Field Of Rehabilitation Research Articles

Telerehabilitation in Orthopedic Injuries Common in Athletes

Sports injuries are frequently seen and this causes significant cost increase. Rehabilitation approaches have an important place in the treatment of sports injuries. Various rehabilitation methods have been applied to the athletes. Increasing technological developments today have also found a place in the field of rehabilitation. Increasing technology enables remote rehabilitation and increases participation in rehabilitation. Technology-based rehabilitation methods such as telerehabilitation have been applied in various populations, but studies on the use of telerehabilitation in athletes are very limited. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to summarize the literature on the telerehabilitation approach in orthopedic injuries with a high incidence in athletes.

Robotic Rehabilitation in India: A Survey of Attitudes and Perceptions

Abstract Introduction: Robotic rehabilitation is a recent advancement in the field of neurorehabilitation that can benefit patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries, strokes and spinal cord injuries. Despite its availability in India since more than a decade, the number of people who are availing such benefits are a minority of the patient population. Materials and Methods: The aim of the study was to understand the trends and perceptions of people from medical and non-medical professions. The objective of the study was to evaluate the awareness levels and general perceptions about robotics in rehabilitation, across people from healthcare and other fields including rehabilitation physicians from various parts of the country, through an open survey and using an 11-point scoring system for objective evaluation. The research work was conducted as an observational survey-based study. Questions related to awareness levels, self-perceived levels of affordability and effectiveness of robotics in the field of rehabilitation were covered through a questionnaire made by the author, completely masking the personal information of the respondents to ensure anonymity. Results: A total of 145 people from different parts of the country belonging to both healthcare and other fields responded. Scores were assessed out of 10, in all domains. The results show a significant number of people being completely unaware of robotics in the field of rehabilitation, with a low average awareness score of 3.4 out of 10. This trend was also seen amongst medical professionals. Although the reported levels of affordability were low at 3.6, the average scores of perceived effectiveness were high at 5.9. Most people believed financial limitations and lack of awareness and availability as common barriers of implementation of robotic rehabilitation in a country like India. Conclusion: This study shows that despite the availability of advanced resources in major cities in the country, there is a lack of awareness amongst doctors and members from other fields, which may result in potential benefiters not being able to make informed decisions about rehabilitative options. Although doctors of the field of rehabilitation generally had a more positive response, the rest of the members are largely unaware. Improving the availability and accessibility to such advances will help provide equal opportunity of access to clients who could benefit from the same. Upscaling the manufacturing and development of indigenous robots for rehabilitation, amongst other methods may help reduce the expenses on users, thereby improving logistic and financial accessibility and availability.

Self-Guided DMT: Exploring a Novel Paradigm of Dance Movement Therapy in Mixed Reality for Children with ASD.

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit motor disorders. Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) has shown great potential for improving the motor control ability of children with ASD. However, traditional DMT methods often lack vividness and are difficult to implement effectively. To address this issue, we propose a Mixed Reality DMT approach, utilizing interactive virtual agents. This approach offers immersive training content and multi-sensory feedback. To improve the training performance of children with ASD, we introduce a novel training paradigm featuring a self-guided mode. This paradigm enables the rapid creation of a virtual twin agent of the child with ASD using a single photo to embody oneself, which can then guide oneself during training. We conducted an experiment with the participation of 24 children diagnosed with ASD (or ASD propensity), recording their training performance under various experimental conditions. Through expert rating, behavior coding of training sessions, and statistical analysis, our findings revealed that the use of the twin agent for self-guidance resulted in noticeable improvements in the training performance of children with ASD. These improvements were particularly evident in terms of enhancing movement quality and refining overall target-related responses. Our study holds clinical potential in the field of medical treatment and rehabilitation for children with ASD.

