Should You Ask AI or Your PT?

This week Gary and Peter talked about something almost everyone is doing now. Typing symptoms, test results, even X-ray reports into AI and asking, “What should I do?”

Their take might surprise you. They are both big fans.

Google used to give you a million links and no idea which ones to trust. AI gives you one clear answer, and it asks follow-up questions. How long has this been going on? Where do you feel it? Does it go down your leg?

Gary’s favorite use is your patient portal. Lab results, radiology reports, MRI reports full of words you have never seen. A list of findings at every level of your spine, and then one line at the bottom that says “non-concerning.” Take a picture, ask AI to explain it in plain language, and you walk into your next appointment ready to have a real conversation.

Here is where it falls short. Information is not the same as expertise.

Peter put it this way. If AI tells him what is wrong with his plumbing, it might even be right. He still does not have the tools or the know-how to fix it. AI can tell you to do squats and deadlifts. It cannot watch you do one and fix your form.

And it cannot hear you. It cannot sit across from you, watch the way you move, notice the look on your face and take in your whole story. Feeling heard is a big part of feeling better, and that part is still human.

One more point from Peter stuck with me. Your mind works a lot like your body. If you stop using it, it gets weaker. So do the thinking first, then ask AI to help.

Gary said he loves a client who shows up curious and wants to be part of the plan. What does not help is walking in with the diagnosis already decided and the treatment already picked. Bring questions, not conclusions.

Let AI help you ask better questions. Let a real person help you find the answers.