Smarter rehab

Exoskeletons could help with early rehabilitation for acute stroke, new research has found.

The use of high-dose therapy gait training using robotic exoskeletons could help increase provision for stroke rehabilitation, broadening options for patients going forward. The research, from the Kessler Foundation, involved 44 inpatients, aged between 18 and 82, admitted to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation for acute stroke.

Telerehab may have a greater effect on stroke patients than those who attend sessions in person, a new study has suggested.

Research has found that stroke patients who engage in rehabilitation via video at home may recover their motor skills better than those who have to attend outpatient facilities. The Chinese study, published in Neurology, also finds that the convenience of telerehab being done at home could be a significant factor in helping patients stick to their programmes through a greater ability to increase patient participation and compliance, alongside increased opportunities for patients to benefit from completing their rehab in a family and social environment.

NR Times reports on a new rehabilitation approach taking place in Cambridgeshire.

Despite a year of relentless change and upheaval for all involved in neuro-rehab, one provider in Cambridgeshire has been able to keep its ongoing development on track.

Askham Rehab, part of the Askham Village Community, is a recently-launched specialist rehabilitation service incorporating the latest in rehab robotics and sensor assisted technology.

A team of New Jersey researchers have shown that gait training using robotic exoskeletons can improve motor function in adolescents and young adults with acquired brain injury.

Behind the study are Drs Kiran Karunakaran, Naphtaly Ehrenberg and Karen Nolan from the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research at Kessler Foundation, and JenFu Cheng and Katherine Bentley from Children’s Specialized Hospital. Drs. Karunakaran, Nolan, Cheng, and Bentley are also affiliated with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Artificial intelligence could help stroke survivors get the right treatment by detecting a patient’s post-stroke depression type, a Japanese study shows.

The AI was developed by Hiroshima University (HU) researchers using a probabilistic artificial neural network called log-linearized Gaussian mixture network. The neural network was trained to distinguish between depression, apathy, or anxiety based on 36 evaluation indices obtained from functional, physical, and cognitive tests on 274 patients.

One in three stroke survivors experiences depression within five years of it happening, but a new device could help reduce this by utilising brain stimulation.

A study from the University of South Australia found that using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improved depression among its patients. The researchers delivered around 30,000 electromagnetic pulses to each stroke survivor’s brain over the course of two weeks, which showed positive changes in brain function.

The creator of the world’s first smartphone-operated pedestrian crossing has now devised the means to revolutionise the customer service experience for people with disabilities through the launch of a new app.

Gavin Neate has created WelcoMe, which enables people to contact businesses in advance of their visits to alert them to their visit and any special requirements they may have. The app also provides businesses with information about the person’s disability or condition, enabling them to be fully prepared to welcome them and deliver the best possible customer service.

Neurophysiotherapists are adopting a ‘blended approach’ in delivering rehab to their patients, incorporating both in-person therapy and telerehab, as they plan for the future of the profession post-pandemic.

Telerehab has grown hugely in its use since March, with therapy and consultations being delivered remotely due to the restrictions around social distancing and the shielding of many vulnerable people.

However, while physio practices and clinics have now re-opened and have resumed seeing patients in-person, many have realised the benefits of combining face-to-face contact with telerehab and plan to continue to use both into the future.

Having been an early adopter of telerehab, with its introduction being made years before the pandemic hit, PhysioFunction plans to continue its use alongside clinic-based appointments.

The business has built on its existing telerehab provision to add online therapy groups and classes to its offering, as well as expanding the remote technology service, all of which can be combined with in-person therapy to increase a patient’s rehabilitation opportunities.

“The blended approach works really well for many clients, but particularly those who are more vulnerable,” says Claire Everett, clinical operations manager at PhysioFunction and a senior neurological physiotherapist.

Signs of traumatic brain injury, dementia and schizophrenia could be detected at an earlier stage as a result of the development of a new sensor which measures weak magnetic signals in the brain.

Through the development of the new Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM) sensor, scientists are hopeful of enabling a greater understanding of connectivity in the brain, which could have significant benefits in the chances of early diagnosis.

Canadian scientists are pioneering the use of individualised brain stimulation therapy to treat aphasia in recovering stroke patients.

Aphasia is a debilitating language disorder that impacts all forms of verbal communication, including speech, language comprehension, and reading and writing abilities. It affects around one-third of stroke survivors, but can also be present in those with dementia, especially in the form of primary progressive aphasia. "Aphasia can be very isolating," says Dr. Jed Meltzer, Baycrest's Canada Research Chair in Interventional Cognitive Neuroscience and a neurorehabilitation scientist at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI). "It can negatively affect people's personal relationships, and it often determines whether or not someone can continue working."