CreakyJoints

What CreakyJoints does

CreakyJoints is a digital patient community and support platform for people living with arthritis and related musculoskeletal conditions, along with their caregivers. Founded in 1999 and operated by the Global Healthy Living Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Nyack, USA, the platform provides free education, peer support, and condition-specific resources across 100+ arthritis subtypes through CreakyJoints.org and a portfolio of digital tools: PatientSpot (a symptom-tracking mobile application), ArthritisPower (a patient-reported outcomes research registry), PainSpot (a musculoskeletal assessment tool), and eRheum (a telehealth-support resource). The organization distributes content through CreakyJoints Español, CJ Australia, and a Podcast Network of more than ten shows, and operates a 50-State Network of nearly 1,500 trained volunteer patient advocates.

The business model is non-commercial at the user level: services are free to patients and caregivers, with no subscription or transactional revenue from end users. Operating funding is derived from individual donations, foundation grants, and partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers — including AbbVie, Amgen, Genentech, Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly — that support disease-education programming, co-pay assistance initiatives, and sponsored research using the ArthritisPower registry. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 employee range, consistent with a mid-sized mission-driven nonprofit operating a multi-product digital portfolio.

The platform has demonstrated capability to scale around acute public-health needs, having stood up a COVID-19 Patient Support Program that enrolled more than 30,000 participants in 2020, and continues to expand both the research-registry asset and the grassroots advocacy infrastructure that distinguishes it from purely informational health sites. As a nonprofit, CreakyJoints is not optimizing for profit maximization; instead, sustainability depends on maintaining diversified grant and sponsor income while growing the underlying patient and caregiver user base that makes the research registry valuable to commercial partners.

Name

CreakyJoints

Legal name

CreakyJoints (operated by Global Healthy Living Foundation)

Website

https://creakyjoints.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CreakyJoints is a 501(c)(3) digital community and patient-support platform serving arthritis patients and caregivers with free education, symptom-tracking tools, a research registry, and advocacy programs, funded by donations, grants, and pharmaceutical partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Chronic Disease Support

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Rheumatology Telemedicine Platforms (HLALAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms (HLACAOAM)

Keywords

• Arthritis patient support
• Patient advocacy network
• Chronic disease education
• Patient-reported outcomes research
• Digital health community

Headquarters

HQ city

Nyack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation relies on donations and grants to fund operations. No specific revenue-generating commercial activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CreakyJoints is a digital community platform operated by the Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) that provides free education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research resources to arthritis patients and caregivers. It operates multiple interconnected tools including a content website, symptom-tracking mobile app (PatientSpot/ArthritisPower), telehealth preparation tool (eRheum), musculoskeletal risk assessment (PainSpot), a podcast network, and a 50-State grassroots advocacy network. All services are provided free of charge to users and funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

CreakyJoints operates as a multi-platform digital health ecosystem offering a comprehensive suite of interconnected tools and services for arthritis and chronic illness patients. The core CreakyJoints.org platform serves as the primary digital community, complemented by specialized sub-brands: PatientSpot (symptom tracking) integrated with ArthritisPower (research registry), PainSpot (musculoskeletal assessment), and eRheum (telehealth support). Content is distributed through the CreakyJoints Podcast Network, while the COVID-19 Patient Support Program and 50-State Network provide additional patient support and advocacy services. These products work together to provide education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PatientSpot: Patient-reported outcomes research registry application for tracking symptoms and contributing to research
• ArthritisPower
• 50-State Network
• PainSpot
• eRheum

