Rehabilitation Equipment Research Articles

Gait cycle prediction model based on gait kinematic using machine learning technique for assistive rehabilitation device

The gait cycle prediction model is critical for controlling assistive rehabilitation equipment like orthosis. The human gait model has recently used statistical models, but the dynamic properties of human physiology limit the current approach. Current human gait cycle prediction models need detailed kinematic and kinetic data of the human body as input parameters, and measuring them requires special instruments, making them difficult to use in real-world applications. In our study, three separate machine learning algorithms were used to create a human gait model: Gaussian process regression, support vector machine, and decision tree. The algorithm used to create the model's input parameters are height, weight, hip and knee angle, and ground reaction force (GRF). For better gait cycle model prediction, the models produced were enhanced by incorporating different sliding window data. The best gait period prediction model was DT with sliding window data (t−3), which had a root mean square error of 3.3018 and the R-squared (R-Value) of 0.97. The projection model focused on hip and knee angle and GRF was a feasible solution to controlling assistive rehabilitation devices during the gait cycle.

Analysis of Lower Limb Muscle Fatigue Based on Surface Electromyographic Signal

Surface electromyographic (sEMG) signal contains abundant information such as joint torque and joint motion, which is widely used in human-computer interactive intelligent rehabilitation equipment. In this work, the ankle torque of lower limb is taken as the research object, and the feature parameters of sEMG which represent the fatigue state are analysed. Advance prediction of fatigue features for specific time periods was performed using a normalized minimum average square (NLMS) filter. While the modified cerebellar model neural network (WFCMNN) is used to classify fatigue, which can be divided into three states, namely no fatigue, transition to fatigue, and fatigue. The results show that the accuracy of classification is 96.429%, which is better than other advanced models. At the same time, sEMG signal is used to predict fatigue in advance, which can solve the problem of differences between different individuals. Such strategy is helpful for doctors and physiotherapists to carry out rehabilitation treatment for patients, as a pre judgment and diagnosis index.

Special Issue on Nursing Robots and Support Systems for Welfare Sites

Japan’s population is aging at a speed unprecedented in the world, and its shortage of caregivers has become a major issue. At the same time, the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to create unprecedented new value by connecting all people and things, allowing them to share various kinds of knowledge and information. In addition, as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data are undergoing a transformation that is changing the value of human labor, robots incorporating these innovative technologies are expected to solve the problems of the aging society. On the other hand, in the field of nursing care, the relationship between the caregiver and the care-receiver is basically a person-to-person connection. There is a question of how people and technology can coexist and produce new creations in such fields. This special issue on Nursing Robots and Support Systems for Welfare Sites includes one review paper and 23 other interesting papers that cover the following topics: ı Research on independence support and systems to watch over the elderly. ı Research on support systems for diet, recreation, medication, etc. for people with dementia. ı Research on control and sensor systems for vital signs and excretion. ı Research on rehabilitation equipment for the physically handicapped. ı Research on assistive technologies for mobility support. ı Research on upper and lower limb power assistance devices and robots. We thank all authors and reviewers of the papers as well as the Editorial Board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics for their help with this special issue.

Intelligent Physiotherapy Through Procedural Content Generation

This paper describes an avenue for artificial and computational intelligence techniques applied within games research to be deployed for purposes of physical therapy. We provide an overview of prototypical research focussed on the application of motion sensor input devices and virtual reality equipment for rehabilitation of motor impairment: an issue typical of patients of traumatic brain injuries. We highlight how advances in procedural content generation and player modelling can stimulate development in this area by improving quality of rehabilitation programmes and measuring patient performance.

