https://medicalxpress.com/physiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Physiatry Restoring both walking and sensation to patients with paraplegia is an ambitious goal—but a team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is now one step closer. The team is building a fully implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows patients to use their thoughts to control wearable robotic legs, known as a robotic exoskeleton. The system is designed to help patients walk while also restoring the sensation of walking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-brain-interface-paralysis-linking-thoughts.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:20:03 EDT news695555942 Even when people with incomplete spinal cord injuries can walk, everyday functions like standing, balancing or producing steady force may remain difficult. A new study shows why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-reveals-unseen-motor-spinal-cord.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:00:06 EDT news695317201 Peripheral nerve injuries, often caused by traumatic events such as car accidents, falls or battlefield injuries, can leave patients with long-term weakness, numbness or loss of function. Despite surgery and advances in understanding and treating nerve injuries, many patients don't get all their movement or feeling back. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gene-based-therapy-nerves-severe.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:40:05 EDT news694960181 In aging societies, the role of home-visit rehabilitation (HR)—which provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy in patients' homes—is becoming increasingly important for supporting independent living. Although previous studies have shown that HR can help maintain and improve activities of daily living (ADL) among older adults with limited access to outpatient services, the dose-response relationship between the amount of HR time per week and ADL improvement remains unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-longer-weekly-home-linked-daily.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:02 EDT news694175257 Artificial limbs look and function more like real limbs than ever before—but that's only helpful if they are used as intended. One of the main reasons amputees give for not using their body-powered prosthesis is a lack of motivation or knowledge of how to properly use them. Part of the reason for this is that compared to the time and resources devoted to improving the comfort and function of prostheses, much less attention is spent on making prosthetic training more effective. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-augmented-reality-prosthesis.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:00:05 EDT news694363070 Adding TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) to outpatient physical therapy reduced movement-based pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, and the effects lasted for at least six months, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-tens-physical-therapy-eases-fibromyalgia.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:20:03 EDT news693833701 More than 98% of adults who predominantly used wheelchairs and scooters for mobility reported some level of concern about falling, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois Chicago found in a recent study. These individuals' concerns were assessed as part of the ongoing development of an interactive fall management and safety training program to be delivered through a mobile app. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-falls-prevalent-people-wheelchairs-scooters.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 07:10:01 EDT news693808963 Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. Physical activity decreases this risk through improving cognitive health. In a recent study appearing in Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, Amanda Rabinowitz, Ph.D. and her team at Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute have developed an approach to increasing physical activity in TBI patients to decrease cognitive decline. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-physical-people-traumatic-brain-injury.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:10:07 EDT news693763202 A clinical trial led by University of Auckland researchers found that high-intensity therapy for patients begun within two weeks of a stroke did not improve hand and arm recovery beyond standard care. Targeting new treatments to promote hand and arm recovery is necessary because persistent hand weakness is known to reduce a person's independence at six months after stroke. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-therapy-earlier-didnt-boost-recovery.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:00:01 EDT news693646561 New Australian research has shown that a tailored, home-based program can dramatically cut the number of falls, one of the most dangerous risks faced by survivors of stroke. The "falls after stroke trial" or FAST, published in the British Medical Journal, found a coordinated program of functional exercise, preventing hazards around the home and out-of-home mobility coaching reduced falls by 33% over 12 months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-home-based-slashes-falls.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:20:01 EDT news693565790 Infants and toddlers with unilateral cerebral palsy, which affects the brain's control of muscles on one side of the body, show lasting improvements in hand and arm function when they receive early, high-dose therapy, according to a new multisite clinical trial led by Virginia Tech researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-intensive-therapy-approaches-benefits-infants.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:00:05 EDT news692536188 The effects of spinal cord injuries are complex and multifaceted. People lose not only the ability to control the movement of their limbs, but also the ability to receive sensory feedback from them. Both are critical to generate the coordinated movement involved in walking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-spinal-injury-leg-movement-sensory.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:00:05 EDT news692362381 Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have identified a critical gap in how post-amputation pain is evaluated and treated. The study shows that pain after lower limb amputation is not a single uniform condition but a set of distinct experiences that change depending on activity level and prosthetic design. These findings could influence care strategies for the nearly two million Americans living with limb loss, a number expected to grow in the coming decades. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-multiple-amputation-pain-revealed-treatment.html Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:05 EST news692019914 A team of researchers from Skoltech, the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnologies (FMBA of Russia), Lomonosov Moscow State University, and other leading organizations has released a dataset that will enable deeper study of how the brain recovers after a stroke. The work, published in Scientific Data, is the first in the world to combine long-term recordings of brain activity obtained using two advanced methods—electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The data are openly available, allowing scientists worldwide to accelerate the development of personalized rehabilitation methods and brain-computer interfaces. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-recovery.