The Role of Wearable Health Technology in Rehabilitation

Wearable health technology has garnered increasing amount of attention in the recent years, due to the widespread and radical innovation, with products ranging from wristbands, smart watches and rings. The number of parameters tracked has also increased exponentially, from the basic pulse rate, all the way to oxygen saturation and gait analysis. Let’s try to understand if using technology to track rehabilitation progress adds value to the treatment and outcomes for patients.

Wearables in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
There have been higher levels of interest in certain areas of rehabilitation in which wearable technology in physical therapy can play an important role. This in turn helps to improve the patient’s rehab journey, saving time, reducing costs and allows the healthcare professional to possess specific data that would otherwise be unavailable. Wearable health technology can help in remote collection a wide spectrum of metrics that can provide insights into the rehabilitation journey of the patient, and prevent complications as well, which helps to improve patient outcomes.

Continuous Monitoring and Improved Communication
There tends to be large gaps in information from the time the patient is discharged till subsequent visits, which makes it difficult to make any assessment on the progress of rehabilitation. If a wearable device has been implemented with a patient, coupled with adequate patient compliance and correct functioning of the device, the physician is treated to continuous data that allows constant monitoring of progress and early detection of any potential complications. Studies have shown that the data extracted from these wearables have good correlation with clinical and patient reported outcomes and these data points are said to be comparable with the regular clinical metrics and patient surveys. Apart from the ease of data collection, communication can be made easier between the patient and treating team to avoid unnecessary clinic visits and if necessary, interventions can occur at the appropriate times.

Enhancing Engagement and Adherence
Apart from the data aggregation that comes with using wearables for sustained periods of time, they can also be used in indirect ways to improve patient outcomes. They can act to engage and provide feedback to patients and help them to reach the desired goals in their rehabilitation protocols. Most wearables have been known to gamify the system and send notifications and nudges participate and complete their exercises, hit a certain step count, burn a certain amount of calories, all which have shown to improve outcomes.

Applications in Orthopedics and Geriatrics
Specifically, in orthopedics, wearables have shown value in aiding rehabilitation. Apart from some of the more familiar parameters described and devices, they can also be used to assess heart rate variability post-surgery or post trauma by using an optical photoplethysmography and pneumatic pressure sensors can help in blood pressure analysis. In terms of stroke rehabilitation, electrical or vibratory suits can act as guiding points for remote rehabilitation and can also serve as stimulation points for muscle groups in cases of spinal or peripheral nerve injuries. In geriatric patients, planter pressure sensors can help in determining and detecting fall risk.

Challenges and Considerations
Of course, with any form of technology, there are always challenges. Implementation and compliance are the biggest issues, and at times, technical support will be needed for device calibration and troubleshooting. Patients also need to be trained on the specific usage of the device and must be aware how to interpret the data. Considering the vast range of devices available on the market, it is unlikely that there will only be one single device that is used and prescribed, which highlights the need for standardization. This will enable data to be collected and interpreted across different settings, calibrations and devices. Without this, the data cannot be compared and be considered entirely meaningful.
Wearables are definitely not going anywhere, in fact, they just might be getting started. With all the benefits that they offer, especially the vast amounts of data that are available, it is proven that they have an important role to play in rehabilitation technology. It is however, important to understand that the correct device has to be selected, and there will be flaws at times. If you have any questions, or are unsure about which wearable is the right one to accompany you on your rehabilitation journey, look to discuss with your Physical Therapist and Primary Care Physician. To schedule a Physical Therapy appointment, visit our Physical Therapy Appointments page.