leader in neuroplastic pain research.

If physical treatments have not delivered lasting relief, or if your pain has spread, moved, or worsened with stress, Lin Health's brain-first approach may be worth exploring. Most patients pay zero out of pocket, and wait times are short, with many receiving a same-day eligibility callback.

Lin Health offers behavioral and lifestyle support for chronic pain, delivered by trained recovery coaches and covered by most major insurance plans in CO, TX, FL, CA, and NY. Wait times are short, often a same-day call. Check your eligibility today.

FAQ

What is the difference between Sword Health and Lin Health?

Sword Health delivers exercise-based digital physical therapy for musculoskeletal conditions using AI motion tracking and remote PT oversight. Lin Health uses behavioral therapies (CBT, ACT, PRT) to address the brain and nervous system changes that maintain chronic pain. Sword requires employer sponsorship. Lin Health accepts individual insurance from seven major carriers.

Does Sword Health accept insurance?

No. Sword Health is an employer-sponsored benefit. Your company must offer Sword as a covered perk for you to access the platform. You cannot sign up with an individual insurance card or pay out of pocket.

Is Vori Health covered by Medicare?

Vori Health is available through select Medicare Advantage partnerships, not standard Medicare. Coverage depends on your specific MA plan including Vori. Lin Health also accepts Medicare and is in-network for eligible patients to self-refer directly.

Which chronic pain program is best for back pain?

It depends on the nature of your pain. If your back pain is tied to a recent injury or post-surgical recovery, Sword's exercise-based approach or Vori's physician-led model may help. If your back pain has persisted for months or years despite physical treatment, Lin Health's behavioral approach targets the nervous system changes that may be keeping the pain active.

Can you use Sword Health without an employer?

No. Sword Health is only available through employer-sponsored benefits. If your employer does not offer Sword, you cannot access the platform. Lin Health, by contrast, is accessible to individuals through standard insurance plans.

How does Lin Health's brain-first approach compare to physical therapy?

Physical therapy targets muscles, joints, and movement. Lin Health targets the brain's learned pain response. For pain that persists beyond tissue healing, the nervous system itself may be maintaining the signals. Lin Health's retrain the pain response, addressing fear, stress, emotional triggers, and pain-related thought patterns.

What does Vori Health's physician-led model include?

Vori Health provides a one-hour joint physician-PT consultation, approximately two virtual PT sessions per week, health coaching, and nutrition support. The care team includes an MSK physician, physical therapist, health coach, and dietitian. It does not include behavioral therapy or treatment for non-MSK conditions.

Are digital pain progracheckms as effective as in-person treatment?

Research supports digital delivery for both physical and behavioral pain interventions. Sword's studies show digital PT outcomes comparable to in-person care. Lin Health's core modalities (CBT, PRT, ACT) have strong evidence from randomized trials showing meaningful and lasting pain reduction delivered through telehealth and coaching formats.

This article is for informational purposes and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting or changing any treatment plan for chronic pain.

Last reviewed: July 2026