Physical therapy
Related papers: 20
About
Physical therapy is a rehabilitative healthcare discipline focused on restoring, maintaining, or improving movement, function, and physical capabilities in individuals affected by injury, neurological conditions, or disability. In robotics and AI, physical therapy serves as a primary application domain where robotic systems, exoskeletons, and intelligent devices are developed and deployed to assist or augment traditional therapeutic interventions. Robots such as the Lokomat, LOPES, and ALEX support gait retraining after stroke or spinal cord injury, while upper-limb robotic devices provide repetitive, precisely controlled movement therapy to promote motor recovery. AI contributes through adaptive control strategies, patient-cooperative algorithms, and data-driven outcome assessment that personalize treatment intensity and track progress objectively. This field matters because conventional therapy is constrained by therapist availability, inconsistent dosing, and limited quantitative feedback. Robotic and AI-enhanced physical therapy offers scalable, measurable, and repeatable interventions that can extend treatment duration, reduce clinician burden, and potentially accelerate neuroplastic recovery—making it a critical frontier for addressing growing global rehabilitation needs.
Top Researchers
Top Cited Papers
Stroke rehabilitation
Peter Langhorne, Julie Bernhardt, Gert Kwakkel
Citations: 2587 • 2011
Motor recovery after stroke: a systematic review
Peter Langhorne, Fiona Coupar, Alex Pollock
Citations: 2294 • 2009
Effects of Robot-Assisted Therapy on Upper Limb Recovery After Stroke: A Systematic Review
Gert Kwakkel, Boudewijn J. Kollen, Hermano Igo Krebs
Citations: 1491 • 2007
Robot-aided neurorehabilitation
Hermano Igo Krebs, Neville Hogan, Mindy Aisen, Bruce T. Volpe
Citations: 1427 • 1998
Robot-Assisted Therapy for Long-Term Upper-Limb Impairment after Stroke
Albert Lo, Peter Guarino, Lorie Richards, Jodie K. Haselkorn, George F. Wittenberg, Daniel G. Federman, Robert Ringer, Todd H. Wagner, Hermano Igo Krebs, Bruce T. Volpe, Christopher T. Bever, Dawn M. Bravata, Pamela W. Duncan, Barbara H. Corn, Alysia D. Maffucci, Stephen E. Nadeau, Susan S. Conroy, Janet M. Powell, Grant D. Huang, Peter Peduzzi
Citations: 1409 • 2010
Design and Evaluation of the LOPES Exoskeleton Robot for Interactive Gait Rehabilitation
Jan F. Veneman, R. Kruidhof, Edsko E.G. Hekman, R. Ekkelenkamp, Edwin van Asseldonk, Herman van der Kooij
Citations: 1266 • 2007
Myoelectric control systems—A survey
Mohammadreza Asghari Oskoei, Huosheng Hu
Citations: 1238 • 2007
A survey on robotic devices for upper limb rehabilitation
Paweł Maciejasz, Jörg Eschweiler, Kurt Gerlach-Hahn, Arne Jansen-Troy, Steffen Leonhardt
Citations: 1178 • 2014
Robot-assisted movement training compared with conventional therapy techniques for the rehabilitation of upper-limb motor function after stroke
Peter S. Lum, Charles G. Burgar, P. Shor, Matra Majmundar, H. F. Machiel Van der Loos
Citations: 1158 • 2002
Review of control strategies for robotic movement training after neurologic injury
Laura Marchal–Crespo, David J. Reinkensmeyer
Citations: 1148 • 2009
Treadmill training of paraplegic patients using a robotic orthosis.
Giorgio Colombo, M Joerg, Reinhard Schreier, V Dietz
Citations: 1117 • 2001
Systematic review of the effect of robot-aided therapy on recovery of the hemiparetic arm after stroke
Gerdienke B. Prange, M.J.A. Jannink, Karin Groothuis‐Oudshoorn, Hermie Hermens, Maarten J. IJzerman
Citations: 932 • 2006
Rehabilitation of Motor Function after Stroke: A Multiple Systematic Review Focused on Techniques to Stimulate Upper Extremity Recovery
Samar M. Hatem, Geoffroy Saussez, Margaux della Faille, Vincent Prist, Xue Zhang, Delphine Dispa, Yannick Bleyenheuft
Citations: 914 • 2016
Brain–computer interfaces for communication and rehabilitation
Ujwal Chaudhary, Niels Birbaumer, Ander Ramos‐Murguialday
Citations: 904 • 2016
Restoring Voluntary Control of Locomotion after Paralyzing Spinal Cord Injury
Rubia van den Brand, Janine Heutschi, Quentin Barraud, Jack DiGiovanna, Kay Bartholdi, Michèle Huerlimann, Lucia Friedli, Isabel Vollenweider, Eduardo Martin Moraud, Simone Duis, Nadia Dominici, Silvestro Micera, Pavel Musienko, Grégoire Courtine
Citations: 754 • 2012
Strategies for stroke rehabilitation
Bruce H. Dobkin
Citations: 740 • 2004
Robot Assisted Gait Training With Active Leg Exoskeleton (ALEX)
Sai K. Banala, Seok Hun Kim, Sunil K. Agrawal, John P. Scholz
Citations: 739 • 2008
Patient-cooperative strategies for robot-aided treadmill training: first experimental results
Robert Riener, Lars Lünenburger, S. Jezernik, Martin Anderschitz, Giorgio Colombo, Volker Dietz
Citations: 717 • 2005
Brain-Computer Interfaces in Medicine
Jerry J. Shih, Dean J. Krusienski, Jonathan R. Wolpaw
Citations: 711 • 2012
Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living, arm function, and arm muscle strength after stroke
Jan Mehrholz, Marcus Pohl, Thomas Platz, Joachim Kügler, Bernhard Elsner
Citations: 681 • 2015