When you’re thinking about how to buy therapy equipment for your practice, you’re looking for options that won’t break the bank. At the same time, you want to make sure your setup reflects the professionalism of your practice. Fortunately, there are ways to find a middle ground in this cost versus quality tug of war and get a quality product at a reasonable price. Here are some options you should consider when shopping for therapy equipment.

1. Look for physical therapy equipment online.

When it comes to comparison shopping, you won’t find a better tool than the internet. As well as great deals on new equipment, you’ll find a wide range of quality products and therapy tools at discounted prices. Tried options like the shopping tab on eBay or Google Search provide a good starting point for your budget-friendly buying journey.

If your practice requires a lot of physical therapy equipment, try partnering with a rehabilitation-focused marketplace, such as the WebPT marketplace. Once open only to WebPT members, the marketplace is now open to all rehab professionals and is a mecca for discounted clinical supplies and equipment, with up to 25% off — such as foam rolling, therapy tape, pain relief creams and a wide selection Range of motion, strength training and fitness equipment. Admittedly, buying in bulk doesn’t always mean being budget-friendly.

2. Get creative.

When you’ve listed all your equipment needs, look for ways around buying big-ticket items that can eat into your budget all at once. As PT and clinic owner Jack Sparacio puts it in this guide, “Why spend $3,500 on a high-end ultrasound-electric stimulation combo when you can buy separate portable ultrasound and electrical stimulation units for about $100 each machine?”

Better yet, why not take advantage of the people who sell unused gym equipment? People are splurging on home gym equipment during the pandemic shutdown. But as people return to the office, many find themselves exercising at home less and less, and therefore want to unload their equipment. Online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace or eBay will help you connect with local sellers and find the cheapest used equipment.

3. Get twice the result with half the effort.

We at WebPT have adopted the “do mas with menos” mantra, an attitude that any successful company should adopt. You don’t need fancy fitness products to achieve amazing patient results. Ultimately, real results come from the therapeutic alliance between the PT and the patient. So if you’re practical, resourceful, and, in Sparacio’s words, “creatively efficient,” you can find other ways to meet your physical therapy equipment needs.

Additionally, assigning patients exercises that don’t involve large, expensive equipment makes their treatment more conducive to home exercise programs (HEP) or even home physical therapy—which can improve patient compliance. In fact, according to our PT Patient Experience report, not having the right equipment was the fourth leading reason (22.8%) for patients not completing a HEP. So embrace simplicity in your practice to improve adherence to patient home plans.

4. Consider renting or leasing physical therapy equipment.

Usually, if you want to buy brand new from a blockbuster like Biodex or NuStep, the price will be high – which is why renting or leasing may be more economical. As this article points out, there are several incentives for leasing exercise equipment—such as possible tax breaks—that may make leasing a better fit for your business plan. Plus, if an item you want doesn’t turn out as expected, you can always return it at the end of the contract. Unlike loan agreements with banks, which often require lengthy credit approval processes and lots of annoying red tape, lessors are often more willing to lend equipment to recent graduates with professional backgrounds and even clinic ownership.

Whether you run a hybrid business model that includes cash fitness and wellness services, or a more traditional combination of physical and occupational therapy, knowing how to buy the therapy equipment you need within your budget is critical. By saving money on some of the more common but essential therapy products, you can splurge on any emerging physical therapy technology that can elevate your practice.

Do you have any suggestions on where to find great deals on therapy equipment? Share it with us in the comments section below.