Dear Colleagues,

Upper limb function is one of the main indicators of a patient’s independence, and pathologies affecting upper limbs represent a serious concern in rehabilitation.

This is particularly important in athletes, mainly in overhead sport, in which repetitive technical gestures are responsible for shoulder disorders, e.g., impingement syndrome, and rotator cuff lesion, which represent frequent causes of shoulder pain.

In addition, several neurologic diseases, e.g., stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy, affect upper limb function, with a negative effect on daily life activities.

In this context, the rapid advancements in technology over the last decade have significantly impacted the medicine and health sciences through the provision of enhanced functionalities and improved health services. The implementation of new technologies in upper extremity rehabilitation settings has been proven to provide a substantial added value in the clinical outcome of patients and to improve training responses in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and injury prevention. Moreover, the use of extended reality (XR) (virtual, augmented, mixed) throughout the continuum of medical education and training is demonstrating appreciable benefits. In particular, the existing literature shows that XR-based therapy for upper extremity rehabilitation is a promising solution for patients with neurological and musculoskeletal diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy.

Considering the huge potential application of this technology and its impact on clinical practice and public health, the journal Medicina is launching this Special Issue with the aim to gather the existing evidence as regards the value of using XR-assisted approaches in upper extremity rehabilitation and injury prevention.

Papers dealing with innovative approaches to musculoskeletal rehabilitation and injury prevention using extended reality are welcome to this Special Issue.

Dr. Arrigo Palumbo
Dr. Vera Gramigna
Guest Editors

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• virtual, augmented, and mixed reality in rehabilitation
• human–robot interaction
• medical robotics telemedicine
• tele-rehabilitation
• rehabilitation
• motor and/or cognitive rehabilitation
• technology in healthcare
• shoulder injury
• neurorehabilitation
• sport medicine
• prevention
• pain management