Визуализация и классификация движений человека на основе скелетной структуры: Нейросетевой подход к анализу спортивных упражнений и сравнение методологий

The authors of the paper review and compare different existing approaches to Human Action Recognition (HAR), analyze the advantages and disadvantages of platforms for extracting human skeletal structure from video stream, and evaluate the importance of visual representation in the motion analysis process. This paper presents an example implementation of one of the approaches to HAR based on the use of interpretability and visual expressiveness inherent in skeletal structures. In this work, an ad hoc network with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for human activity classification is designed and implemented, which has been trained and tested in the domain of sports exercises. LSTM incorporation of memory cells and gating mechanisms not only mitigates the vanishing gradient problem but also enables LSTMs to selectively retain and utilize relevant information over extended sequences, making them highly effective in tasks with complex temporal dependencies. The problem with a fading gradient is quite common in deep neural networks and is that if the error is back propagated during the training of the network, the gradient can decrease strongly as it travels through the layers of the network to the initial layers. This can lead to the fact that the weights in the initial layers are practically not updated, which makes training of these layers impossible or slows down its process. The resulting solution can be used to create a real-time virtual fitness assistant. The resulting solution can be used to create a real-time virtual fitness assistant. In addition, this approach will make it possible to create interactive training applications with visualization of human skeletal structure, motion analysis and monitoring systems in the field of medicine and rehabilitation, as well as for the development of security systems with access control based on the analysis of visual data on the movement of human body parts.

Deep reinforcement learning and decoupling proportional-integral-derivative control of a humanoid cable-driven hybrid robot

Aiming at the application of robots in service, medical treatment, rehabilitation, and other fields, a humanoid cable-driven hybrid robot by imitating the structure of human arm is designed in this article. The robot is composed of a cable–spool–pulley system, series mechanism, and coaxial spherical parallel mechanism, which can achieve six degrees of freedom movement in space. A challenge with cable driving is that the movement of the rear end joints (such as pitch and roll) can alter the length or tension of the cable driven by the frontend joints, resulting in joint coupling. This interference can lead to a decrease in the motion accuracy of the robotic arm. In addition, it also affects the durability of cables or mechanical components such as bearings and pulleys. Considering the joint motion coupling phenomenon caused by the cable-driven, the decoupling method is proposed, and the kinematic model of the robot is established. To solve the nonlinear coupling characteristics and the uncertainty of the dynamics parameters, a controller is proposed for the humanoid cable-driven hybrid robot, combining proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control based on decoupling method (DC-PID) and the double delay deep deterministic policy gradient (TD3) deep reinforcement learning algorithm. The trajectory tracking of the end-effector position and orientation are controlled by using DC-PID and TD3. And the simulation results show that the proposed control method has good trajectory tracking and convergence performance according to trajectory tracking error and training reward. Finally, the humanoid cable-driven hybrid robot prototype is developed. The experimental results of coupling compensation show that the average maximum error of the joint is reduced by 77.58% after considering the coupling compensation of the joint. The results of the controller validation experiments show that the DC-PID controller reduces the maximum error in each axis by 11.54%, 35.29%, and 40.16%, respectively, compared to the open-loop experiments.

Prevalence of frailty among chronic respiratory disease patients.

Although frailty is one of the aging syndromes, it can occur at a younger age and in individuals with organ diseases. Identifying frailty and pre-frailty in patients with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) is an emerging assessment in the field of pulmonary medicine and rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of frailty among chronic respiratory disease patients. A single centre cross-sectional survey study with a total population of 381 patients, adults aged 18-90 years presenting to the pulmonology OPD was included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Primary data collected were demographics, medical history, including comorbidities, use of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure), previous hospital admissions, medication history and frailty assessment were done using the Fried frailty index. Univariate analysis showed that sex, ECHO abnormality, patients using LTOT, BiPAP, home nebulizers and patients who did not attend the pulmonary rehabilitation programme had a significant association with frailty. Multivariate analysis showed that female sex, LTOT use and older age were significantly associated with frailty. Frailty is frequent in CRD patients regardless of age. The prevalence of frailty has an association with female sex, patients using LTOT, and home BiPAP.