An optimized and chaotic intelligent system for a 3DOF rehabilitation robot for lower limbs based on neural network and genetic algorithm

Nowadays due to the large number of patients that require physiotherapy, the need for rehabilitation service has increased tremendously. Applied exercises in rehabilitation practices such as passive, assistive, and resistance exercises regarding these patients’ conditions play an important role in helping patients recover their ability to move, walk and do basic tasks. Rehabilitation of disabled patients, who suffer from movement disability is a prolonged and sumptuous task that requires patience. Moreover, it does cause some mental problems for the therapist. To tackle these obstacles, rehabilitation equipment is continuously modified based on the requirement and welfare of the patients. Meanwhile, researches related to the use of robots in the field of rehabilitation has surged. This paper proposes a new chaotic map that is used to select the desired path coordination for each joint and it is based on each joint’s degree of freedom. Moreover, an optimized method for a 3DOF robot is presented using an optimal intelligent control system for the rehabilitation of hip and knee joints. Angles and velocity of the knee and hip joints are optimized by the Genetic Algorithm to get to the desired route and are then calculated by Artificial Neural Networks. The experimental results show that the presented technique can learn the action of the physiotherapist at each stage, for each patient, and to imitate independently.

The Experience, Prerequisites, and the Barriers in Organizing a Specialized Rehabilitation Program for Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe progressive disease, associated with reduced exercise capacity and poor quality of life. Although scientific evidence supports the incorporation of specialized training in the treatment of PH, it is only available in a few countries. Objectives and Methods: This article aims to share the experience of implementing a PH rehabilitation program, to summarize the barriers and prerequisites for launching this service, and to assess its early effect. We retrospectively analyzed our pathway in organizing this program, by singling out essential steps. Results: The preparation phase took about 14 months. Establishing and running of a PH rehabilitation program required dedicated rehabilitation specialists to join the multidisciplinary PH expert team. Team members needed to gain special knowledge on exercise training in severely compromised patients; thus, supervision and education by experienced consultants was crucial. The main eligibility criteria for patients were stable status, optimal medical treatment, and motivation to undergo the training. The first results evaluating the effect of a specialized PH training program in 9 patients are promising. Seven of them improved their functional capacity over the period of 15 weeks. Conclusions: Despite a number of challenges and barriers, the implementation of a specialized rehabilitation program should be encouraged in a few dedicated PH expert centers per country, who are capable to fulfill all prerequisites and organizational aspects. Local PH experts, supervision by an experienced center, in-patient rehabilitation facilities, dedicated personnel, equipment, and patient motivation are essential.

Rehabilitation in Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplant.

Survival of pediatric patients with heart failure has improved due to medical and surgical advances over the past decades. The complexity of pediatric heart transplant patients has increased as medical and surgical management for patients with congenital heart disease continues to improve. Quality of life in patients with heart failure and transplant might be affected by the impact on functional status that heart failure, heart failure complications or treatment might have. Functional areas affected might be motor, exercise capacity, feeding, speech and/or cognition. The goal of rehabilitation is to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. Some of these rehabilitation interventions such as exercise training have been extensively evaluated in adults with heart failure. Literature in the pediatric population is limited yet promising. The use of additional rehabilitation interventions geared toward specific complications experienced by patients with heart failure or heart transplant are potentially helpful. The use of individualized multidisciplinary rehabilitation program that includes medical management, rehabilitation equipment and the use of physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapies can help improve the quality of life of patients with heart failure and transplant.

The Design of Wearable Auxiliary Rehabilitation Equipment Gloves

In order to help hand dysfunction people to rehabilitate hand muscles and train hand muscles, we designed and developed a wearable rehabilitation equipment glove. First, we collected data from a sample hand and fitted its motion trajectory. Through analysis and comparison, we decided to use the linkage mechanism as the actuator and pneumatic drive as the driving method. In order to ensure flexibility, accuracy and stability, we designed and optimized the number and position of the connecting rods. Finally, we will get a set of rods that can simulate the movement of the fingers, and use springs to increase the flexibility of the mechanism. We studied the rigidity of the mechanism and determined the material of the device. After obtaining the model, we will perform a static analysis on the final state of the finger to ensure the safety of the device.

Rehabilitation of children with cochlear implant in Iran: A scoping review.

