A challenge to Rehabilitation Medicine: engineering

Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) is a medical specialty present in the majority of the  hospitals  helping people to recover from a trauma, a stroke or a neurological disease. Their methods are based in passive manipulation with some mechanical help, but  the new technological development is a real challenge …

Medicine in our days is devoted to pharmacological therapy with the idea  of a “permanent perfect human being”, but the truth is that this is a non realistic goal and what we can do is to help patients to achieve the best outcome possible in terms of personal autonomy. Medical engineering is evolving  rapidly and we can see artificial limbs, robotic arms, special suits to get people standing up and to be able to walk. All of these inventions are expensive but our responsability as physicians is to consider their use in the everyday practice and to be able to incorporate  the “machine” but also to change our  minds to put out of the ghetto this specialty  to reduce suffering and to give a better life to many persons, young and old.

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