All-On-4 Implant with Hybrid Prosthesis Opposing Implant Supported Overdenture- A Case Report

Implant-supported prosthetic solutions have revolutionized the field of dental rehabilitation, particularly for patients with extensive edentulism or failing dentition. Among these, the All-on-4 implant technique has gained popularity due to its ability to provide and aesthetic restoration with fewer implants and reduced surgical complexity. However, challenges such as insufficient bone volume or poor bone quality in the edentulous maxilla or mandible may necessitate alternative approaches to ensure long-term success and patient satisfaction. One such approach involves the integration of a hybrid prosthesis with All-on-4 implant concept opposing an implant-supported overdenture. This hybrid solution combines the stability and support of dental implants with the comfort and versatility of removable prostheses, offering a balance between fixed and removable options. Key aspects covered include the selection of appropriate candidates for this treatment modality, diagnostic imaging techniques for precise implant placement, surgical protocols for achieving optimal osseointegration and soft tissue management, prosthetic fabrication processes including material selection and occlusal considerations, postoperative care and maintenance strategies to ensure long-term success. Through a comprehensive examination of current literature, clinical case studies, and expert opinions, this case report aims to provide clinicians with valuable insights into the rationale, planning, execution, and outcomes of utilizing a hybrid prosthesis with All-on-4 implant concept opposing an implant-supported overdenture. By understanding the indications, advantages, limitations, and clinical nuances of this treatment approach, dental professionals can effectively address the diverse needs and preferences of edentulous or near-edentulous patients, ultimately improving their quality of life and oral health outcomes. Keywords: All-on-4 implants, hybrid prosthesis, implant-supported overdenture, prosthetic rehabilitation, bone quality, patient satisfaction.

How IT technologies are transforming the world of sports for people with disabilities

IT technologies in medical rehabilitation play a key role in opening new perspectives for people with physical disabilities. Sensor devices, virtual reality and specialized software solutions make it possible to create innovative training programs adapted for people with disabilities. Thanks to biometric sensors and monitoring systems, doctors and trainers can more effectively track progress and adjust treatment plans. IT technologies are becoming a powerful tool in the field of medical rehabilitation, opening up new opportunities for a full and active life.

Efficient Feature Learning Model of Motor Imagery EEG Signals with L1-Norm and Weighted Fusion.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) for motor imagery is an advanced technology used in the field of medical rehabilitation. However, due to the poor accuracy of electroencephalogram feature classification, BCI systems often misrecognize user commands. Although many state-of-the-art feature selection methods aim to enhance classification accuracy, they usually overlook the interrelationships between individual features, indirectly impacting the accuracy of feature classification. To overcome this issue, we propose an adaptive feature learning model that employs a Riemannian geometric approach to generate a feature matrix from electroencephalogram signals, serving as the model's input. By integrating the enhanced adaptive L1 penalty and weighted fusion penalty into the sparse learning model, we select the most informative features from the matrix. Specifically, we measure the importance of features using mutual information and introduce an adaptive weight construction strategy to penalize regression coefficients corresponding to each variable adaptively. Moreover, the weighted fusion penalty balances weight differences among correlated variables, reducing the model's overreliance on specific variables and enhancing accuracy. The performance of the proposed method was validated on BCI Competition IV datasets IIa and IIb using the support vector machine. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed model compared to the existing models.

Structures of Oppression or Inclusion: What Systemic Factors Impact Inclusion in Disability and Rehabilitation Research?

This manuscript considers the drivers towards inclusive research in the field of disability and rehabilitation; including some of the tools and frameworks that may support its realisation. We, a group of researchers engaged in rehabilitation research from lived experience and ‘conventional’ (non-lived experience) positions, reflect on our collective endeavours to bring about inclusion in research and specify the systemic factors constraining inclusion in research. We conclude by asking the following: how might we reimagine systems where the mechanisms of research production are in the hands of those impacted by the research, and where are intersectionalities both sought and valued?

Regenerative rehabilitation: the effects of physical factors on regeneration

Wound regeneration and repair is one of the primary research fields in burn and wound repair surgery. In recent years, with the continuous advancement of treatment concept and technologies in the field of rehabilitation, the connection between rehabilitation treatment and wound regeneration and repair has become closer, forming a new concept "regenerative rehabilitation". This article discussed the concept formation and development status of regenerative rehabilitation, and the future development and potential leading value of regenerative rehabilitation field.