Background: Recovery of children does not appear on its own after cochlear implantation. Coherent, thoughtful, and comprehensive rehabilitation is needed to achieve complete success. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of rehabilitation interventions for children with cochlear implants that have been performed in Iran. Methods: A scoping review study was conducted. An electronic search was carried out both in English and Persian. In English, the following keywords were used: cochlear implantation, child, cochlear implants, auditory rehabilitation, deaf, hearing loss, comprehensive, interventions, rehabilitation, and telerehabilitation and a combination of them in ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus databases, Web of Sciences, Medline and Embase. Persian electronic search was conducted in the Scientific Information Database (SID) of Jihad Daneshgahi, Iran Journals Database (MagIran), and Islamic World Science Citation Database (ISC). Searches were done using articles published until September 25, 2020, and a total of 902 articles were found, of which 14 were directly related to the purpose of the study. Interventional studies were included in the study, and the quality of studies was measured using the Structured Effectiveness Quality Evaluation Scale. Results: The results showed that using music and rehabilitation equipment, different methods of speech therapy and auditory training, story-based instruction, creative play, family-centered instruction, and occupational therapy are interventions in cochlear implant rehabilitation. Speech therapy accounts for 54% of the rehabilitation share. The mean number of rehabilitation sessions was 26. These interventions were all somehow effective in children with cochlear implantation; the longer the training duration, the better the results. Conclusion: The process of cochlear implant rehabilitation in children is multi-professional; auditory training and speech therapy possesses the highest share of rehabilitation. Therefore, it is recommended to develop speech therapy centers in Iran.

CNN-based classification of fNIRS signals in motor imagery BCI system

Objective. Development of a brain–computer interface (BCI) requires classification of brain neural activities to different states. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can measure the brain activities and has great potential for BCI. In recent years, a large number of classification algorithms have been proposed, in which deep learning methods, especially convolutional neural network (CNN) methods are successful. fNIRS signal has typical time series properties, we combined fNIRS data and kinds of CNN-based time series classification (TSC) methods to classify BCI task. Approach. In this study, participants were recruited for a left and right hand motor imagery experiment and the cerebral neural activities were recorded by fNIRS equipment (FOIRE-3000). TSC methods are used to distinguish the brain activities when imagining the left or right hand. We have tested the overall person, single person and overall person with single-channel classification results, and these methods achieved excellent classification results. We also compared the CNN-based TSC methods with traditional classification methods such as support vector machine. Main results. Experiments showed that the CNN-based methods have significant advantages in classification accuracy: the CNN-based methods have achieved remarkable results in the classification of left-handed and right-handed imagination tasks, reaching 98.6% accuracy on overall person, 100% accuracy on single person, and in the single-channel classification an accuracy of 80.1% has been achieved with the best-performing channel. Significance. These results suggest that using the CNN-based TSC methods can significantly improve the BCI performance and also lay the foundation for the miniaturization and portability of training rehabilitation equipment.

A data process of human knee joint kinematics obtained by motion-capture measurement

BackgroundThe motion capture has been used as the usual method for measuring movement parameters of human, and most of the measuring data are obtained by partial manual process based on commercial software. An automatic kinematics data process was developed by programming on MATLAB software in this paper.MethodsThe motion capture measurement of healthy volunteers was carried out and the MATLAB program was used for data process. Firstly, the coordinate data of markers and anatomical points on human lower limb measured by motion capture system were read and repaired through the usual and the patch program. Meantime, the local coordinate systems of human femur and tibia were established with anatomical points. Then flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and internal/external rotation of human knee tibiofemoral joint were obtained by special coordinate transformation program.ResultsUsing the above methods, motion capture measurements and batch data processing were carried out on squatting and climbing stairs of 29 healthy volunteers. And the motion characteristics (flexion/extension, internal/external rotation and adduction/abduction) of the knee joint were obtained. For example, the maximum internal/external rotation in squatting and climbing stairs were respectively was 30.5 degrees and 14 degrees, etc. Meantime, the results of this paper also were respectively compared with the results processed by other research methods, and the results were basically consistent, thus the reliability of our research method was verified. After calibration processing, the compiled MATLAB program of this paper can directly be used for efficient batch processing and avoiding manual modeling one by one.ConclusionA novel Patch Program of this paper has been developed, which can make reasonable compensation for missing and noise signals to obtain more complete motion data. At the same time, a universal data processing program has also been developed for obtaining the relative movement of various components of the human body, and the program can be modified for detail special analysis. These motion capture technologies can be used to judge whether the human body functions are abnormal, provide a reference for rehabilitation treatment and design of rehabilitation equipment, and evaluate the effectiveness before and after surgery.

