07/23/2026
I will continue to hold out and practice manual therapy in its literal sense, because I am for Team Human.
A Porsche Taycan, new in 2026, runs for about $145,000. Whereas the same car—probably just coming off lease, a 2023 model—is selling for $65,000. A whopping 54% drop.
Another example: a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S for 2026 is $210,000, whereas a 2023 of the same model is about $160,000, a 25% drop. Why am I saying all this?
We can agree a Porsche 911 is a high-end, niche product. Yet, for the past 10 years, year over year, global delivery units have been rising slowly but steadily. Let's take a look at the Porsche Taycan. It launched in 2020 and actually peaked in 2021 at 40,000 units globally. But as the years passed, by 2024, it dropped globally to 20,000 units.
People who want to buy a fast car would consider buying a Porsche. But buying a Porsche is not just because it's fast; it's about something that Porsche can offer that is different from other brands and other fast cars. Even within the Porsche lineup, some can argue that the Taycan is actually faster than some of the 911s. Yet, Taycan sales dropped precipitously over the years, whereas the traditional 911 continues to rise in demand.
It turns out that even though the Taycan is fast, one thing is missing: a gas engine. A traditional gas engine makes up the soul of a fast car, and that's what Porsche buyers are looking for—not just speed in and of itself.
You cannot blame Porsche for developing and investing in an electric vehicle like the Taycan, because at the time, the whole globe was talking about electric vehicles, and Porsche probably didn't want to be left behind. But no matter how hard the engineers try to tune the Taycan, it is still just an electric vehicle. It is similar to all other electric vehicles from Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus. The soul of the car—vis-à-vis the gas engine—is missing from the Taycan. And besides the badge being different, the Taycan exists just like all the other electric cars people have. The Taycan has lost its luster among all the other electric cars, which are probably just as fast, if not faster.
The case that I'm trying to make is: manual therapy as a specialty is the 911 of the world. The EV revolution in the automobile industry is similar to the AI wave that is inevitably coming into the healthcare space. The hands-on aspect of manual therapy—the unrelenting assessment, analyzing, asking questions, and communicating with the patient face-to-face day in and day out—that approach is the gas engine of the 911.
No matter how good AI gets, at the end of the day, there will be patients who only ask for face-to-face, hands-on healthcare. Understanding what makes manual therapy unique will help us navigate through this AI storm.
Keep in mind that I'm not saying we do not use AI whatsoever—to what extent, I don't know—but at this point, I just don't see AI replacing manual therapy precisely because it lacks the human touch. We need to maximize that uniqueness so that we can ensure our longevity as a specialty and our ability to thrive through the change of times.
I believe in Team Human.
