JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies

Clinicians and athletic training specialists often assess performance of single leg, weightbearing tasks to monitor rehabilitation progress and guide exercise progression. Some of the key metrics assessed are excessive pelvic motion, balance, and duration of each repetition of the exercise. Motion can be objectively characterized using motion capture; however, motion capture is often not available in clinics due to high costs and complexity of the analyses. Smartphones have built-in sensors that can be used to measure changes in body segment orientation and acceleration, which may make them a more feasible and affordable technology to use in practice.

Nonimmersive virtual reality training (NIVRT) can be used to continue rehabilitative exercise for stroke recovery at home after discharge from inpatient or outpatient therapy.

Patients undergoing heart surgery demonstrate impaired cardiorespiratory performance. Phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in people with open heart surgery (OHS) aims to reduce the adverse physical effects of cardiovascular diseases. Virtual reality (VR) exercise is now used in CR.

People with severe-to-profound intellectual disability and sensory-motor impairment tend to be passive and detached from their immediate context.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic condition that impairs mobility and diminishes quality of life. Despite the proven benefits of exercise therapy and patient education in managing OA pain and functional limitations, these strategies are often underutilized. To motivate and enhance patient engagement personalized outcome prediction models can be utilized. However, the accuracy of existing models in predicting changes in knee pain outcomes remains insufficiently examined.

Chest injuries are a leading cause of death and disability, accounting for 10% of hospital admissions and 25% of injury-related deaths. About two-thirds of patients with thoracic injuries experience complications such as blood or air in the pleural space, causing lung deflation and poor gas exchange. Proper breathing management, using tools like incentive spirometers, improves lung function and recovery. However, there is a gap in mobile-based gaming apps designed for lung exercise, which could benefit both the general population and patients recovering from lung injuries.

Persistent difficulties with social skills form part of the diagnostic criteria for autism and in the past have required Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) management. However, many Speech and Language Therapists are moving towards neuro-affirmative practices, meaning that social skills approaches are now becoming redundant. Research demonstrates that Virtual Reality (VR) interventions have shown promise in overcoming challenges and promoting skill generalisation for autistic children, however the majority of these focus on social skills interventions. While VR is emerging as an SLT intervention, its application for autism remains unexamined in clinical practice. Therefore, this research examines SLTs knowledge and attitudes towards VR as an intervention for autistic children and explores the reasons for its limited integration into clinical practice.

Traditional rehabilitation programs for children with cerebral palsy and acquired brain injuries aim to enhance motor and cognitive abilities through repetitive exercises, which are often perceived as tedious and demotivating. Extended reality technologies, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality, offer more engaging methods through exergames. However, to date, no AR exergames simultaneously integrate cognitive and motor aspects within navigational tasks. Developing these exergames necessitates rigorous methodological steps, especially when using emerging technologies such as AR. The MIDE (Multidisciplinary Iterative Design of Exergames) framework advocates a participatory design approach, involving users from the outset, the objective being to optimize the interface and validate game mechanics through user experience (UX) assessment. Some researchers initially test these mechanisms on healthy children before applying them to clinical populations.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as cerebral palsy (CP), often experience motor impairments in manual dexterity, which hinder daily tasks and social interactions. Traditional rehabilitation methods require repetitive task practice, which can be difficult for children to sustain due to low engagement. Game-based rehabilitation devices and robots offer a promising alternative by combining therapy with digital play, improving motivation and compliance. However, many systems fail to incorporate actual object manipulation, which is essential for motor learning through sensory feedback. To address this limitation, a low-cost, easy-to-use robotic manipulandum device (RMD) was developed. The RMD enables real-time object manipulation during gameplay while providing assistive force, allowing the practice of a wide range of manual dexterity skills beyond gross reaching. This system offers an engaging and effective rehabilitation approach to enhance hand function in children with CP.

A low-cost home-exercise system called VestAid has been developed to assist participants during vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR x1) gaze stabilization exercises outside of clinic visits. The system includes a tablet-based app for the participant and a web-based portal for the physical therapist that provides data to make judgements about exercise accuracy and performance.

Forearm, wrist, and hand impairments affect many individuals and impose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. The FEPSimTM (flexion, extension, pronation, and supination) is designed for hand and wrist rehabilitation. It could become part of the standard care for upper extremity rehabilitation, aiming to improve range of motion, dexterity, and strength during therapeutic activities. However, the FEPSimTM has not yet been tested in a healthcare setting, highlighting the need for a trial to assess its effectiveness in upper extremity rehabilitation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes debilitating secondary conditions such as severe muscle deterioration, cardiovascular, and metabolic dysfunctions, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) combined with cycling exercise (FES-cycling) has shown promise in improving muscle function and health in individuals with SCI.