Structural Elements Targets Multi-Unit Growth in Orthopedic Wellness

The franchise is seeking experienced operators to expand a model that pairs clinic ownership with independently owned provider practices, with a goal of 125 locations within five years

Structural Elements is looking to bring more multi-unit operators into orthopedic wellness, betting on a franchise model that allows investors to own clinics while licensed practitioners operate their own businesses inside them.

The Hagerstown, Maryland-based brand, which began franchising in 2016, is targeting experienced business owners as it pursues a goal of 125 clinics within five years. Its network currently includes clinics in Maryland and Wisconsin and 11 micro-franchise practice owners, according to the company.

The expansion push comes as Structural Elements looks to position movement health and hands-on care within the broader wellness and longevity market.

“With wellness and longevity this hot, a lot of brands are building a commodity to chase the trend,” said Douglas Bertram, founder and CEO of Structural Elements. “Our model has been refined over more than a decade with real patients and providers. Our mission now is to find owners who share our commitment to patient-focused care.”

Two Paths to Ownership

Structural Elements operates through two franchise offerings that separate clinic ownership from care delivery, allowing investors without clinical backgrounds to open locations.

Clinic owners manage the facility and back-office functions, including scheduling, billing, marketing and front-desk operations. Licensed practitioners join as micro-franchise owners under three-year agreements, operating their own practices within the shared space.

The company introduced its practitioner ownership model in 2019. Providers can include physical therapists, acupuncturists, athletic trainers and medical providers, among others.

For clinic operators, the arrangement resembles a salon suite business, with revenue coming from monthly provider space fees, recovery memberships through its (se) LAB offering, retail sales, workshops and corporate wellness programs.

Structural Elements says the ownership structure is designed to help address provider turnover and unused treatment space while giving practitioners a lower-overhead path to business ownership.

“Our clinic owners aren’t left to fill their rooms alone,” said Susan King Glosby, vice president of operations. “We help find and train the providers, because our success depends on those practices growing.”

Bringing Movement Into Longevity

Structural Elements’ flagship clinic opened in Hagerstown in 2013. Bertram developed the brand’s proprietary treatment method through more than 30 years of work in manual therapy, Chinese medicine and fascia-focused care, drawing partly on his recovery from a spinal injury. Every provider in the network trains in the method, according to the company.

For Bertram, maintaining physical function deserves a larger role in the longevity conversation.

“The longevity conversation is almost entirely metabolic,” he said. “Almost nobody is talking about keeping people moving well as they age. That’s hands-on work that a screen or robot can’t replace.”

Structural Elements is targeting multi-brand, multi-unit operators with business and operations experience. Its suburban clinics typically occupy 5,000 to 7,000 square feet, a footprint the company sees as complementary to salon suite and urgent care portfolios.

The initial franchise fee is $65,000, falling to $52,000 for each additional clinic under a multi-unit agreement. Total estimated initial investment ranges from $703,000 to $1.4 million.

The company says it is registered to offer franchises in Maryland, Wisconsin and Florida, with near-term expansion focused on Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.