Virtual reality for multiple sclerosis rehabilitation.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease in young adults. Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising rehabilitation tool by providing controllable, personalised environments for safe, adaptable and engaging training. Virtual reality can be tailored to patients' motor and cognitive skills, enhancing motivation through exciting scenarios and feedback.

Effects of Prehabilitation With Advanced Technologies in Patients With Musculoskeletal Diseases Waiting for Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Prehabilitation delivered with advanced technologies represents a great chance for patients to optimize pre- and postoperative outcomes, reduce costs, and overcome travel-related barriers.

Objective: We aim to evaluate the effects of prehabilitation delivered with advanced technologies on clinically relevant outcomes among patients affected by musculoskeletal diseases and waiting for surgery.

Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PEDro, and CINAHL databases up to February 2, 2023.

The potential of lower limb exoskeletons to enhance life-space mobility and to leverage green exercise in the rehabilitation of older adults: an expert perspective.

Purpose: As the global population aged 60+ grows, ensuring mobility and independence for older adults is a critical public health goal. This paper examines barriers to life-space mobility in older adults and explores wearable lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) and green exercise as innovative solutions.

Methods: Literature search and interdisciplinary expert input were utilized.

Do measures of central sensitization relate to movement-evoked pain in people with chronic low back pain? A longitudinal prospective study.

Background: One of the most frequent complaints among people with musculoskeletal pain is pain during physical activity, commonly referred to as movement-evoked pain. It is suggested to be associated with quantitative sensory testing measures of central pain process in individuals with musculoskeletal pain.

Objective: To investigate the predictive association between movement-evoked pain scores and measures of central sensitization in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain.

Linking Intra-Articular Inflammatory Biomarkers with Peripheral and Central Sensitization in Late-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: A Pilot Study.

: To investigate if intra-articular biomarkers relate to peripheral and central sensitization in patients with late-stage knee osteoarthritis (KOA). : A total of 17 (6M, 11F) patients (aged 69 ± 10 years) were assessed for peripheral (pressure pain thresholds (PPT)) and central (temporal summation (TS) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM)) sensitization the day before total knee arthroplasty. Synovial fluid was collected during surgery and assayed for IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, CXCL-10, BDNF, NGF, CCL2, CCL5, VEGF, IL-1RI, MMP-1, MMP-7, IL-1β, and CXCL-9.

Psychological Factors Influencing Healthcare Utilization in Breast Cancer Survivors with Pain.

Introduction: Pain is a prevalent side-effect seen in breast cancer survivors (BCS). Psychological factors are known role-players in pain mechanisms. Both pain and psychological factors contribute to or interact with healthcare use (HCU).

Hip microinstability and its association with femoroacetabular impingement: A scoping review.

Introduction: Hip microinstability has become a recognized cause of non-arthritic hip pain and disability in young patients. However, its pathophysiology remains unclear. We want to (1) present an overview of the evidence of hip microinstability and of its association with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), (2) map out the type of evidence available, and (3) make recommendations for future research.

A State-of-the-Art of Exoskeletons in Line with the WHO's Vision on Healthy Aging: From Rehabilitation of Intrinsic Capacities to Augmentation of Functional Abilities.

The global aging population faces significant health challenges, including an increasing vulnerability to disability due to natural aging processes. Wearable lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) have emerged as a promising solution to enhance physical function in older individuals. This systematic review synthesizes the use of LLEs in alignment with the WHO's healthy aging vision, examining their impact on intrinsic capacities and functional abilities.

Electrotherapy in stroke rehabilitation can improve lower limb muscle characteristics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This review assesses the effect of electrotherapy (e.g. functional electrical stimulation (FES), motor and sensor therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES)) on muscle strength and skeletal muscle characteristics in individuals post-stroke compared to conventional or sham therapy.

Effect of perceived injustice-targeted pain neuroscience education compared with biomedically focused education in breast cancer survivors: a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial (BCS-PI trial).

Introduction: Current treatments for pain in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are mostly biomedically focused rather than biopsychosocially driven. However, 22% of BCSs with pain are experiencing perceived injustice, which is a known predictor for adverse pain outcomes and opioid prescription due to increased maladaptive pain behaviour. Educational interventions such as pain neuroscience education (PNE) are suggested to target perceived injustice.

EULAR recommendations for the non-pharmacological core management of hip and knee osteoarthritis: 2023 update.

Introduction: Hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) are increasingly common with a significant impact on individuals and society. Non-pharmacological treatments are considered essential to reduce pain and improve function and quality of life. EULAR recommendations for the non-pharmacological core management of hip and knee OA were published in 2013.

