PainHero

What PainHero does

PainHero is a private, Calgary-based healthcare marketplace operator founded in 2020 that connects patients seeking pain relief with physiotherapists, chiropractors, and registered massage therapists. The platform functions as a clinic directory and online booking system, allowing consumers to search by specialty and location, compare clinic availability and wait times, and reserve same-day or next-day appointments. PainHero differentiates its supply side through a proprietary 50-Point Clinic Inspection process that evaluates factors such as reviews, reputation, complaint history, satisfaction, trust, cost, and clinical excellence, positioning it against undifferentiated Google-review-based listings.

The company has scaled its network to 1,460+ clinics and 2,172+ therapists across all 10 Canadian provinces and into the United States, having facilitated 2M+ patient visits. Beyond core booking, the product surface includes online/virtual treatment appointments, direct billing to insurance providers, free self-treatment workshops (knee, neck, pelvic floor, concussion care), and a Braces & Supports retail category. Marketing is primarily content-led via SEO city and province landing pages, supplemented by organic social on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The company is small (11-50 employees) and appears to be bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors in the source data.

PainHero's stated revenue model is a marketplace commission/listing structure tied to clinic participation on the platform, though specific take rates, listing fees, or transactional mechanics are not publicly disclosed. The two customer segments are patients (demand) and clinics (supply), with clinics recruited through 'Partner With Us' and 'List Your Clinic' programs. The business is led by founder Rick Lau. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed API or integrations, and no enterprise or institutional customer base.

Name

PainHero

Legal name

PainHero

Website

https://painhero.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PainHero is a Calgary-based healthcare marketplace, founded in 2020, that connects patients with a vetted network of 1,460+ physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy clinics across Canada and the USA, enabling same-day online booking, direct insurance billing, and virtual appointments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Appointment Booking Marketplace

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Chronic Pain Rehabilitation & Functional Restoration (HSADAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pain Management Chiropractic (Neck/Back/Sciatica) (HSADALAI), Deep Tissue Massage (HSALAEAB), Posture, Musculoskeletal & Pain-Relief Devices (Posture Trainers, TENS/EMS, Massage Devices) (CRACAQAK)

Keywords

• Healthcare appointment booking
• Physiotherapy clinic directory
• Chiropractic care marketplace
• Massage therapy booking
• Pain management platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Clinic Listing & Directory Services: PainHero generates revenue by listing physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy clinics on their platform. Clinics are vetted through their 50-point inspection and gain access to patient bookings through the marketplace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PainHero is a healthcare appointment-booking marketplace that connects patients with vetted physiotherapy, chiropractic, and registered massage therapy clinics across Canada and the USA. Patients search by specialty and location, compare availability and wait times, and book same-day or next-day appointments online, while clinics gain patient acquisition and direct billing to insurance. The platform differentiates through a proprietary 50-point clinic inspection process, virtual/telehealth appointments, and a self-treatment content/workshop offering.