Problems of Health Protection of Students with Health Limitations in Educational Institutions of the Russian Federation

Introduction. The current legal framework for the education of children with health limitations was created after the conceptual provisions and international acts to ensure equal children’s opportunities and access to free educational services without any type of discrimination. Regulatory documents contain the general rules for organization of educational activities and medical support in an educational institution, without specific recommendations for health strengthening and preservation of children with health limitations, taking into account the nature and severity of the disorder, as well as the combination thereof, which is a separate urgent state problem. This study was initiated to analyze the current situation with health protection of special needs children in educational institutions. The detection of organizational difficulties and legal restraints will allow to determine the remedial measures and prepare the proposals for the improvement of the educational system. Materials and Methods. The content analysis of the applicable regulatory legal documents of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation between 2012–2020 revealed urgent problems pertinent to the enforcement of legislative initiatives in the field of education and health protection of students with health limitations in various educational environments. Results. The study confirmed the hypothesis of the variability of the current organizational problems regarding health strengthening and preservation of students in an educational organization, including the weak legal and regulatory framework. The health-preserving environment of an educational organization is proved to have a combination of factors: availability of special educational and technical equipment to meet special educational needs of students, taking into account the severity of the physical dysfunction; the compliance of the tightness of timetable, number of lessons and the educational load with children’s health state and individual psychological capabilities; availability of separate rest and restoration rooms; availability of up-to-date rehabilitation equipment for health strengthening of children with health limitations in the educational institution’s environment; staffing with teachers and medical specialists who are aware of modern technologies of handling children with health limitations. Discussion and Conclusion. The study results can be facilitative of the development of the system of monitoring during the organization of the educational process and the variability of health protection conditions for students with health limitations in an educational organization as the method of prompt detection and elimination of adverse factors and, hence, mitigation of social risks and solving of one of the priority state tasks.

Computer-Aided Physical Rehabilitation of Older People: A Pilot Non-Inferiority Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Developed countries are facing the challenge of aging societies, a high risk of dependence and high cost of care. Researchers attempted to address these issues by using cost-efficient, innovative technology to promote healthy aging and to regain functionality. After an injury, efficient rehabilitation is crucial to promote returning home and to prevent institutionalization. However, there is often a lack of motivation to carry out physical therapies. Consequently, there is a growing interest in testing new approaches like computer-aided rehabilitation to achieve functional targets and prevent re-hospitalization. Trial design: Pilot multicenter non-inferiority randomized clinical trial. Objectives: To assess the efficacy of a personal mobility device compared with standard of care in the rehabilitation treatment of patient with musculoskeletal issues. Methods: 57 patients aged 67-95 years were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=35) using the gamified rehabilitation equipment 3 times a week or to a control group (n=22) receiving usual standard care. Outcome measures included SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery), IHGS (Isometric Hand Grip Strength), FIM (Functional Independence Measure) and number of steps. Results: There were no significant differences between the control and the intervention groups for the primary outcome (SPPB) or any of the secondary outcomes (IHGS, FIM and steps), which demonstrates the non-inferiority effect of the serious game-based intervention. The analysis by mixed-effects regression on SPPB showed no indication of a group x time interaction (SPPB_I_t1=-0.76, p=0.26; SPPB_I_t2=0.21, p=0.74). Although not significant, a positive IHGS improvement of more than 2kg (Right: 2.52kg; Left: 2.43kg) for the patient from the intervention group was observed. In addition, patients who received the intervention exhibited stronger engagement in the rehabilitation process and a higher motivation to being more active. Conclusions: Serious game-based rehabilitation could be an effective alternative for older patients to regain their functional capacities.

