Stroke Rehabilitation Exercise, Now at Home with 'Augmented Reality'

Samsung Seoul Hospital Rehabilitation Medicine Professor Jang Wonhyuk Team
Sensor Recognizes Patient Movement... Professional Therapist Feedback

Professor Jang Won-hyeok of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Samsung Medical Center is explaining the AR home exercise program.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Professor Jang Won-hyuk's team from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Samsung Medical Center announced on the 22nd that they have introduced an 'Augmented Reality (AR) Home Exercise' program for effective rehabilitation treatment targeting stroke patients.

The research team divided 68 patients into two groups: the existing home exercise program group and the AR home exercise program group, and observed them for one month. The existing home exercise program involves following written instructions with pictures.

The AR home exercise program uses AR equipment installed at home. When the user stands in front of the installed monitor, sensors recognize the patient's body and the patient's movements can be seen on the screen. Movements are converted into scores, and if 80% or more is achieved in each session, the patient advances to the next level. The rehabilitation exercise scores recorded in each session are delivered to professional therapists. Based on the individual rehabilitation exercise records sent regularly, therapists can provide appropriate feedback during weekly phone consultations tailored to the patient's treatment status.

Patients evaluated the home exercise program three times in total: ▲before using the program ▲after using the program ▲after using the program for one month. The evaluation included balance function assessment as well as psychological assessments such as fear of falling and depression.

Both groups showed improvement in balance and psychological evaluation results after the program. The balance function evaluation and quality of life scores were slightly higher in the AR home exercise program group than in the existing home exercise program group by a margin of 1 to 2 points. The fear of falling score showed a greater difference before and after program use in the AR home exercise program group. The existing home exercise program group showed little difference between before (21.7 points) and after one month of use (20.8 points), whereas the AR home exercise program group decreased by 5.7 points from before use (25 points) to after one month of use (19.3 points).

Professor Jang said, “By integrating next-generation technology, augmented reality, into the rehabilitation exercise program that had seen little change in the existing method, it has become possible to provide ‘customized rehabilitation treatment anytime at home.’ We will continue to consider better treatment methods to improve patients’ quality of life.”

This study was published in the recent issue of the international journal Disability and Rehabilitation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.