Bernie McGee knew she needed help with lower back pain as well as mobility after knee replacement surgery.
Turns out, Hinge Health was just what the doctor ordered.
Introduced last year, Hinge Health is a free benefit for back and joint health. The program, covered as part of a UK health insurance plan, provides all the tools to get moving again from the comfort of your home. Users get exercise therapy tailored to each person’s condition and a personal care team of experts. McGee said she received an invitation to participate in the program and right away was interested.
“I’ve been in other programs in the past and had success, so right away I was interested in joining,” said McGee, an administrative support associate in the UK Office for Student Success Counseling Center. “I had recently undergone left knee replacement, and I also have to get the right one replaced. So, they introduced me to exercises I could do here in my chair, stretches and other mobilities for upper-body strength. 
“After surgery, you have to get on a walker, and you would think a walker would be easy. But if you haven’t used these muscles, it puts a lot of stress on you. I just thought I would try it and see, and it’s been a year now. And now I reach out to others to ask if they have tried Hinge Health and encourage them to try it.”
The ease of use has also been something that has made McGee, 62, rave about Hinge Health.
“They gave us a tablet and they give you these sensors to put on when you exercise, so it lets them know when you’re moving, and they can track you,” said McGee, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from UK in 2022. “They give you these exercises through an app, and you just follow and do what it says to do. It’s very simple.”
McGee said the work she has done through Hinge Health has given her more flexibility and helped increase her overall health awareness.
“We’re in the process of buying a house, so we’re getting ready for that, packing boxes and everything. My health coach says if you don’t do anything but once a week it helps those muscles. But they like you to do it three times a week,” she said. “And the sessions are only 15 minutes. It has just been a great encouragement for me not to grow old and do like my parents did and just look out the window. You’ve got to do something about it. It’s really left up to the individual how far you want to go and take charge of your life.”
Hinge Health is just one of the many programs provided to UK employees McGee has taken advantage of, and she encourages others to do the same.
“Human Resources has given us great benefits,” she said. “When we think of benefits, we think mostly of our health insurance, but there are a wide range of benefits our employer gives. I think everyone should take advantage of them.”