Comparative Analysis of Ventilatory Responses during Stress Tests in Patients with Chronic Pain: Implications for Therapeutic Interventions.

Understanding the differences in ventilatory responses during exercise between patients with fibromyalgia and those with other chronic pain disorders is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions, especially in exercise to identify the better physical therapy prescription. Both populations face unique challenges that impact their ability to engage in physical activity; yet, the underlying physiological responses can vary significantly. In this context, the methodology of this study entailed conducting a comparative analysis of the ventilatory response during exercise in patients with fibromyalgia and those with other chronic pain disorders. The experimental protocol included a total of 31 participants (n = 13 diagnosed with fibromyalgia and n = 18 diagnosed with other chronic pain conditions). All participants completed a stress test, where the ventilatory parameters were measured in three stages (i.e., resting, incremental exercise, and recovery). The results revealed significant differences (p<0.05) in ventilatory responses between both groups. Patients with fibromyalgia exhibited reduced time for the aerobic threshold and a higher respiratory frequency in the anaerobic threshold compared to those with other chronic pain disorders. Furthermore, fibromyalgia patients demonstrated higher values in the ventilatory coefficient during the test and in the recovery stage. In conclusion, these differences underscore the need for tailored exercise programs that specifically address the unique ventilatory challenges faced by fibromyalgia patients to improve their physical function and overall quality of life.

Neuro-Rehabilitation Therapy with T-FLEX Ankle Exoskeleton and Serious Games: A Case Study.

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) causes permanent disabilities, such as foot drop. This condition affects the gait pattern, increasing the metabolic cost and risk of falling. Robotics with serious games has shown promising results in the gait rehabilitation context. This paper aims to analyze the effects of using the T-FLEX exoskeleton with (1) Automated Therapy (AT) and (2) Serious Game Therapy (SGT) in two ABI patients. Each participant completed six assisted sessions for each strategy. Results showed that AT increases the user-robot interaction torque by 10% for the first patient and 70% for the second patient, and SGT decreases by 5% for both patients. This way, SGT required the patient to generate torque to execute the ankle movement, while AT did the opposite, resulting in greater device assistance. In the functional assessment, SGT induced variations greater than 50% for the paretic ankle and knee's range of motion (ROM), indicating a potential for motor recovery. Thus, SGT led to improved ankle control and increased gait speed compared to AT. These findings suggest that SGT may be an effective rehabilitation strategy for ABI-related foot drop patients.

Mirror-Based Robotic Therapy for Ankle Recovery with a Serious Game: A Case Study with a Neurological Patient.

Neuromuscular disorders, such as foot drop, severely affect the locomotor function and walking independence after a brain injury event. Mirror-based robotic therapy (MRT) has been a promising rehabilitation strategy favouring upper limb muscle strength and motor control in the last years. However, there are still no studies validating this technique in lower limb experimental protocols. This paper presents an innovative visual and motor feedback strategy based on serious games and MRT modalities. Thus, a preliminary system validation with a healthy participant is performed. Moreover, the strategy's potential effects were investigated in a neurologic patient's short rehabilitation program. After six sessions, the results of the method favoured active ankle plantarflexion range of motion and muscle activation. Although the patient had a positive adaptation at the end of the game, it is necessary to improve the proposed strategy to enhance the robotic experience in the long term.

Expectations and Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals for Robot Deployment in Hospital Environments During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Several challenges to guarantee medical care have been exposed during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although the literature has shown some robotics applications to overcome the potential hazards and risks in hospital environments, the implementation of those developments is limited, and few studies measure the perception and the acceptance of clinicians. This work presents the design and implementation of several perception questionnaires to assess healthcare provider's level of acceptance and education toward robotics for COVID-19 control in clinic scenarios. Specifically, 41 healthcare professionals satisfactorily accomplished the surveys, exhibiting a low level of knowledge about robotics applications in this scenario. Likewise, the surveys revealed that the fear of being replaced by robots remains in the medical community. In the Colombian context, 82.9% of participants indicated a positive perception concerning the development and implementation of robotics in clinic environments. Finally, in general terms, the participants exhibited a positive attitude toward using robots and recommended them to be used in the current panorama.