Your Phone, Your Physical Therapist: A New Era of Movement Health

NEW YORK, NY – March 04, 2026 – For millions suffering from chronic pain, the cycle is frustratingly familiar: an injury flares up, rest provides temporary relief, and then the pain returns, often without a clear explanation. This decades-old gap between identifying a movement problem and effectively correcting it is now being targeted by a landmark partnership poised to transform physical rehabilitation.

On Wednesday, OneStep, a leader in AI-powered motion analysis, and Protonics, a pioneer in neuromuscular re-education, announced a strategic alliance to create what they term an “Intelligent Movement Ecosystem.” The collaboration integrates OneStep’s FDA-listed smartphone technology with Protonics’ patented corrective hardware, forging a direct link between clinical-grade assessment and a practical, at-home path to lasting relief.

Closing the Loop on Chronic Pain

For decades, the worlds of movement assessment and correction have remained largely separate. Sophisticated gait analysis was confined to expensive, specialized labs, producing data that was often disconnected from a patient's daily life and rehabilitation routine. Interventions, meanwhile, relied on infrequent clinical visits and subjective feedback, leaving patients and therapists to guess at what was happening between appointments.

This disconnect is a primary reason why chronic musculoskeletal issues persist. A patient might feel better after a physical therapy session, but the underlying dysfunctional movement patterns—subtle asymmetries, muscle imbalances, or poor alignment—remain unaddressed during their everyday activities. The result is a cycle of recurring pain and performance limitations.

This partnership aims to shatter that cycle by creating a continuous, data-driven feedback loop. “Most people don't need more advice—they need a clear, measurable path from 'this hurts' to 'this is improving,'” said Brandon Noble, Managing Director at Protonics, in the official announcement. The new ecosystem is designed to provide exactly that, turning ambiguous pain signals into an actionable plan for recovery.

The Synergy of 'Assess and Correct'

The power of the collaboration lies in the seamless integration of two distinct but complementary technologies. OneStep has revolutionized motion analysis by transforming any smartphone into a sophisticated motion lab. Without any wearables, the app uses the phone’s built-in sensors to capture over 30 objective indicators of movement, including gait speed, cadence, step length, and symmetry. This technology, validated in studies against gold-standard laboratory equipment, provides a precise, real-world picture of how a person moves.

Once OneStep’s AI identifies a dysfunctional pattern—such as a subtle limp or an asymmetry in stride—Protonics’ technology provides the solution. Protonics offers a suite of patented devices, including the G3 and MD+ platforms, that deliver programmable resistance to retrain the body’s neuromuscular system. Based on decades of clinical research, these systems are designed to correct common issues like right-side dominance and restore balanced muscle activation. Studies have shown the technology to be effective in reducing pain and improving alignment for conditions like patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Together, they form a true “assess-and-correct” loop. The OneStep app captures objective data during everyday activity, revealing the root biomechanical causes of pain. A clinician can then use this data to prescribe specific protocols using a Protonics device. As the patient uses the device, OneStep continues to monitor their gait, providing clear evidence of change and allowing for adjustments to the protocol. This creates a highly personalized and adaptive approach to rehabilitation that was previously unattainable outside of elite performance centers.

Democratizing Advanced Recovery

This partnership arrives at a pivotal moment for the healthcare industry. The global market for physical therapy and rehabilitation technology is booming, with the AI-powered mobility analytics sector alone projected to grow from $950 million in 2025 to nearly $3 billion by 2035. This growth is fueled by a massive shift towards telehealth and home-based care, accelerated by consumer demand for more convenient and accessible solutions.

The OneStep-Protonics ecosystem is uniquely positioned to meet this demand. By leveraging the ubiquity of smartphones, it removes the need for expensive wearables or clinic-bound equipment for assessment. This empowers both consumers and clinicians.

For individuals, it offers a way to finally understand why their pain keeps coming back and provides the tools to actively retrain their movement patterns at home. For clinicians, it provides a stream of objective, real-world data to monitor patient progress remotely, enhancing the efficacy of telehealth and hybrid care models. This is further supported by OneStep’s integration with major Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and its support for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) billing codes, which streamlines clinical workflows and creates new revenue opportunities for providers.

“By partnering with Protonics, we are moving beyond identifying movement abnormalities—we're connecting measurement to meaningful action,” stated Tomer Shussman, Co-founder and CEO at OneStep. “Together, we are empowering individuals to understand how they move and take a direct, data-driven path toward better mobility, recovery, and performance.”

Gait: The 'Sixth Vital Sign'

The long-term vision for this partnership extends far beyond treating existing injuries. It aims to establish gait as the “sixth vital sign”—a fundamental indicator of overall health, as critical as blood pressure or heart rate. By continuously and passively monitoring how a person walks, it becomes possible to detect subtle changes that may signal the onset of a wide range of conditions.

OneStep is already involved in research with leading institutions to use its mobility data for the early detection of cognitive decline associated with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as to monitor recovery from major surgeries and even cancer treatments. By adding Protonics’ corrective component, the ecosystem moves from simply detecting risk to actively preventing chronic pain and injury by correcting dysfunction before it becomes a debilitating problem.

This represents a paradigm shift from reactive treatment to proactive, preventative health management. By placing a motion lab in every pocket and connecting it to a proven corrective tool, OneStep and Protonics are not just launching a new product; they are building a scalable foundation for a future where everyone has the power to move better and hurt less.