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EHR exercise decision support trims falls in eSTEPS trial; walk distance rises after robot gait training in ALS; MindMaze reports home rehab results

A pair of small hexagonal hand dumbbells lying side by side next to an amber resistance band tied in a loose loop with a small knot.
THE SHORT READ

An electronic health record tool offering tailored exercise recommendations and optional physical therapy referral lowered the fall rate to 19.3 from 21.2 per 100 patient-years in the eSTEPS trial in JAMA Network Open.

Toho University researchers reported higher two-minute walk distance in 30 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after wearable robot gait training, without a control group, and MindMaze Therapeutics reported home-training results from four Vibra Healthcare sites.

THE DETAILS
  • Research Oct 16, 2026
    EHR exercise decision support with optional physical therapy referral lowers fall rate in 11,945-patient eSTEPS trial
    The matched-pair cluster randomized trial, published in JAMA Network Open, enrolled 11,945 adults 65 and older with a positive fall-risk screen at 22 primary care practices in a U.S. integrated health system. The eSTEPS tool, embedded in the electronic health record, offered tailored exercise recommendations, optional physical therapy referral and patient handouts, a website and an app. The rate of patients with one or more recorded falls was 19.3 versus 21.2 per 100 patient-years (rate ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.95; P < .001). Exercise prescriptions went to 22.1% of intervention patients, and mortality did not differ.
    Sources: JAMA Network Open, JAMA Network Open (article page)
  • Technology Oct 14, 2026
    Two-minute walk distance rises after HAL wearable robot gait training in 30 patients with ALS, uncontrolled study finds
    Researchers at Toho University in Japan gave 30 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) nine gait-training sessions with the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL), a wearable robot, in a single-center observational study without a control group published in Frontiers in Neurology. Mean two-minute walk distance rose from 92.27 m to 104.16 m (P < .001), but gait speed, cadence, step length and SF-36 quality-of-life scores did not change significantly. The authors wrote that HAL may provide short-term improvement in gait ability.
    Sources: Frontiers in Neurology, Nanowerk
  • Technology Oct 14, 2026
    MindMaze reports home digital neurorehabilitation raised motor-training dose by a median factor of 3.0 at Vibra sites
    MindMaze Therapeutics said a retrospective, multi-site quality improvement program at four Vibra Healthcare outpatient sites evaluated 177 rehabilitation episodes involving 172 adults, primarily after stroke, who trained at home with its MindMotion GO software under periodic therapist supervision. Patients averaged 174 minutes of active training per week, 84.4% of it asynchronous, and total motor-training dose rose by a median factor of 3.0 compared with usual outpatient therapy alone, the company said. Company-reported pre-post gains, presented at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, included 10.5 points on the Berg Balance Scale and Timed Up and Go times 8.8 seconds faster.
    Source: MindMaze Therapeutics

The weekly innovation roundup for physical therapy, published every Sunday for the week before; every item links to its sources. Latest physical therapy news · All specialties