🤖 AIBytes

This study reviewed 16 randomized trials to see how virtual-reality (VR) and robot-assisted therapies help people regain limb movement after burn injuries.

🔬 Methods

  • Design: Systematic review + meta-analysis of 787 participants.

  • Therapies: Virtual Reality (14 studies) and robot-assisted (3 studies) rehab vs conventional therapy.

  • Assessments: Hand function, grip strength, range of motion (ROM), pain, and walking distance (6-minute walk test).

📊 Results

  • Hand function and grip strength improved significantly with both VR and robotic therapy.

  • Range of Motion: upper-limb significant improvement and lower-limb moderate improvement.

  • Pain: VR therapy reduced pain, especially in younger patients.

  • Walking distance: Average improvement of 58 m on the 6-minute walk test.

  • Benefits were greater in mild-to-moderate burns; less so in severe cases.

  • Results were statistically robust.

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • VR and robotic rehab improve mobility, strength, and pain control after burns.

  • VR is especially useful for pain and fine-motor training; robots are better for precise, repetitive movements.

  • Upper-limb benefits were stronger than lower-limb.

  • High cost and limited training capacity are still barriers.

🔗 Zhou H et al. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2025; doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2025.10.010

Researchers reviewed how wearable devices + AI can track and predict recovery after lumbar fusion surgery.

🔬 Methods

  • Design: PRISMA-guided systematic review of 9 studies ( 850 patients).

  • Devices: Smartwatches, accelerometers, and goniometers.

  • AI use: Predictive models that analyzed movement, pain, and risk of complications.

  • Outcomes: Step count, gait speed, sleep, vitals, pain, and patient-reported recovery.

📊 Results

  • More than half of the studies used a daily step counter to measure recovery.

  • AI + wearables helped detect early complications and made recovery monitoring easier.

  • Some studies showed fewer emergency room visits and faster activity gains.

  • Limitations: small samples, different devices, and outcomes that weren’t standardized.

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • AI wearables give a clearer, continuous view of how patients recover after spine surgery.

  • They can alert teams early to potential complications and personalize rehabilitation plans.

  • Wearable technology with or without AI provides real-time data, enabling clinicians to make data-driven adjustments to treatment and rehabilitation.

  • Broader clinical use will require standardized measures and validated AI models.

    🔗 Sripadrao S et al. The Spine Journal.2025; doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2025.10.012

🦾TechTools

  • Transcribes your voice into polished text faster than typing.

  • Works across apps like email, Notes, and Docs.

  • Turns your thoughts into editable, clean drafts.

  • Speeds up your work, since we speak almost four times faster than we type.

  • Interactive, game-based rehab using augmented reality. Patients can exercise at home or in the clinic.

  • Tracks movement and progress via motion sensors. Therapy sessions can be customized for each patient.

  • Games (with Elmo included) are designed to improve strengh, coordination, executive function and endurance.

  • An AI-powered citation and evidence tool that helps you see how a paper has been received in the scientific community.

  • It shows whether a paper has been supported, contradicted, or mentioned in peer-reviewed papers.

  • Its “Smart Citations” feature shows why a paper was cited and how it influenced later research.

🧬AIMedily Snaps

  • OpenAI will launch custom versions of ChatGPT designed for healthcare professionals (Link).

  • AI turn robots into research collaborators (Link).

  • How human can AI behave? NEJM AI (Link).

  • AI-Powered mobile clinics for breast cancer screening in rural India (Link)

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Until LLM Friday.

Itzel Fer, MD PM&R

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