As technology advances, healthcare has to advance too. With advents of ultrasound, x-ray, MRI, CT scans come a larger understanding behind the problem of pain. Your hip hurts? Your knee popped? Let’s see what the image says. Imaging isn’t the end-all-be-all for treatment plans, but they can give practitioners a good idea about what is going on inside the body.  

Even AI has helped healthcare evolve to become predictive. There are cases of early intervention for cancer because of AI.  

Alongside technology advances, we have a growing understanding of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that affect the body and how it moves. Do you have pain because there’s a congenital condition or because the way you have to move at your job?  

Advances in technology and our growing understanding of the human body allows practitioners to provide individualized care.  

At its core, individualized healthcare is about tailoring care to the unique needs of each person. This includes not only genetic and biometric data, but also lifestyle habits, work environments, goals, and even behavioral patterns. It’s a holistic model that recognizes there’s no such thing as an “average” patient. We cannot rely on one-size-fits-all protocols anymore.  

Treatment protocols, or set treatment measures, are based on research of populations of people. These populations are created on a number of people that broadly represent the individual, and the outcomes of this treatment are based on probability. The protocol-based treatment plans statistically destine 50% of the treated population to have below average outcomes and 95% to less-than-optimal outcomes- meaning a majority of the population does not move and feel their best post-treatment. 

 

Individual vs. Community 

Individualized treatment is fantastic and should be used. However, there are situations–specifically for your employees- where a different approach needs to be used.  

Let’s say a significant percentage of your employees are experiencing low back pain. It becomes a common complain across the board around the same time. What then? Does individualized care matter then? Yes and no.  

When treating, individualized care can address the unique ways a human can move. Each person has their own way of moving through the world, and this can be due to the specific lengths of bones, muscle makeup, and more. Because of this, pain can develop in that person because of certain compensations they make when they move.  

However, if we are seeing a significant rise in low back pain in a community, then a different approach needs to be taken. A global approach to how this trend arises is necessary. This could include looking at the ergonomics of a work station or even seeing common patterns across the employee population.  

Individualized care is powerful—but in the workplace, it often needs a community-based layer to truly take hold. Many health challenges, especially musculoskeletal ones, don’t exist in isolation. They’re shaped by shared environments, team culture, repetitive job demands, and even collective stress. When treatment happens solely on an individual level, it can miss the systemic issues that contribute to pain and injury in the first place. A warehouse worker’s back pain, for instance, may be linked not just to personal posture, but to lack of ergonomic equipment or a workplace culture that discourages rest. Community-based programs—like onsite PT, team-based wellness challenges, or group ergonomics training—can address these broader patterns head-on. 

What’s more, treating health as a shared responsibility builds buy-in. When employees see their peers engaged in movement breaks, it normalizes care-seeking behavior. It also fosters accountability and morale. Community-driven care in the workforce doesn’t replace personalized treatment—it amplifies it. By creating a culture where health is supported collectively, employers can reduce injury rates, cut costs, and help their teams perform and feel their best—together. 

 

Ready to transform how your workforce moves, feels, and performs?
Solveglobal combines personalized MSK care with data-driven insights and community-driven support—so your teams can move and feel their best at work, at home, and while doing the things they love. Let’s build a healthier, stronger workplace—together.