The Stretch Lab Mirror Test: Are We Any Better?
This solo episode digs into a simple but uncomfortable question:
If you criticize other healthcare providers for misleading claims…
Have you checked your own website lately?
Jimmy breaks down the full “claim spectrum” from safe to dangerous, outlines why PTs often imply more than they say, and gives you 7 practical questions to audit your own messaging.
It’s not about lying.
It’s about expectations.
And the fact that marketing preloads belief before a patient even walks through the door.
???? Show Resources:
- Free download: 7-Question Website Audit Checklist (coming soon)
- Mentioned: Stretch Labs, LinkedIn PT threads, PT website language norms
00:00 – Intro: It’s not about Stretch Labs
00:20 – What this episode IS about: Your messaging
01:10 – The fair critique of assisted stretching
02:00 – Do PTs make similar promises?
02:30 – PTs don’t lie… but we do imply
03:15 – “Fix the root cause” vs “Eliminate pain”
04:05 – Green, Yellow, Red: Claim spectrum explained
05:10 – The 7-Question Website Audit
06:30 – Why expectations matter more than outcomes
07:20 – Stretch Studios aren’t evil — just better at messaging
07:50 – Closing thoughts & CTA
???? Sponsors:
- Brooks IHL → brooksihl.org
- Empower EMR → empoweremr.com
- U.S. Physical Therapy → usph.com
???? Subscribe & Follow:
- Apple Podcasts → Link
- Spotify → Link
- YouTube → Link
- Instagram → @ptpintcast
- LinkedIn → Jimmy McKay
- Website → ptpintcast.com
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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?