Problems of rehabilitation and recovery of military servicemen under special conditions

The problem of this study is the lack of a detailed study of physical rehabilitation (help) and recovery, which is necessary for all military personnel who took and participate in combat operations. The purpose of the study is to analyze and reveal the physical rehabilitation of servicemen in Ukraine during martial law. Research methods were used in the article such as: deduction method (from general to basic in the field of physical rehabilitation research in Ukraine), analysis method (to establish existing and effective physical rehabilitation for servicemen during martial law in Ukraine), generalization method (for writing conclusions and proposals), etc. The main results of the study: the types of physical rehabilitation that military personnel undergo to restore physical health are considered.(Physical rehabilitation for military personnel during martial law includes: therapeutic physical culture, natural physical factors, hardening, therapeutic massage, manual therapy, physical therapy, mechanotherapy, occupational therapy, kinesitherapy, occupational therapy, reflexology. Conducting rehabilitation activities for military personnel has its own characteristics due to participation in combat actions that were accompanied by excessive physical and psychological stress, generating powerful combat stress, demobilized fighters, returning home, note that their psyche is not adapted to peaceful civilian lifeThe scientific novelty of the research results is due to a detailed study of the problem of rehabilitation and recovery of servicemen during martial law in Ukraine. Conclusions and suggestions: the lack of rehabilitation doctors, the lack of clear packages of services for the rehabilitation and recovery of servicemen during martial law, the lack of quick communication between military units, medical institutions and the military medical commission regarding the rehabilitation and recovery of servicemen - these are all the gaps of today. To solve existing problems, it is necessary to: stimulate doctors to study in the field of rehabilitation; legislatively regulate the possibility of releasing disabled persons who have acquired a disability or those who were already disabled and went to the front as volunteers; to create a physical and psychological rehabilitation program for each serviceman who needs rehabilitation and recovery; creation of the concept of rehabilitation of soldiers released from captivity, etc.

Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude About Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Physiotherapy Practice among Physiotherapists

Abstract Background: The rationale for the use of Virtual Reality an Augmented Reality in rehabilitation is based on a number of unique attributes of this technology like opportunity for experiential, active learning that encourages and motivates the participant, ability of therapists to objectively measure behavior in challenging but safe and ecologically valid environments, while maintaining strict experimental control over delivery of the stimulus. A promising future requires the continued development and use of new, innovative technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality that will transform existing practices. To ensure the long- term use of such systems, it is imperative to understand the perspectives of healthcare providers in the implementation of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies. Method: An observational cross- sectional study was done. A total of 102 physiotherapists from various fields and of different age groups and experience were included. A self- made questionnaire of 3 sections was administered to the physiotherapists using google forms. Results: it was found that 82.4% physiotherapists knew that virtual reality and augmented reality have applications in healthcare whereas only 46.1% knew about its applications in complex musculoskeletal disorders. 90.2% think that virtual reality and augmented reality should be widely applied in clinical practice. Conclusion: In conclusion, many of the participants were not aware about extent of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality rehabilitation in different fields across physical therapy. Most of the participants knew about its application in the neuro physiotherapy field. More awareness needs to be spread on the widespread implementations of these technologies in the field of rehabilitation. Most of the participants have a positive attitude towards application of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality clinically.

Unlocking the potential of RNN and CNN models for accurate rehabilitation exercise classification on multi-datasets

