Are Extracorporeal Shock Waves Just a Therapeutic Tool?

Background: Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been successfully used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, but ESWT stimulates nociceptors, causing pain deep in the tissue during treatment. The occurrence of pain during ESWT is a side effect, but it can help identify painful sites and assess minimum (MiTI) and maximum (MaTI) pain thresholds to ESWT pressure stimuli. This topic has received limited attention in literature.

Snapshot of Fall Prevention in Patients Referred to a Neurorehabilitation Unit: A Feasibility Study on the Use of an Airbag Device.

Active wearable devices such as protective smart belts have been proposed to reduce hip impact in the event of a fall. This study primarily evaluated the feasibility and acceptance of a specific protective belt among selected patients identified as being at risk of falling who were admitted to an ICS Maugeri Neurorehabilitation Unit from September 2022 to April 2023. According to previous institutional observations, the device was worn between the 6th and 21st days of recovery.

A decision making algorithm for rehabilitation after stroke: A guide to choose an appropriate and safe treadmill training.

Background: Walking independently after a stroke can be difficult or impossible, and walking reeducation is vital. But the approach used is often arbitrary, relying on the devices available and subjective evaluations by the doctor/physiotherapist. Objective decision making tools could be useful.

Feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a multidisciplinary home-telehealth intervention programme to reduce falls among elderly discharged from hospital: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Fall incidents are the third cause of chronic disablement in elderly according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Recent meta-analyses shows that a multifactorial falls risk assessment and management programmes are effective in all older population studied. However, the application of these programmes may not be the same in all National health care setting and, consequently, needs to be evaluated by cost-effectiveness studies before to plan this intervention in regular care.