Held as part of the 13th St. Petersburg International Health Forum, the Research and Practice Conference «Medical Rehabilitation in the Service to Future People: Progressive Innovative Technologies and Their Performance» was dedicated to the issues of rehabilitation and returning injured and traumatized the SVO participants, as well as patients who have suffered serious diseases, to a normal life.

Professor Galina Ivanova, Chief Freelance Specialist in Medical Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation; Head of the Research Centre for Medical Rehabilitation at the Federal Centre for Brain and Neurotechnology of the FMBA (Federal Medical-Biological Agency) of Russia, noted in her speech that rehabilitation – physical, mental, and social – is the most important issue on the current agenda. «In this regard, we need to work in a very consolidated manner», said Galina Ivanova. «Our foreign colleagues have been using these technologies for decades, while we have been using them for months and years». According to her, treatment and rehabilitation are always conducted in parallel.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says about health that it is complete social and mental well-being, not just the absence of defects or diseases. Meanwhile, as noted the expert, this is still seriously at odds with Federal Law No. 323-FZ, since it says that health means the absence of diseases.

In short, the criteria of health are changing, and rehabilitation is a complex process, and today, it means the opportunity for using all the achievements of science. Health depends on the condition of cells, organs and tissues, the patient’s motivation, and based on this, a rehabilitation program is being prepared for him/her. Moreover, not only doctors, but also the family and the social environment should be involved in these issues.

The professor noted that every third person needs rehabilitation at some point in their life. Therefore, rehabilitation today is primarily an individual risk assessment, regular health monitoring, prevention and lifestyle changes.

Reports on new technologies applied by medical scientists in rehabilitation were also presented at the Conference.

For example, Rezeda Bodrova, Head of the Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Kazan State Medical Academy – a Branch of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Additional Professional Education «Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education» of the Russian Ministry of Healthcare, Head of the Medical Rehabilitation Centre of Sadykov City Clinical Hospital No. 7 in Kazan, Chief Freelance Specialist in Medical Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan), spoke about eye-tracking technology to become increasingly widespread in Russia, showing remarkable results.

«Eye-tracking technology helps patients fix their gaze on an object and manage their needs», shared Reseda Bodrova.

This technology is suitable for patients with injures of the central nervous system, for example, in cases of severe forms of cerebral palsy or consequences of injuries. These patients communicate with their assistants by using their gaze, can fix answers «no» and «yes» in a computer, express anxiety, and even turn on the light or the TV set.

A current topical issue is the loss of their limbs by patients. Professor Tatiana Buylova, Director of Lobachevsky Nizhny-Novgorod National State University’s Institute of Rehabilitation and Human Health, Head of the Rehabilitation Centre of the Moscow Branch of «Nizhny Novgorod Prosthetic and Orthopedic Enterprise», Chief Freelance Specialist in Rehabilitation at the Volga Federal District, spoke about the rehabilitation of the SVO participants who have lost their limbs. She noted that prosthetics technology was available even in 1813, and two centuries later, naturally, they advanced a lot. Biotic technology is currently used in prosthetics: it is about bionic prostheses. Such prostheses are controlled by muscle signals, they integrate with the body, restoring or even improving its functions, which increases comfort and minimizes the risk of rejection.

The specialist added that working with the stump is also important.

«These are muscle stretching and aerobic training. This process is extremely energy-consuming, patients quickly lose their stamina, but these trainings are very important», said Tatiana Buylova. The expert emphasized that daily workouts and therapeutic physical culture classes are of particular importance.

Irina Mishina, First Deputy Director, Professor at the Department of Postgraduate Medical Education at St. Petersburg State University’s Medical Institute, spoke about the latest achievements in cardiac rehabilitation.

According to the expert, in the professional environment, the debate on whether cardiorehabilitation is effective has already ended, and its effectiveness has been proven.

«What do cardiorehabilitation programs include? Physical activity comes first», emphasized Irina Mishina, «everything else is optional».

Since 2007, when main documents on cardiorehabilitation were adopted in the world, a person’s individual treatment plan has come to the fore, with much attention to have been paid to nutrition, blood pressure control, weight loss, physical education, smoking cessation, and dealing with psychological stress.

As Irina Mishina noted, the rehabilitation program now includes primarily physical and special aerobic exercises, such as cycling 3–5 times a week, and the training should be continuous.

Professor Natalia Ivanova, Head of the Scientific Department of Polenov Russian Research Institute of Neurosurgery, the Branch of Almazov National Research Medical Centre of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, said that there are 450 million people worldwide with various neurological disorders in the brain. «Here, I represent the neurosurgical structure», she addressed her colleagues, «problems of rehabilitation in neurosurgery are extremely complex, since we face a variety of forms of pathology (the Institute deals with brain tumors, vascular pathologies and other diseases). And at present, there is a problem: the patient’s stay in the neurosurgical hospital is too short».

Natalia Ivanova complained that the standards sometimes do not take into account the period of treatment and rehabilitation of patients in the neurosurgical department. «The question may arise: why start rehabilitation in the intensive care unit? At our institute, we have been doing this since 1968: as soon as the patient recovers out from anesthesia, we begin the rehabilitation process», said the professor.

Other rehabilitation systems, in particular, methods of recovery after stroke, methods of routing rehabilitation, occupational therapy as one of the methods of rehabilitation, etc., were also considered at the Conference.