The Illness-Wellness Continuum by John Travis, MD, is a model that shifts the focus of health from merely avoiding disease to actively pursuing well-being.

Instead of seeing health as a binary state (either sick or healthy), Travis conceptualized it as a spectrum ranging from premature death to high-level wellness. or tasks

The Treatment Paradigm

Left Side: (Illness to Neutral)

This part of the spectrum includes worsening health conditions, disabilities, symptoms of disease, and a reactive approach to medicine (treating illness once it appears).

Traditional healthcare focuses heavily here, aiming to get people from illness back to a neutral point (no apparent disease).

The Wellness Paradigm

(Right Side: Neutral to High-Level Wellness)

This part emphasizes personal growth, proactive health habits, and achieving optimal well-being.

It includes emotional resilience, good nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and social connection.

Rather than just avoiding illness, people work toward thriving physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The More Than Movement Clinical and Business models are heavily inspired by the Illness-Wellness Continuum.

We acknowledged the shortcomings of ONLY being reactive in our services (Physical Therapy AFTER injury/pain).

We wanted our clients to go beyond neutrality (absence of disease) after injury and progress toward high-level wellness.

The time of accepting the absence of pain, injury, or disease as the definition of health is over.

Now it’s time to redefine what health means to you.

Schedule a call with our team today to find your new normal.