Применение вихревого струйного устройства при разработке активных гидропневмодемпферов, используемых в технических средствах реабилитации

The paper overviews and analyses the current status of the development and research of active hydro-pneumatic dampers, which are used in rehabilitation equipment, where vortex jet devices can be applied as control valves. The study focuses on a vortex jet device whose distinctive feature is the absence of mechanically moving parts, describes the principle of its operation, and gives the rationale for using it in the active hydro-pneumatic damper of the knee module prosthesis. From a review of scientific and technical literature, a conclusion is drawn that active hydro-pneumatic dampers are used not only in rehabilitation equipment but also in vehicle shock absorbers. The experience gained in the design and development of active hydro-pneumatic dampers for vehicle shock absorbers was applied in the design and development of an active hydro-pneumatic damper for the knee module. In order to identify the advantages and disadvantages, we examined some designs of active hydro-pneumatic dampers for vehicle shock absorbers. Analysis of technical solutions showed the advantage of vortex jet devices, e.g. high reliability, the ability to work with various working environments, low manufacturing and operating costs; enabled us to recommend a vortex jet device to be used as an actuator, i.e., a vortex valve, in the valve assembly of an active hydro-pneumatic damper. The use of a vortex jet device increases the reliability of the structure and reduces the energy consumption for the control of the structure. The proposed design of the hydro-pneumatic damper allows the use of interactive damping control. The study is the first to introduce the concept and describe the principle of operation of an active hydro-pneumatic damper using a vortex jet device

The design of a support chair for more effective patient rehabilitation

The authors examined the effect of different color shades on a person and found an effective color and shape solution that can improve the quality of rehabilitation equipment. The paper presents a survey of colors and shapes visual perception by human. As result of theoretical and experimental research, the rehabilitation support chair was designed as a cube-shaped structure with elements painted in shades of dark blue, yellow and white.

Applying Multiple Strategies to Increase the Rate of Early Rehabilitation Exercise Adoption in Patients With Acute Stroke

Early rehabilitation exercise has been shown to reduce the onset of disability in patients following acute stroke. However, the clinical execution rate of early rehabilitation exercise for those patients remains low. Our medical team developed an early rehabilitation care plan for patients with acute stroke in 2013, at which time the execution rate of early rehabilitation exercise for these patients in our hospital was only 37.1%. The survey found that patients and caregivers had insufficient awareness of early rehabilitation exercise; hospital staffs lacked appropriate assistive devices, rehabilitation equipment, nursing guidance tools, and handover records; and new nursing staffs were insufficiently aware of the importance of early rehabilitation exercise. This care plan was developed to improve the execution rate of early rehabilitation exercise in patients with acute stroke to slow the progression of their disability. The project was designed to improve the knowledge of new nursing staffs regarding early rehabilitation care and the early rehabilitation exercise completion rate of nursing staffs to raise the execution rate of early rehabilitation exercise in patients with acute stroke. After completing the cause analysis, multiple strategies were pursued: (1) nursing education sheets with texts, illustrations, video, and posters were used; (2) group in-service educational training was organized; (3) an innovative transfer belt was designed; (4) facilities were set up to deliver virtual-reality (VR) training; (5) standard procedures on early rehabilitation exercise in patients with acute stroke were revised and implemented; (6) nursing handover procedures were revised; and (7) education courses on early rehabilitation exercise for post-stroke patients were developed. The accuracy of knowledge related to early rehabilitation exercise among new nursing staff improved from 31.3% to 80%; the completion rate for nursing education increased from 53.6% to 98%; and the early rehabilitation exercise execution rate increased from 37.1% to 82.8%. This project successfully increased the motivation and confidence of patients in rehabilitation and the rate of exercise program execution, which may be expected to impact positively on patients' quality of life.

Mechanical Design of a Bioinspired Compliant Robotic Wrist Rehabilitation Equipment

Early social reintegration of patients with disabilities of the wrist is possible with the help of dedicated rehabilitation equipment. Using such equipment reduces the duration of recovery and reduces significantly rehabilitation costs. Based on these considerations the paper puts forward a novel constructive solution of rehabilitation equipment that ensures the simultaneous passive mobilization of the radiocarpal, metacarpophalangeal, and interphalangeal joints. The novelty of this equipment consists in the bioinspired concept of the hand support based on the Fin-Ray effect and in driving it by means of a pneumatic muscle, an inherently compliant actuator. The paper places an emphasis on the compliant character of the rehabilitation equipment that is responsible for its adaptability to the concrete conditions of patient pain tolerability.

Modeling the resistance mechanism of passive knee joint flexion and extension for use in rehabilitation equipment.

