Recent Trends in Physical Therapy Interventions and Neuromodulation Techniques to Improve Neurorehabilitation

Abstract

Promoting neuroplasticity for better recovery and function restoration has lately become the focus of rehabilitation techniques for individuals with neurologic disorders. A rapidly expanding medical specialty, neuromodulation includes a broad variety of methods for activating particular neurological pathways, such as Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), peripheral nerve stimulation, and SCS, among many others. Research on the use of neuromodulation in the context of spinal cord injury (SCI) is limited, in contrast to the abundance of literature on its potential benefits in chronic pain treatment. Combining exercise with non-invasive neuromodulation improves recovery outcomes for some patient groups, according to our research. While we mostly focus on the motor components of recovery, we do briefly mention the non-motor effects of these disorders. The difficulties of applying ideas in clinical practice and the gaps in the existing research are also brought to light. In order to better customize the individual neuroplastic responses associated with each disease, we identify research gaps and propose routes for future investigations. This review is useful for rehabilitation professionals and researchers since it focuses on neuroplastic exercise treatments for specific illnesses and diagnoses. Few studies have used long-term randomized-controlled trials, even though these approaches have great promise for enhancing overall functionality and impairment levels. If these novel modalities may be therapeutically employed to reduce pain, restore function, and improve the quality of life for individuals impacted, then more study is required to support them.

Keywords: Neuromodulation; clinical practice.; neuroplasticity; non-invasive; personalization; rehabilitation.