📄 Category

rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

29 papers

Rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy focus on helping people regain strength, mobility, and independence after injury, illness, or surgery. This dynamic field explores everything from advanced prosthetics and stroke recovery to chronic pain management and athletic injury prevention, aiming to improve quality of life through evidence-based movement and care.

On Gist.Science, we make the latest research from medRxiv instantly accessible to everyone. We process every new preprint in this category as soon as it is posted, providing both easy-to-understand plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries to bridge the gap between complex science and real-world application.

Below are the most recent studies in rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy, curated to keep you informed on the cutting edge of patient recovery and functional improvement.

Thoracic spine mobilization on autonomic nervous system in a healthy population - a randomized controlled double-blinded feasibility study

This randomized controlled feasibility study demonstrates that a standardized thoracic spine mobilization protocol is safe and methodologically viable in healthy adults, yielding preliminary evidence of significant vagal modulation indicated by increased heart rate variability, though logistical challenges necessitate further large-scale trials with refined methodologies.

Rogan, S., Farrell, G., Schlarb, S., Schlarb, M., Agarwal, S., Clijsen, R.2026-03-03📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

Aerobic exercise improves executive function after traumatic brain injury via changes to the functional connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex

This study demonstrates that a 12-week aerobic exercise program improves executive function in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury by specifically enhancing the functional segregation between the anterior cingulate cortex and the insula, a neural mechanism not observed with balance training.

Tinney, E. M., Nwakamma, M. C., Perko, M. L., Espanya-Irla, G., Kong, L., Chen, C., Hwang, J., O'Brien, A., Sodemann, R. L., Caefer, J., Manczurowsky, J., Hillman, C. H., Stillman, A. M., Morris, T. P (…)2026-03-02📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

Executive Functions and ICF Core Sets in Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 studies involving 1,633 individuals with cerebral palsy demonstrates that executive functions are meaningfully associated with all domains of functioning, particularly activity, supporting the integration of routine executive function assessment and intervention into clinical care.

Kalkantzi, A., Mailleux, L., Pueyo, R., Ortibus, E., Baeyens, D., Dan, B., Sgandurra, G., Monbaliu, E., Feys, H., Bekteshi, S.2026-02-25📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

The feasibility and efficacy of a virtual, symptom-guided aerobic exercise intervention to improve cognition in mild traumatic brain injury: A single-blind pilot randomized control trial with an active comparator group.

This single-blind pilot randomized controlled trial demonstrates that a 12-week virtual, symptom-guided aerobic exercise intervention is feasible, safe, and shows preliminary efficacy in improving executive function and sleep quality among adults with mild traumatic brain injury compared to an active balance control.

Tinney, E. M., Nwakamma, M. C., Espana-Irla, G., Kong, L., Chen, C., Hwang, J., O'Brien, A., Perko, M., Sodemann, R. L., Caefer, J., Manczurowsky, J., Stillman, A., Hillman, C. H., Morris, T. P.2026-02-23📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

Effects of the ReacStep training program on balance recovery and fall risk factors in older people: An assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial.

Although the ReacStep training program demonstrated high adherence and improved specific gait parameters in older adults, it did not significantly enhance reactive balance recovery against laboratory-induced trips and slips or reduce daily fall risk.

Sharma, S., Chaplin, C., Hicks, C., Treacy, D., Farlie, M. K., Phu, S., Smith, N., Gibson, H., Ho, C., Coleman, E., Huang, T., Canning, C. G., Allen, N. E., Close, J., Lord, S. R., Okubo, Y.2026-02-23📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

Anatomy of a Failure: A Retrospective Evaluation of a Cognitive Bias Modification Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Cardiac Rehabilitation

This retrospective evaluation of the IMPACT trial reveals that a cognitive bias modification intervention for promoting physical activity in cardiac rehabilitation patients suffered from low enrollment and engagement due to perceived task irrelevance, monotony, and boredom, highlighting the critical need for patient-centered design and pre-implementation qualitative research to ensure clinical feasibility.

Fessler, L., Malatgliati, S., Meyer, P., Finckh, A., Cullati, S., Sander, D., Friese, M., Wiers, R. W., Farajzadeh, A., Luthy, C., Sarrazin, P., Cheval, B.2026-01-30📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

The impact of Electrode Placement and Electrical Conductivity Uncertainties on Temporal Interference Stimulation

This study demonstrates that while temporal interference stimulation targeting remains robust against electrode placement and coregistration errors, the reliability of electric field predictions is primarily limited by uncertainties in tissue conductivity.

An, S., Di Rienzo, L., Codecasa, L., Knösche, T. R., Thielscher, A., Weise, K.2026-01-29📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

Machine Learning Driven 'Therapy Calculator' for Self-Managed Digital Speech-Language Therapy for Individuals with Post-stroke Aphasia

This paper presents a publicly available, machine learning-driven "Therapy Calculator" that utilizes a large dataset of over 3.5 million digital therapy sessions to reliably predict the probability of improvement for individuals with post-stroke aphasia based on their demographics, starting performance, and therapy engagement.

Liu, H., Betke, M., Ishwar, P., Kiran, S.2026-01-24📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy

The relationship between Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control and Gross Motor Function Classification System in children with cerebral palsy

This study demonstrates that the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) complements the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) by providing mechanistic insights into trunk control and distinguishing between functional ability and compensatory strategies, thereby guiding targeted interventions to improve performance and reduce deformity risks in children with cerebral palsy.

Sakanaka, T. E., Butler, P., Loram, I.2026-01-22📄 rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy