Andrea Turolla

Andrea Turolla
University of Bologna | UNIBO · Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences - DIBINEM

Professor

About

178
Publications
65,619
Reads
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5,565
Citations
Introduction
The core of my research focuses on neurophysiology and control of the motor system, virtual reality and robotics for neurorehabilitation, with an interest in studying how muscle synergies, activated at cortical level, are enhanced by motor rehabilitation therapies.
Additional affiliations
April 2013 - present
University of Padua
Position
  • Professor
Description
  • Professor with annual appointment (BSc Physiotherapy)
October 2012 - February 2017
The University of Sheffield
Position
  • PhD Student
Description
  • http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/neuroscience/staff/turolla
April 2012 - April 2016
IRCCS Ospedale San Camillo
Position
  • Myoelectric interfacing with sensory-motor integration - MYOSENS
Description
  • Signals from the human body can be used for man-machine interaction. In a consortium of academic teams and industries, we propose to implement the sensory-motor integration in commercially viable devices for prosthetic control and robotics rehabilitation.
Education
October 2012 - February 2017
The University of Sheffield
Field of study
  • Neuroscience
September 2010 - March 2011
University of Milan
Field of study
  • Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
September 2005 - September 2007
University of Padua
Field of study
  • Rehabilitation Health Professional Science

