Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability worldwide, and effective post-stroke rehabilitation plays a critical role in improving functional outcomes and quality of life for survivors.¹ Yet, conventional in-person rehabilitation faces numerous challenges, including therapist shortages, access barriers, and increasing healthcare system burdens.¹ In response to these issues, researchers have turned to digital innovations, with telerehabilitation emerging as a promising solution to bridge these gaps and provide more accessible care.¹ At the AAN Annual Meeting 2025, Dr. Faddi Saleh Velez from the University of Oklahoma in the United States, presented a recent study that examined the efficacy, usability, and feasibility of the SmartRehab application, an automated telerehabilitation platform that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision to support remote stroke recovery.¹

In this international multicenter study, participants received a four-week automated rehabilitation program prescribed by their therapists using the SmartRehab application.¹ SmartRehab provides personalized, therapist-guided sessions that patients can access at home.¹ The system uses a computer vision-based movement tracking algorithm to analyze patient movements in real time, offering precise feedback, assessments, and dynamic session adjustments.¹ Motor improvements were measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) for the upper and lower extremities, while user satisfaction was evaluated with the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ).¹

The study assessed SmartRehab’s feasibility and efficacy in post-stroke patients with motor disabilities.¹ Early results from 30 subjects across seven countries and eight hospitals were promising.¹ Among them, 15 stroke survivors completed the full four-week telerehabilitation program (mean age 57.6 ± 16.97; 75% male).¹ Preliminary analysis of 11 participants with complete FMA revealed a statistically significant improvement in upper extremity motor function, with a mean change of -10.8 ± 6.8 points from baseline to follow-up (p<0.001), reinforcing its potential as a viable rehabilitation tool.¹ Additionally, there was a notable trend toward improvement in lower extremity function (mean change: -4.571 ± 4.9), which approached statistical significance (p=0.052).¹

Stroke survivors rated the program highly on the TUQ, with an average score of 5.87 ± 1.1 on a 7-point scale, indicating strong user acceptance.¹ Therapists also reported high satisfaction, emphasizing the system’s ease of use and the value the platform provided to patients.¹ However, adherence rates varied considerably across participating countries, ranging from 19% to 95% with an average of 48%, with lower compliance attributed to technological barriers and varying levels of digital literacy among patients​.¹ Despite these encouraging findings, the study also revealed barriers related to technology access and digital literacy, which may affect program adherence.¹ The researchers emphasized the importance of addressing these issues to ensure equitable access and optimize the benefits of telerehabilitation.¹

In conclusion, the SmartRehab application demonstrates both feasibility and efficacy as an AI-powered telerehabilitation platform for post-stroke recovery, leading to significant improvements in upper extremity motor function.¹ Stroke survivors reported high satisfaction, as reflected in favorable TUQ scores, while therapists noted its ease of use and clinical value.¹ With continued efforts to address technological and digital literacy barriers, SmartRehab holds strong potential as an accessible and effective solution for stroke rehabilitation.¹