The College of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid awards three awards to the URJC

Irene Vega

During the presentation of the Awards and Research Aid of the College of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid, the URJC received three awards, one in each category. The first of these was the Research Aid in the field of neurology for the project “Influence of therapeutic adherence, the therapist-patient alliance and the person-centered approach in the rehabilitation of subacute stroke: prospective observational study” .

The objectives of this project will be to adapt and validate different questionnaires (Scale of Adherence to Treatment of Physiotherapy and Therapeutic Alliance in Physiotherapy Questionnaire-Patients) in patients with subacute stroke (one that occurs between the first 7 and 30 days of the stroke) and analyze its psychometric properties (tests carried out to evaluate or measure a person's abilities and behavior).

“People who have suffered a stroke are one of the populations with the highest level of disability and dependency, with a strong impact on both public and individual health costs, as well as on the quality of life of those affected and their families. In recent years it has been proven that stroke patients show less continuity in following the guidelines and recommendations received during rehabilitation, which affects their recovery," says Roberto Cano de la Cuerda, researcher of this work and professor at the department of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine of the URJC.

Through a financial allocation of 20.000 euros to carry out the project, the research team will be able to investigate adherence to rehabilitation programs and observe how the therapeutic alliance can be enhanced for the recovery of these patients. Researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the San Vicente Clinic also participate in this work.

Best publication of the year 2023 and special mention for the Best Doctoral Thesis

Article "sEMG-controlled forearm bracelet and serious game-based rehabilitation for training manual dexterity in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial” has received the first prize for the best publication of the year 2023. This work has been published in the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation and carried out by Dr. Roberto Cano de la Cuenda, together with the doctoral student Selena Marcos Antón and the graduates of the URJC Aitor Blázquez Fernández and Lidia Martínez Rolando.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a rehabilitation program for patients with multiple sclerosis through the use of serious games specifically designed in semi-immersive virtual environments. The trials were conducted with 30 patients using the MYO Armband® motion capture sensor. This device, as Professor Cano de la Cuerda explains, “is a bracelet that is placed on the forearm and has surface electromyography sensors and an inertial sensor to capture the movements of the forearm, wrist and fingers.”

The sample of 30 people with multiple sclerosis was randomly distributed into two groups: an experimental group that received treatment based on serious games controlled by the MYO Armband® sensor, along with conventional rehabilitation, and a control group that only received conventional rehabilitation. Both groups were treated for two months. “The results showed that the experimental group showed improvements in the range of active movement of the wrist and hand grip strength in patients with multiple sclerosis, with a high degree of satisfaction, without the presence of adverse effects and minimal stress load. work, as well as excellent adherence to treatment,” explains the URJC professor. “In the Physiotherapy area of ​​the URJC Faculty of Health Sciences, we have been working with technology for many years in the assessment and treatment of patients with neurological pathologies,” highlights Dr. Cano de la Cuerda.

The trio of awards is completed by the Special Mention for the Best Doctoral Thesis by Selena Marcos Antón, a graduate of the Degree in Physiotherapy and a student of the Master's Degree in Motor Neurocontrol and a doctorate at the URJC. His work “Effects of a serious games protocol through the MYO Armband® system on the upper limb in people with multiple sclerosis” has been directed by Professor Roberto Cano de la Cuerda, who explains that “in this thesis, with a grade of outstanding cum laude, three impact publications are compiled in the context of alterations in the functionality of the upper extremities and their treatment through virtual reality in people with multiple sclerosis.”

On the one hand, it makes a systematic review on the evaluation and treatment capacity of the MYO Armband® sensor in subjects with alterations in their motor control due to neurological causes. On the other hand, a feasibility study about the use of serious games specifically designed for the treatment of upper extremity disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis, through the use of semi-immersive virtual environments. And finally, the randomized controlled trial has been carried out that has received the first prize for best scientific publication of the year 2023 of the College of Physiotherapists.