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Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Communication and Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 15492

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. David Putrino

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Guest Editor

Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Interests: remote monitoring; gamification; telerehabilitation

Dr. Mar Cortes

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Guest Editor

Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Interests: neurophsyiology; neuromodulation; spinal cord injury

Dr. Joseph E Herrera

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Guest Editor

Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Interests: sports performance; sports medicine; sensor technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of rehabilitation medicine is changing at a rapid and unprecedented rate, as novel health technologies that are capable of augmenting the standard of care for a multitude of conditions are entering the market. Despite the dearth of promising new technologies, health professionals are struggling to keep up with the technical, legal, and practical issues surrounding the integration of new technologies into common clinical practice. It is this nexus of health technology entrepreneurship and pragmatic clinical care that we wish to explore in this Special Issue. We will be exploring research that highlights how innovative technologies are creating new treatment options for conditions where few treatments were previously available, but also how more simple technology interventions can be seamlessly integrated into a clinical workflow. This Special Issue will be a meaningful step forward in empowering health professionals and researchers alike to create and employ innovative technological interventions in the field of rehabilitation medicine and beyond.

Dr. David Putrino
Dr. Mar Cortes
Dr. Joseph E Herrera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Neuromodulation
Remote patient monitoring
Telerehabilitation
Sensor technology
Virtual reality

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pain Reduction after Short Exposure to Virtual Reality Environments in People with Spinal Cord Injury

by David Putrino, Laura Tabacof, Erica Breyman, Jordan Revis, Zulfi Soomro, Divija Chopra, Kathleen Delaney, Anna Smeragliuolo and Mar Cortes

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 8923; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18178923 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2550

Abstract

Emerging literature suggests that virtual reality (VR) may be a viable therapy for neuropathic pain (NP). This pilot study aimed to investigate the immediate effect of VR in reducing NP in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Eight individuals with chronic NP after SCI were recruited and underwent consecutive exposure to scenery and somatic virtual environments (VE). The numeric rating scale (NRS) was used to assess pain before and after exposure to each VE. The Immersive Tendencies Questionnaire (ITQ) and Presence Questionnaire (UQO-PQ) were used to investigate the interaction between reported pain relief post-intervention with immersion and presence. There was a significant reduction in pain levels (5.1 ± 0.4, mean ± SEM) after short exposure to the scenery (3.1 ± 0.7, p = 0.04) and somatic VE (3.0 ± 0.7, p = 0.04), with no difference between intervention types (p = 0.56). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the total ITQ score and the change in NRS after the scenery VR intervention (r_s = 0.743, p = 0.035). PQ scores showed no significant correlation with changes in pain following either intervention type. We found that short-term exposure to VR environments results in a reduction in chronic NP intensity in people with SCI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine)

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14 pages, 2088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of Samsung Health and ECG M-Trace Base II Applications for the Assessment of Exercise Tolerance in the Secondary Prevention in Patients after Ischemic Stroke

by Mateusz Lucki, Ewa Chlebuś, Agnieszka Wareńczak and Przemysław Lisiński

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5753; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18115753 - 27 May 2021

Viewed by 2146

Abstract

Background and objectives: The aim of the study was to use the mobile application Samsung Health for the assessment of parameters of exercise tolerance and the ECG (electrocardiogram) M-Trace Base II for the assessment of cardiological parameters. Materials and Methods: The measurements were conducted during rest and after performing SMWT (Six Minute Walk Test) and SCT (Stair Climb Test) in 26 patients after ischemic stroke (IS) and 26 healthy individuals. Results: In the SMWT, the post-stroke group (SG) walked a shorter distance (p < 0.001), achieving lower mean gait velocity (p < 0.001) and lower maximum gait velocity (p = 0.002). In the SCT, SG achieved a lower mean gait velocity (p < 0.001) and lower maximum gait velocity (p < 0.001) when compared to the control group (CG). In SG, myocardial ischemia in ECG was noted in four patients after SMWT and in three patients following SCT. Both in SG and in CG the increase in SBP (systolic blood pressure) value measured after SMWT and SCT compared to at rest (p < 0.001) was observed. In SG, in the compared ratios rest to SMWT and SCT as well as SMWT to SCT, there was an increase in HR (heart rate) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: ECG M-Trace Base II and Samsung Health are mobile applications that can assess cardiological parameters and exercise tolerance parameters in patients after IS, so they can be used to plan the intensity of exercise in rehabilitation programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine)

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10 pages, 2155 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Insole-Based Visual Feedback on Weight-Bearing in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Replacement

by Luca Marin, Matteo Vandoni, Giancarlo Zaza, Massimiliano Febbi, Luisella Pedrotti, Matteo Chiodaroli, Nicola Lovecchio and Federica Manzoni

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3346; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18073346 - 24 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2002

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the visual biofeedback effect of a sensorized system for plantar pressure dynamic evaluation of in patients with a total hip replacement. Experimental group followed the rehabilitation training wearing sensorized insoles that provided images on three monitors. The control group followed the verbal instructions of physiotherapists during training. Weight bearing percentage healthy limb (WBPH), weight bearing percentage surgical limb (WBPS), swing healthy limb (SWH) and swing surgical limb (SWS) improved significantly more in the experimental group. The results underline the effectiveness of visual biofeedback based on sensorized system with dynamic evaluation of the plantar pressure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine)

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17 pages, 1386 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Virtual Reality on Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs for Ischemic Heart Disease: A Randomized Pilot Clinical Trial

by Sara García-Bravo, Roberto Cano-de-la-Cuerda, Joaquín Domínguez-Paniagua, Raquel Campuzano-Ruiz, Estrella Barreñada-Copete, María Jesús López-Navas, Aurora Araujo-Narváez, Cristina García-Bravo, Mariano Florez-Garcia, Javier Botas-Rodríguez and Alicia Cuesta-Gómez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8472; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17228472 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4465

Abstract

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a virtual reality (VR) program, as a complementary tool to a conventional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program in phase II of patients with ischemic heart disease compared to a conventional treatment group. (2) Methods: A single blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted. The patients were randomized to a control group (CG) or an experimental group (EG). The EG carried out a training based on VR of aerobic exercise using the XBOX ONE console and Kinect sensor. Ergometry, metabolic equivalents (METS), Functional Independence Measure, 6-min walk test (6MWT), the Short Form Health Survey-36 Questionnaire (SF-36), the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the degree of satisfaction and adherence to treatment were used as outcome measures. (3) Results: Our results showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Statistical analysis within group for the EG showed statistically significant changes in the variables HR final ergometry, ergometry minutes, % ergometry, METS, final HR 6MWT, 6MWT distance, 6MWT number of laps, and for the SF-36 and Beck Depression Inventory-II. (4) Conclusion: A VR-based video game program, as an adjunct tool to a CR program, showed improvements in ergometry, METS, resistance to fatigue and health-related quality of life with excellent adherence and satisfaction perceived by patients with ischemic heart disease in phase II. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine)

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Review

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19 pages, 2254 KiB

Open AccessReview

Making Decision-Making Visible—Teaching the Process of Evaluating Interventions

by Angela Benfield and Robert B. Krueger

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3635; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18073635 - 31 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3651

Abstract

Significant efforts in the past decades to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation has emphasized increasing knowledge of EBP and developing interventions to support adoption to practice. These efforts have resulted in only limited sustained improvements in the daily use of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice in most health professions. Many new interventions with limited evidence of effectiveness are readily adopted each year—indicating openness to change is not the problem. The selection of an intervention is the outcome of an elaborate and complex cognitive process, which is shaped by how they represent the problem in their mind and is mostly invisible processes to others. Therefore, the complex thinking process that support appropriate adoption of interventions should be taught more explicitly. Making the process visible to clinicians increases the acquisition of the skills required to judiciously select one intervention over others. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the selection process and the critical analysis that is required to appropriately decide to trial or not trial new intervention strategies with patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies and Applications in Rehabilitation Medicine)

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