The purpose of this study was to model the resistance mechanism of Passive Knee Joint Flexion and Extension to create a similar torque mechanism in rehabilitation equipment. In order to better model the behavior of passive knee tissues, it is necessary to exactly calculate the two coefficients of elasticity of time-independent and time-dependent parts. Ten healthy male volunteers (mean height 176.4+/-4.59 cm) participated in this study. Passive knee joint flexion and extension occurred at velocities of 15, 45, and 120 (degree/s), and in five consecutive cycles and within the range of 0 to 100° of knee movement on the sagittal plane on Cybex isokinetic dynamometer. To ensure that the muscles were relaxed, the electrical activity of knee muscles was recorded. The elastic coefficient, (KS) increased with elevating the passive velocity in flexion and extension. The elastic coefficient, (KP) was observed to grow with the passive velocity increase. While, the viscous coefficient (C) diminished with passive velocity rise in extension and flexion. The heightened passive velocity of the motion resulted in increased hysteresis (at a rate of 42%). The desired of passive velocity is lower so that there is less energy lost and the viscoelastic resistance of the tissue in the movement decreases. The Coefficient of Determination, R2 between the model-responses and experimental curves in the extension was 0.96 < R2 < 0.99 and in flexion was 0.95 < R2 < 0.99. This modeling is capable of predicting the true performance of the components of passive knee movement and we can create a resistance mechanism in the rehabilitation equipment to perform knee joint movement. Quantitative measurements of two elastic coefficients of Time-independent and Time-dependent parts passive knee joint coefficients should be used for better accurate simulation the behavior of passive tissues in the knee which is not seen in other studies.

Barriers to Secondary Stroke Prevention and Care in Urban and Rural Uganda: Lived Experiences of Stroke Survivors, Carers and Key Stakeholders

Although Stroke is largely preventable, it remains a major public health concern in Uganda which calls for inquiry into the factors impeding its prevention and management in both urban and rural settings. This study explored barriers to secondary stroke prevention and care based on lived experiences of stroke survivors, their care takers and key stakeholders, to provide a broader picture of key areas that require modification to achieve successful stroke prevention and care programs. A total of 31 participants (stroke survivors, care takers, key stakeholders) stratified by age and sex were engaged in in-depth and key informant interviews in urban and rural populations of Wakiso district in central Uganda. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using inductive and deductive approaches. Three major domains emerged from the interview data: 1) Patient level barriers (inadequate stroke knowledge, financial impediments, post-traumatic stress disorder, pill burden, adamancy when feeling better), 2) Community level barriers (limited social support, stigmatization), 3) Health system level barriers (scarcity of human resources and drugs, poor patient-health worker relationship, poor access to healthcare, lack of stroke rehabilitation centres and equipment). Rural participants especially insisted on improving stroke awareness and access to healthcare to improve prevention and care programs. In conclusion, stroke prevention and care program interventions must address barriers at individual and community levels where increased stroke awareness should be emphasized and at health system level where access to healthcare facilities, human resource and equipment are improved to meet stroke specific needs.

The State of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Latin America During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: In December 2019, China reported a severe upper respiratory failure syndrome caused by a new virus identified as coronavirus COVID-19. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this exploratory study is to outline the current state of pulmonary rehabilitation in Latin American (LA) countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 1162 rehabilitation professionals (rehabilitation medicine specialists and residents, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists) from 20 countries in LA answered a 34-question online survey related to the current state of pulmonary rehabilitation in LA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: More than half of the professionals reported the absence of pulmonary rehabilitation services in their work centers, limited or non-existent pulmonary rehabilitation materials or equipment, and little or no training by their multidisciplinary team and themselves. Regarding COVID-19, 49.2% of the respondents indicated not receiving the necessary material for the protection against COVID-19, and more than half reported limited equipment to perform interventions in patients hospitalized by this disease, and not to have clear about the recommendations to prescribe pulmonary physiotherapy in these patients. Moreover, almost all the professionals did not feel capable of treating patients with lung disease from COVID-19 and felt anxiety doing it. Conclusion: Pulmonary rehabilitation is vital for providing optimal care for respiratory impairments, and this relationship has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript highlights the limited professional training and resource availability in LA and provides recommendations to improve the current situation.