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:20:03 EST news691781102 A new, fully customizable 3D printed socket design is set to transform the prosthetics industry. The reimagined limb socket interface combines highly personalized pressure mapping with AI software and a lighter infill, creating a highly customized prosthetic that's more comfortable to wear, for much longer, say researchers at Simon Fraser University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-prosthetic-combines-ai-3d.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:02 EST news691686300 A new risk prediction model shows good predictive value in identifying risk for neurogenic bladder (NB) after spinal cord injury (SCI) and guiding clinical interventions, according to a study published in the British Journal of Hospital Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ids-people-spinal-cord-injury.html Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:40:13 EST news691313196 Stroke patients with Medicare Advantage health insurance plans are less likely to be discharged to highly rated post-acute care than those covered by traditional Medicare, according to a new study co-led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The results, published this week in JAMA Network Open, also show these disparities were most pronounced among patients dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-medicare-advantage-medicaremedicaid-eligible-patients.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:40:05 EST news691255261 Patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who complete computerized cognitive games show improved neuroplasticity and cognitive performance, according to new research published in Journal of Neurotrauma. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-brain-games-boost-white-chronic.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:00:06 EST news690715176 The way we understand the movement of our own bodies plays an important role when learning physical skills, from sports to dancing. But a new study finds this phenomenon works very differently for people learning to use robotic prosthetic devices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-days-robotic-leg-people-misread.html Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:30:02 EST news690524589 In infants and toddlers who had a stroke before birth or as a newborn (28 days or younger), a treatment that combined restricting the use of the stronger arm with intensive task-oriented physical therapy led to improved function and skill gained on the weak side compared to standard care, according to preliminary late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026, held Feb. 4–6, 2026, in New Orleans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-high-dose-therapy-benefits-infants.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:10:02 EST news689849919 For many stroke survivors, recovery is derailed by painful muscle stiffness and involuntary spasms that limit movement, independence, and quality of life. Often viewed as an unavoidable consequence of stroke, this condition—known as post-stroke spasticity—may instead represent a missed opportunity for earlier, more effective care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-scientific-statement-focused-spasticity-urges.html Sat, 07 Feb 2026 10:30:01 EST news689442493 Stroke survivors often face substantial and long-lasting problems with their arms. Both arms often decline together: When one arm is more severely affected by the stroke, the other becomes more difficult to use as well. Compared with a healthy person's dominant hand, a stroke survivor may take up to three times longer to complete everyday tasks using their less-impaired arm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-survivors-counterintuitively-recovery-stronger-arm.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:17:35 EST news689260622 Traditional stroke rehabilitation therapy focuses on restoring strength and movement to the more impaired side of the body, but a new randomized clinical trial has revealed that targeted therapy for the less impaired arm significantly improved movement and control for stroke survivors. The trial, led by researchers from Penn State and the University of Southern California (USC), compared the new approach to the standard best-practice therapy currently in use. The team said the findings, published today (Feb. 2) in JAMA Neurology, demonstrate that motor skills in the less-affected arm can be improved even years after a stroke occurs and could meaningfully enhance quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-good-arm-motor-skills.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:00:01 EST news688992721 Chronic low back pain significantly affects quality of life for millions of people worldwide. Back pain makes it difficult to perform everyday tasks and is among the leading reasons why patients see their doctor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-basivertebral-nerve-ablation-early-sustained.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:29:25 EST news687688142 New research has found that the benefits of graded sensorimotor retraining are likely to be similar for all patients with chronic low back pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-graded-sensorimotor-retraining-similar-benefits.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:14:31 EST news687626041 A study published in Neurology looks at how age may affect recovery for people with spinal cord injuries. "With population growth and improvements in medicine, the number of people diagnosed with spinal cord injury is increasing and the average age at the time of injury is rising," said study author Chiara Pavese, MD, Ph.D., of the University of Pavia in Pavia, Italy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-age-affects-recovery-spinal-cord.html Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news685627021 A review in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology summarizes the multiple benefits of sport participation for people with cerebral palsy. The authors present a summary of available sports, as well as adaptations, to help clinicians discuss parasport participation with patients and families with cerebral palsy and related conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-parasports-range-benefits-people-cerebral.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 03:10:06 EST news685097582 A systematic review and meta-analysis has found that bisphosphonates—medicines commonly used to treat osteoporosis—may offer short-term pain relief for people with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), but the benefits are uncertain beyond the short term and side effects are likely. The study, the largest analysis of a CRPS treatment to date, is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-osteoporosis-medicines-chronic-pain-injury.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:36:29 EST news685103642 A new study led by scientists at the Perception Dynamics Institute and the University of California San Diego demonstrates that a specific visual training program significantly outperforms standard programs designed to treat cognitive problems following a concussion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-visual-cognitive-function-concussion.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:57:22 EST news685036622 A multicenter study across Japan found that ICU patients receiving more intensive rehabilitation regained independence faster after critical illness. Among 121 patients on mechanical ventilation, higher rehabilitation dose and mobility levels were linked to a lower risk of delayed recovery. The findings highlight that purposeful, early mobilization can improve outcomes and shorten recovery for ICU survivors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-icu-patients-regain-independence-early.html Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:10:19 EST news684691802