Products and services

• CreakyJoints.org Digital Community Digital community platform providing free education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research content for arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide, featuring articles, patient stories, webinars, podcasts, and resource directories.
• PatientSpot Mobile and web application that allows chronic disease patients to track symptoms over time and contribute their health data to patient-centered research studies.
• ArthritisPower Research Registry Patient-centered research registry that enables arthritis patients to participate in research by tracking symptoms and contributing health data, integrated with PatientSpot.
• PainSpot Digital risk-assessment tool for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries that asks users questions about pain symptoms to help identify potential causes.
• eRheum Telehealth preparation platform designed to help rheumatology patients get the most out of virtual visits with their rheumatologists.
• CreakyJoints Podcast Network Podcast network featuring multiple shows including The Health Advocates, Talking Head Pain, Patient Prep Rheum, The Psoriatic Arthritis Club, Patiently Connecting, Dungeons and Diagnoses, The Gout Show, and Morning Stiffness.
• COVID-19 Patient Support Program Free patient support program providing reliable COVID-19 information, community support, and resources tailored to people living with chronic illness, serving more than 30,000 people.
• 50-State Network Grassroots advocacy network of nearly 1,500 trained volunteer patient, caregiver, and healthcare activists working on policy advocacy at state and federal levels.
• Arthritis Clinic Free clinic service providing arthritis support and guidance to patients.
• #CreakyChats Monthly Twitter discussion series exploring topics important to the chronic disease community, moderated by CreakyJoints staff.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF)coreOthersGHLF is the parent organization of CreakyJoints - a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to improve quality of life for people with chronic illnesses by advocating for improved access to healthcare and amplifying education and awareness efforts.
• ArthritisPower RegistrycoreOthersPatient-centered research registry jointly operated, allowing patients to track symptoms and contribute to research studies.
• Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (Co-pay Programs)minorOthersPartnerships with pharmaceutical companies including AbbVie, Amgen, Genentech, Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, and others to provide co-pay cards and patient assistance programs for arthritis medications.
• Various Healthcare OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHLF works with various partners to create education campaigns for arthritis patients and caregivers. Campaigns designed to empower community to advocate for themselves.
• 50-State Network Partner OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNearly 1,500 trained volunteer patient, caregiver and healthcare activists across all 50 states engaged in grassroots advocacy and policy engagement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Psoriasis Foundation: Established chronic-condition nonprofit providing education, advocacy and research funding for psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis patients — a population CreakyJoints explicitly serves. Comparable mission and operating model.
• American College of Rheumatology: Professional society for rheumatologists. Not a patient community, but a key stakeholder for eRheum, ArthritisPower and the broader rheumatology research ecosystem — comparable as a rheumatology-focused organization influencing care delivery.
• Lupus Foundation of America: National nonprofit for lupus patients, with overlapping audience given CreakyJoints covers lupus within its 100+ arthritis types. Comparable in operating patient education, advocacy and research programs.

Direct peers

• PatientsLikeMe: Long-running patient community and PRO data platform (now part of UnitedHealth Group). Most directly comparable on the patient-powered research registry and PRO data monetization model that ArthritisPower/PatientSpot emulate.
• Inspire: Operates one of the largest patient community platforms spanning thousands of conditions, including arthritis. Comparable in offering online support communities, partnerships with patient organizations, and patient insights/research panels.
• Smart Patients: Online patient community with an emphasis on learning from peers and contributing to research, often in oncology and chronic disease. Comparable in combining patient community forums with patient-powered research functionality.
• HealthUnlocked: Hosts condition-specific patient communities, often in partnership with nonprofits and health systems. Comparable operating model to CreakyJoints in terms of combining peer support, health content, and partner-funded programs.
• Arthritis Foundation: The leading national nonprofit dedicated to arthritis, providing patient education, advocacy, research funding and community programs. Directly competes with CreakyJoints for arthritis patients, advocacy attention and pharma sponsorship dollars.

Emerging players

• WEGO Health: Network of patient advocates and influencers that pharma and providers use for engagement and insights. Comparable in monetizing organized patient advocacy at scale — a model adjacent to CreakyJoints' 50-State Network.
• Medisafe: Digital medication adherence and chronic disease management platform. Partial overlap with PatientSpot's symptom tracking and CreakyJoints' broader chronic-condition management focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CreakyJoints
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7fCVElrEX9g6fW3nLGa1vQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/creakyjoints
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creakyjoints
• Instagraminstagram.com/creakyjoints

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CreakyJoints