Think "rehab technology" and there's a good chance that the first things that spring to mind are complex cutting-edge exoskeletons and expensive virtual reality systems. The latest issue of PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal offers a different take.

Now available: A special issue of PTJ focusing on a range of advances in rehabilitation technologies that expand the traditional definition from devices that help individuals improve function to one that includes measuring movement, increasing exercise participation, augmenting treatment, and providing real-time monitoring and feedback. As with all PTJ content, the collection is available for free as an APTA member benefit.

Rehab Using AI, Wearables, Apps, and More

The issue features a dozen articles including original research on the use of wearable sensors, web-based monitoring systems, smart phone apps, artificial intelligence, video-based systems, and more, as well as a scoping review that explores current use of technology in clinical practice, and the factors that could slow down or speed up wider use in the clinic.

In an editorial that accompanies the collection, guest editors Kristen Archer, PT, DPT, PhD; and Theresa Ellis, PT, PhD, FAPTA, characterize technology as a way to "bridge the gap between the clinic and real-world settings, with the potential to improve patient outcomes." However, they argue, that potential can only be fulfilled if clinicians embrace the new tools.

"Only through the integration and adoption of wearable sensing technologies, digital health platforms, and telehealth delivery models — in real-world clinical and home settings — can advances in rehabilitation technology meaningfully transform health," they write.