On-Device Execution of Deep Learning Models on HoloLens2 for Real-Time Augmented Reality Medical Applications.

The integration of Deep Learning (DL) models with the HoloLens2 Augmented Reality (AR) headset has enormous potential for real-time AR medical applications. Currently, most applications execute the models on an external server that communicates with the headset via Wi-Fi. This client-server architecture introduces undesirable delays and lacks reliability for real-time applications.

Measurement properties of instruments to measure the fatigue domain of vitality capacity in community-dwelling older people: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Background: Vitality capacity (VC) is a key domain of intrinsic capacity (IC) and is the underlying biophysiological aspect of IC. Energy and metabolism (E&M) is one of the domains of VC. Fatigue is one of the main characteristics of E&M.

Assessment tools and incidence of hospital-associated disability in older adults: a rapid systematic review.

Background: During hospitalization older adults have a high risk of developing functional impairments unrelated to the reasons for their admission. This is termed hospital-associated disability (HAD). This systematic review aimed to assess the incidence of HAD in older adults admitted to acute care with two outcomes: firstly in at least one activity of daily living from a set of functional tasks (, Katz Index) and secondly the incidence of functional decline in an individual functional task (, bathing), and to identify any tools or functional tasks used to assess activities of daily living (ADL) in hospitalized older patients.

Effects of tele-prehabilitation on clinical and muscular recovery in patients awaiting knee replacement: protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: The increasing prevalence of knee osteoarthritis and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) impose a significant socioeconomic burden in developed and developing countries. Prehabilitation (rehabilitation in the weeks immediately before surgery) may be crucial to prepare patients for surgery improving outcomes and reducing assistance costs. Moreover, considering the progress of telemedicine, candidates for TKA could potentially benefit from a tele-prehabilitation programme.

Perceived Injustice in Cancer Survivors: Population-Specific Cut-Off Score and Relations with Personal Factors, Symptoms and Quality of Life-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Fatigue and pain are the most common side effects impacting quality of life (QoL) in cancer survivors. Recent insights have shown that perceived injustice (PI) can play a substantial role in these side effects, but research on cancer survivors is scarce. Furthermore, guidelines for recognizing clinically relevant levels of PI in cancer survivors are missing.

Functional performance recovery after individualized nutrition therapy combined with a patient-tailored physical rehabilitation program versus standard physiotherapy in patients with long COVID: a pilot study.

Background: Long COVID is suggested to be present in 14 to 43% of COVID 19-survivors. Literature on this new condition states a need for a multidisciplinary approach including physical exercise and nutrition. The aim of the current pilot study is to investigate the feasibility of the proposed protocol to prepare for a randomized controlled study that addresses the effectiveness of a personalized multimodal treatment compared to standard physiotherapy.

Exercise-induced effects on inflammatory markers and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with knee osteoarthritis. A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: In the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), inflammatory mediators play an important role. However, the precise underlying mechanism by which regular exercise therapy (ET) exert effects on the immune system in KOA patients is unknown.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the basal and acute effects of ET on inflammatory biomarkers and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in KOA patients.

Healthcare professionals' perspectives on development of assistive technology using the comprehensive assistive technology model.

The implementation of technology in healthcare shows promising results and provides new opportunities in rehabilitation. However, the adoption of technology into daily care is largely dependent on the acceptance rate of end-users. This study aims to gather information from healthcare professionals on the development of new assistive technology that match users' needs using the Comprehensive Assistive Technology model.

The Prevalence of Perceived Injustice and Factors Associated With Perceived Injustice in People With Pain: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.

Background: Perceived injustice (PI) is a multidimensional appraisal cognition comprising the severity of loss consequent to injury, blame, a sense of unfairness, and/or irreparability of loss. PI gained increasing interest in pain research since it potentially contributes to the experience and burden of (chronic) pain.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of PI and factors associated with PI in people with pain.

The effect of psychologically informed practice with behavioural graded activity in cancer survivors: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychologically informed practice (PIP) with behavioural graded activity (BGA) compared to (1) waitlist controls (WLC), (2) other interventions (OI), (3) PIP alone or (4) BGA alone in cancer patients and survivors (CPaS).

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were screened for randomised controlled trials encompassing BGA + PIP in CPaS. Effect sizes were inventoried for outcomes regarding physical activity (PA), quality of life (QoL) and debilitating symptoms (DS), which were assessed at four time points: post-intervention (PI), follow-up F1 (1 to 3 months), F2 (4 to 6 months) and F3 (> 6 months).