AbstractPhysical rehabilitation is crucial in healthcare, facilitating recovery from injuries or illnesses and improving overall health. However, a notable global challenge stems from the shortage of professional physiotherapists, particularly acute in some developing countries, where the ratio can be as low as one physiotherapist per 100,000 individuals. To address these challenges and elevate patient care, the field of physical rehabilitation is progressively integrating Computer Vision and Human Activity Recognition (HAR) techniques. Numerous research efforts aim to explore methodologies that assist in rehabilitation exercises and evaluate patient movements, which is crucial as incorrect exercises can potentially worsen conditions. This study investigates applying various deep-learning models for classifying exercises using the benchmark KIMORE and UI-PRMD datasets. Employing Bi-LSTM, LSTM, CNN, and CNN-LSTM, alongside a Random Search for architectural design and Hyper-parameter tuning, our investigation reveals the (CNN) model as the top performer. After applying cross-validation, the technique achieves remarkable mean testing accuracy rates of 93.08% on the KIMORE dataset and 99.7% on the UI-PRMD dataset. This marks a slight improvement of 0.75% and 0.1%, respectively, compared to previous techniques. In addition, expanding beyond exercise classification, this study explores the KIMORE dataset’s utility for disease identification, where the (CNN) model consistently demonstrates an outstanding accuracy of 89.87%, indicating its promising role in both exercises and disease identification within the context of physical rehabilitation.

Influence of Functional Training on Special Technical Movement Ability and Athletic Performance of Male Basketball Players

Functional training, since Beijing Olympic Games, from field of medical rehabilitation to field of competitive sports, advanced scientific training concepts and training methods have gradually been recognized by domestic competitive sports workers and coaches. Therefore, functional training should be developed to grass-roots team to lay a solid foundation for sustainable development of competitive sports in our country. In this paper, a complete set of functional physical training program is designed by using methods of literature, expert interviews, experiments, mathematical statistics, and logical analysis. Finally, it is found that functional training can improve physical coordination of men's basketball. And symmetry, flexibility of athletes' ankle joints, thoracic spine, shoulder joints and stability of knee joints and cores have been improved, reducing probability of sports injuries, providing a theoretical basis for innovative scientific training of male basketball players in my country.

Meta-Analysis of the Problem of Rehabilitation of Chemically Dependent Persons in Russian and Foreign Literature

The article analyzes the domestic and foreign literature of recent years, aimed at studying the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process of chemically dependent persons. However, most of the results obtained by the researchers are not comparable with each other. Firstly, the reasons are related to differences in the theoretical approaches of the authors of the goals, objectives and mechanisms of the rehabilitation process, as well as the "blurring" of the effectiveness criteria. In Russian narcology the criterion for the success of the rehabilitation process is the persistence, duration and quality of the achieved remissions. As scientific and practical studies show, the persistence of remission is achievable when the period of abandonment of substance is complemented by a long rehabilitation period, thanks to which the individual's ability to function in society is restored. Foreign researchers who consider recovery as a "process", not as an "end point", come to the conclusion that after all the necessary stages of rehabilitation, it is necessary to provide constant long-term support. A significant amount of international research confirms the need for long-term support in the post-rehabilitation period. From the point of view of some Russian authors, rehabilitation is a multi-level process that includes an environment with a certain atmosphere in which both rehabilitators and specialists interact. However, there are currently no training manuals and recommendations that would collect and systematize scientific and practical information for specialists working in the field of rehabilitation of minors prone to substance use. In modern narcology it is necessary to improve the organizational principles and legislative framework of the entire system of rehabilitation process of chemically dependent persons.

Turnover intention of foreign trained physicians in German rehabilitation facilities—a quantitative study

BackgroundGermany’s medical specialist shortage is an acute challenge, especially in the rehabilitation segment. One countermeasure is to recruit foreign trained physicians (FTP), but the high turnover of FTP is a burden on the departments that train them and integrate them professionally. Preliminary research showed that currently one in three physician positions in German Pension Insurance (DRV) contract facilities is filled by FTP.This paper examines factors related to turnover intention of FTP in German rehabilitative departments.MethodologyIn spring 2022, we surveyed FTP across all inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation departments under the German Pension Insurance, using a two-stage cross-sectional approach. We conducted an online survey of FTP and developed a specialized questionnaire that captured sociodemographic, occupation related and professional biographical data, turnover intention, satisfaction, difficulties with professional integration and departmental structural characteristics. To analyze retention within the rehabilitation field, we used a measure of turnover intention, taking into account the direction of potential turnover, residency requirements and considerations of returning to the rehabilitation field. The data was evaluated in a subgroup analysis comparing FTP with and without turnover intention using Fisher’s exact tests.ResultsThe sample includes n = 145 FTP, 119 stating no turnover intention and 27 with turnover intention. More than half of FTP with turnover intention wished to move to an acute care hospital. FTP with turnover intention are comparatively younger and came to Germany and were employed in the rehabilitation departments more recently, indicating an earlier career stage. Besides, career-related and regional factors show the strongest relation to turnover intention.Discussion and conclusionThe results reveal a group of “established FTP” whose professional integration has been successfully completed. FTP with turnover intention are comparatively younger, career-oriented physicians for whom work in a rehabilitative facility is a career springboard to gain a foothold in acute care clinics. A limitation is that FTP with turnover intention are difficult to reach and may be underrepresented in our sample.

