At Anatomical Concepts, we look to other fields for insight and inspiration that we can bring to rehabilitation. For example, elite athletes like our rehabiliation clients will set training goals, undergo rigorous physical training and adhere to strict plans to achieve peak performance. This article explores the potential benefits of applying the principles of elite athlete training to help individuals recover from neurological conditions.

In the intricate world of rehabilitation, the challenges posed by human complexity exceed those found in high-performance systems like Formula 1 cars. This article explores the multifaceted nature of rehabilitation, emphasising the importance of systems thinking in addressing individual variability and interconnected factors that impact recovery. As we delve into how each person's unique biological and psychological makeup influences their path to recovery, we will uncover the critical need for tailored treatment approaches. By recognising the interrelationships among various components—be it physiological, psychological, or social—healthcare providers can optimise rehabilitation strategies and enhance patients' recovery outcomes.

Recently, I found myself reflecting on the notion of "snake oil salesmen" as I observed a new client navigating their recovery from a spinal cord injury. In their quest for healing, this individual encountered a maze of contradictory advice regarding what recovery was achievable, leading to confusion about their journey. What to trust? Who to believe? What action makes sense?
Some individuals naturally know how to focus on what they can control while releasing the rest. While the future is unpredictable, carefully examining controllable factors, likely outcomes, and strategies to address these variables offers the best chance for success. This approach considers the chain reaction: "If I do X now, then Y will follow, leading to Z." The wise person sets out to carefully define the unknowns in that chain reaction. Carefully filtering the advice offered is a sound step.

Functional Electrical Stimulation cycling, also known as FES cycling or using an FES bike, is a rehabilitation technique that uses electrical stimulation to activate skeletal muscle in individuals with spinal cord injury or other types of neurological injury. This technique is well established in the homes of hundreds of people in the UK as well as in NHS and private facilities. In this article we address the topic of how often you should exercise with this technology. For example, is 20 minutes, three times per week really enough?

Many of us today walk around or exercise with products that sense many aspects of our daily activity. Smartphones and sensor developments mean that we can be more in tune with what is happening to our health and fitness. My Suunto watch monitors my heart rate and heart rate variability, blood oxygenation, skin temperature and activities in many ways. It can nudge me to exercise more, tell me how I recovered from exercise and alert me to how well or how badly I am sleeping.. I personally do like having these insights, but of course, some people will hate the idea of this.

The smartwatch and related sensor technologies have opened up some new possibilities. In this article, im going beyond the smartwatch of today and take a look at what additional sensor technologies might assist us with spinal cord injury rehabilitation in the near future. In particular, we take a look at two sensor areas that have grown in popularity with elite athletes - Muscle oxygen sensing and Lactate sensing. If you want to know why, then read on.

This article discusses how to counter Goodhart's Law in healthcare, focusing on quality metrics and patient outcomes. You might not have heard of Goodhart's Law, but it describes an extremely common tendency that has almost certainly affected us all at some point.
The temptation with complex services such as healthcare, is to focus on some simple metric that might reflect overall performance. Unfortunately this often results in misrepresenting the true performance of the system.
This article offers strategies to balance care quality with quantitative measures, enhancing rehabilitation services.