Product overview

PainHero operates as a clinic directory and booking platform connecting patients with physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy clinics across Canada and USA. The platform enables patients to search by location and specialty, compare clinic availability and wait times, and book same-day appointments online. PainHero vets clinics through a proprietary 50-point inspection process. The platform also offers direct billing integration with insurance providers, virtual/online treatment appointments, and self-treatment educational workshops. Services span physiotherapy (pain relief, movement improvement, injury prevention), chiropractic care (spinal adjustments, joint pain relief), and massage therapy (muscle tension relief, circulation improvement). The network includes over 1,460 clinics serving major cities including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Vancouver, and Hamilton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PainHero Clinic Booking Platform Clinic directory and appointment booking platform that allows patients to search for physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy clinics by location, compare availability and wait times, and book same-day appointments online. Targeted at individual patients seeking pain relief and at partner clinics seeking patient acquisition.
• Physiotherapy Services Treatment services provided by physiotherapists to help relieve pain, improve movement, and prevent injuries through manual therapy, exercise, and education. Delivered via partner clinics listed on the platform.
• Chiropractic Care Chiropractic services featuring hands-on spinal adjustments and manipulations to ease joint and muscle pain, improve range of motion, and promote overall wellness, delivered via partner clinics.
• Massage Therapy Registered massage therapy services using physical techniques to break down discomfort in muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and joints to heal injuries, relieve pain, and improve circulation, delivered via partner clinics.
• Braces & Supports Self-care products including braces and supports available for purchase through the platform, targeted at patients managing pain and rehabilitation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clinics can post open appointment times allowing patients to quickly compare availability and book within seconds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Market Mall PhysiotherapycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic in the PainHero network providing physiotherapy services to patients. Referenced in customer testimonials.
• Waterview PhysiotherapycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic in the PainHero network. Referenced in customer testimonials as a clinic that helped patients return to activities they love.
• Synergy Health Centre (Victoria, BC)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-disciplinary clinic partner offering physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, orthotics, naturopathy, and kinesiology. Won 2022 Top Choice Award. 3,000 sq ft innovative facility combining physiotherapist, chiropractors, personal trainers, and other practitioners.
• Active Recovery Physiotherapy and Hand Clinic (Victoria, BC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic specializing in hand therapy with hand therapists certified through HTCC (Hand Therapy Certification Commission). Offers in-person and virtual telehealth sessions.
• Equilibrium (Victoria, BC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-disciplinary clinic with physiotherapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. Won top choice award for best massage therapy clinic 3 years in a row.
• Parkway Physiotherapy (Sooke/Langford, BC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-disciplinary clinic combining kinesiology, physiotherapy, and technology. Won Best of the WestShore award. Provides services including concussion care, vestibular physiotherapy, IMS & dry needling.
• Beacon Physiotherapy (Windsor, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic providing physiotherapy with positive patient reviews. Featured in top Windsor physiotherapy clinics list.
• Koonar Physiotherapy (Windsor, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic providing exceptional care with customized treatment plans. Featured in top Windsor physiotherapy clinics list.
• Western Ontario Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation Centre (Windsor, ON)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-disciplinary sports injury and rehabilitation clinic offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hand therapy, concussion therapy, bracing and equipment sales. Located at 400 Cabana Rd E, Windsor, ON.
• Medcare Physiotherapy Centre (North York, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic listed in the PainHero network at 5460 Yonge Street, North York, ON.
• CoreFlex Physio and Rehab (Woodbridge, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic in PainHero network at 21 Roysun Road, Woodbridge, ON.
• Plainsview Physiotherapy (Burlington, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic in PainHero network at 665 Plains Road East, Burlington, ON.
• Elevation Physiotherapy & Wellness (Mississauga, ON)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic in PainHero network at 2340 Council Ring Road, Mississauga, ON.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zocdoc: Zocdoc is a US-based patient-facing appointment booking marketplace connecting consumers with healthcare providers, including physicians, dentists, and specialists. Comparable to PainHero for building two-sided patient/clinic booking with same-day availability, online scheduling, and insurance integration.
• Opencare: Opencare is a Canadian healthcare marketplace connecting patients with dentists, physiotherapists, and other practitioners. It uses a curated matching and booking flow very similar to PainHero and competes directly for Canadian pain and physiotherapy patient flow.
• Jane App: Jane is a Canadian clinic management and booking platform widely used by physiotherapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy practices. It is the dominant booking software for the same provider categories PainHero aggregates and a direct adjacent competitor for patient acquisition.

Broad incumbents

• Practo: Practo is a leading healthcare appointment booking and telehealth platform serving patients and providers across India and select international markets. It operates a marketplace model comparable to PainHero for patient discovery and online scheduling with practitioners.
• Doctolib: Doctolib is the dominant European healthcare appointment booking platform serving practitioners and patients across multiple specialties. It is a broader incumbent operating in the same product category as PainHero but at vastly larger scale and across many geographies.

Emerging players

• Yocale: Yocale is an online appointment-booking platform focused on health, wellness, and beauty practitioners including massage therapists and chiropractors. It operates in the same SMB booking-and-discovery niche as PainHero.
• Cliniko: Cliniko is practice-management and online-booking software serving allied-health clinics (physio, chiro, massage). It competes on the clinic-side of PainHero's marketplace, enabling clinics to accept bookings directly and reducing reliance on external directories.
• Sesame: Sesame is a US direct-to-consumer healthcare marketplace offering discounted, transparent-pay appointments with a wide range of providers. Its marketplace and cash-pay positioning make it an emerging comparator for PainHero's booked-appointment patient flow.

Regional players

• Maple: Maple is a Canadian virtual-care platform providing direct-to-consumer physician consultations and prescriptions. It is a Canadian healthcare consumer brand with overlapping target patients in the pain-and-rehab space, although its core offering is telehealth rather than PT/chiro/massage booking.
• Healthengine: Healthengine is an Australian healthcare booking marketplace connecting patients with GPs, dentists, and allied health providers. Comparable two-sided marketplace model serving pain-specialty allied health, though concentrated in Australia rather than North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thepainhero
• Instagraminstagram.com/painheros
• TikToktiktok.com/@painheros
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/painhero

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 PainHero