Soft crawling robot integrated with liquid metal-based flexible strain sensor and closed-loop feedback control

Due to the inherent softness and adaptability, soft robots have shown great application prospects in medical rehabilitation, environmental exploration, and other fields. However, the unpredictable and complex behaviors of the elastic materials greatly increased the difficulty in the control of soft robots. This study proposed an integrated soft crawling robot (ISCR) with flexible strain sensors to achieve the closed-loop feedback control of motion. First, a flexible strain sensor was fabricated by injecting liquid metal (LM) into an elastomer with a wavy structure. The key performances of the sensor were investigated. The developed flexible strain sensor can achieve a high gauge factor of 2.07, a low hysteresis of 1.902%, a wide detection range of 150% strain, a low detection limitation as low as 0.4% strain change, and an excellent stability and durability, which fully satisfy the requirements for the proprioception of soft robots. We built a closed-loop feedback control system to achieve closed-loop control of the ISCR. Finally, we successfully realized the continuous motion of the ISCR under closed-loop control. We believe this work will be helpful for the development of automation and intelligence of soft crawling robots.

Effects of textile type on the flexural properties of prefabricated hollow-core slabs strengthened with PVA fibers-improved TRM

In this study, the utilization of textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) in the strengthening and rehabilitation field is investigated. To regulate crack width, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers were incorporated into the TRM matrix. Nine prefabricated hollow-core slabs strengthened with TRM, along with one reference slab, were subjected to static loading using a 4-point bending apparatus. The experimental variables consisted of the type of textile (glass, basalt, and carbon) and the number of textile layers (one, two, and three layers). The experimental findings demonstrated that the inclusion of PVA fibers improved the TRM by effectively controlling crack width and increasing energy absorption capacity. Among the textile types, carbon TRM-strengthened slabs exhibited the highest flexural capacity. This capacity increased by 74%, 119%, and 132% for slabs strengthened with one, two, and three layers of textile, respectively. Glass TRM-strengthened slabs demonstrated superior deformability, with an increase rate ranging from 202% to 331%. Finally, to predict the flexural capacity and deflection of the tested slabs, a theoretical analysis was conducted and validated by comparing the theoretical predictions to the actual test results for accuracy and reliability.

A Review on Auxetic Polymeric Materials: Synthetic Methodology, Characterization and their Applications

Over the last three decades, there has been considerable interest in the captivating mechanical properties displayed by auxetic materials, highlighting the advantages stemming from their distinct negative Poisson's ratio. The negative Poisson's ratio observed in auxetic polymeric materials is a result of the distinctive geometries of their unit cells. These unit cells, encompassing structures such as chiral, re-entrant, and rotating rigid configurations, are carefully engineered to collectively generate the desired auxetic behaviour. This comprehensive review article explores the field of auxetic polymeric materials, offering a detailed exploration of their geometries, fabrication methods, mechanical properties, and characterisation. The diverse applications of these materials in impact/ballistic, acoustic, automotive, biomedical, sports, shape memory, strain sensors, electromagnetic shielding, smart filters, and rehabilitation fields are thoroughly examined. Furthermore, the article emphasises the significance of auxetic behaviour in enhancing mechanical performance while shedding light on the challenges and limitations associated with large-scale fabrication of auxetic materials.