Buying Guide

What to Keep on Hand for a Fully Stocked PT Clinic

July 2, 2026 8 min read

The must-have items — and the par quantities — to keep on the shelf so you can serve every patient's take-home needs without a single 'we're out, check back next week.'

E1 Hydrocollator stationary heating unit

"We're out — check back next week" is a sentence that costs PT clinics twice: the lost sale today, and the patient who learns not to ask. A fully stocked clinic isn't about carrying everything — it's about never running out of the twenty things your plans of care prescribe every single day. Here is the checklist, with the par levels that keep a typical 1–3 therapist clinic covered on a monthly reorder cycle. Scale up proportionally with visit volume.

Resistance & strengthening

•Band rolls (25–50 yd), one roll per resistance level — minimum four levels from light to heavy. Par: 1 open roll + 1 backup per level. This is the single most-dispensed item in the building.
•Pre-cut band sets / loops — par: 10–15 for grab-and-go discharge kits.
•Exercise putty, full resistance ladder — par: 6 per resistance level; hand patients progress through colors, so stock the next level up from wherever your caseload sits.

Bulk resistance band rolls — One open roll plus one backup per resistance level — the most-dispensed item in any PT clinic.

Electrotherapy consumables

•Self-adhesive electrodes — the fastest-moving consumable after bands. Par: 10 packs of 4 in clinic use + a case in reserve; every home TENS unit you dispense adds a recurring buyer.
•Lead wires — par: 4 spare sets; they fail without warning.
•Home TENS/EMS units — par: 3–5 boxed units so a same-visit dispense never waits on a shipment.

Muscle stimulator with electrodes — Electrodes and lead wires are the consumables that quietly run out first — keep a case in reserve.

Heat & cold

•Hydrocollator packs — a full complement for your unit plus 2 spares (they wear out mid-month, never conveniently).
•Terry covers — par: 2 per pack in rotation; laundry lag is real.
•Retail cold packs & hot/cold combos — par: 10–12 for take-home sales.

Taping & soft goods

•Kinesiology tape — par: 6 rolls clinic use + 6 retail; patients who get taped ask to buy a roll the same day.
•Athletic tape, pre-wrap, elastic bandages — par: 1 case each.
•Braces & supports — stock the sizes, not just the SKU: knee, ankle, wrist, and back supports in S–XL. Par: 2 per size for your top movers; see orthopedic supports.

Home-program & positioning

•Home cervical traction — par: 2–3 units; a high-ticket, high-outcome dispense for the right patient.
•Cervical support pillows & lumbar cushions — par: 3–4 each; the condition-management layer patients otherwise buy badly elsewhere.
•Wedges, bolsters, and wraps — clinic set plus 2 retail of your most-recommended items.

Home cervical traction device — Keep two or three home traction units boxed — the best dispenses happen the same visit they're indicated.

Clinical consumables (the never-out list)

•Table/headrest paper — 1 case open + 1 in reserve, always.
•Ultrasound gel & lotion — par: 1 gallon open + 1 backup.
•Topical analgesics — clinic pump bottles for the plinth, a dozen retail sizes at the desk.
•Surface disinfectant & gloves — 1 case each; hygiene stockouts are not an option.

Stocked this way, a clinic covers virtually every take-home need a plan of care generates — and the retail layer it creates is the subject of our revenue-per-patient guide.

Build your par-level order at case pricing.