Publications

Publications (178)
Article
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Introduction: Gait impairments are common in People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Several studies have examined the clino-metric properties of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), with LDLJa identified as a robust metric for gait smoothness. However, its responsiveness and interpretability have not been explored. Methods: This cross-sectional study...
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Background/Objectives: Vestibular rehabilitation, an evidence-based physical therapy approach, plays a crucial role in managing and recovering from gaze and balance disorders, including those of central origin. This study, targeted at the community of Italian healthcare practitioners, is vital in understanding the application of vestibular rehabili...
Article
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Introduction: Frozen shoulder (FS) is a musculoskeletal disorder affecting the glenohumeral joint. This condition leads to disability and a worsening in quality of life. Despite its considerable impact on patients and its economic burden, research on the psychological and social implications of FS-as well as patients' perspectives and needs-is lim...
Article
Background: The 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT) is a simple and reliable test used by clinicians to assess gait function in people with stroke (pwST). No studies established the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the 2MWT. Objective: To determine the MCID of the 2MWT in subacute pwST using data from a longitudinal cohort study. Methods...
Article
Objective People who have survived stroke may have motor and cognitive impairments. High dose of motor rehabilitation was found to provide clinically relevant improvement to upper limb (UL) motor function. Besides, mounting evidence suggests that clinical, neural, and neurophysiological features are associated with spontaneous recovery. However, th...
Preprint
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In stroke rehabilitation, muscle synergies have been investigated to provide information on the level of upper limb motor impairment, but not yet for explaining motor recovery after therapy. In this study, we analysed muscle synergies parameters extracted from 62 people with stroke who underwent a specific upper limb treatment (20 sessions, 1h/day,...
Article
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Sexual disability is an emerging topic in the management of low back pain (LBP); nevertheless, sexual counseling skills are not widespread amongst professionals. The clinical behavior of physiotherapists in this field was not studied thoroughly; therefore, it is not clear if and how physiotherapists collect information related to sexual disability...
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Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent autoimmune neurological condition in the world, leading to a wide variety of symptoms, including balance disorders. Objective: To evaluate the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR) of all six semicircular canals (SCCs) through Head Impulse (HIMP) and Suppression HIMP (SHIMP) paradigms and a...
Article
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Introduction Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Europe. In the case of stroke survival (almost 70%), only 25% of patients recover completely, while the remaining 75% will undergo a rehabilitation phase that varying from months to years. The primary outcomes of a stroke involve motor impairment in the upper limbs, resulting in a partial...
Article
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Background Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are emerging educational tools for students in healthcare science. However, assessing their accuracy is essential prior to adoption in educational settings. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of predicting the correct answers from three AI chatbots (ChatGPT-4, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini...
Article
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Background and purpose This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence physiotherapists’ decision in choosing restorative or compensatory rehabilitation during gait training in people with neurological disorders (PwNDs) and the different treatments used in the approaches. Methods This cross-sectional analysis used the baseline data from...
Article
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Introduction The Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) is a safe and reliable assessment of peripheral vestibular function. Many studies tested its accuracy in clinical settings for differential diagnosis and quantification of the vestibulo-oculomotor reflex (VOR) in various disorders. However, the results of its application after lesions of the CNS are d...
Article
Background Myogenic temporomandibular disorders (M‐TMD) commonly involve occlusal splint (OS) therapy and musculoskeletal physiotherapy (MPT). Objectives To compare the effects of combining OS with MPT and education (EG) against OS and education (CG), in chronic M‐TMD patients. Methods In this double‐blind randomised controlled trial, 62 particip...
Preprint
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Introduction Neurological disorders are a prevalent cause of disability and death, which has a considerable impact on the world’s economic and healthcare systems, not least because of rehabilitation needs. Neurorehabilitation is effective and recommended for the best recovery of motor and cognitive functions and quality of life. This study evaluate...
Article
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- Hip fracture is the most common cause of hospitalization in frail geriatric subjects due to osteoporosis and recurrent falls. The clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation after surgery in patients with hip fractures recommend to start treatment early. However, the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic between December 2019 and January 2020 force...
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Objective A shared consensus on the safety about physical agent modalities (PAMs) practice in physiotherapy and rehabilitation is lacking. We aimed to develop evidence-informed and consensus-based statements about the safety of PAMs. Study design and setting A RAND-modified Delphi Rounds’ survey was used to reach a consensus. We established a stee...
Preprint
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Introduction: Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), such as urinary or fecal incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, is a common medical condition with increasing awareness in female athletes since they suffer more frequently from PFD than non-athletes. For female athletes PFD can be very disabling and stressful and may even lead to withdrawal from sport....
Article
OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of an artificial intelligence chatbot to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) recommendations for providing answers to complex clinical questions on lumbosacral radicular pain. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We extracted recommendations from recent CPGs for diagnosing and treating lumbosacral radicular pai...
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Background Several systematic reviews (SRs), with and without meta-analyses, have investigated the use of wearable devices to improve physical activity, and there is a need for frequent and updated syntheses on the topic. Objective We aimed to evaluate whether using wearable devices increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour in ad...
Article
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The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the multimodal treatment based on both resistance and endurance training for the recovery of lower limb function in post-stroke patients is more effective than unimodal treatment. Six electronic databases were searched. The included articles were firstly analysed for methodological quality and then quant...
Article
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Telerehabilitation (TR) seems to be a viable and feasible solution to face the rehabilitative challenges posed by neurological impairments and to improve patients’ quality of life (QoL). This review aims to synthesize and analyze the evidence on the impact of physiotherapy intervention through TR on QoL in patients with stroke, Parkinson’s disease...
Article
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Stroke, a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, manifests as motor, speech language, and cognitive impairments, necessitating customized rehabilitation strategies. In this context, telerehabilitation (TR) strategies have emerged as promising solutions. In a multi-center longitudinal pilot study, we explored the effects of a multi-domain...
Article
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Background Humans often use co‐speech gestures to promote effective communication. Attention has been paid to the cortical areas engaged in the processing of co‐speech gestures. Aims To investigate the neural network underpinned in the processing of co‐speech gestures and to observe whether there is a relationship between areas involved in languag...
Article
Background and Purpose Lateral elbow pain represents a common musculoskeletal disorder, mostly non‐specific and benign. In rare cases, it can be the first symptom of a severe disease such as Ewing's sarcoma (ES). ES is the second most common primary malignant bone tumor in the young population, with a high probability of an unfavourable prognosis....
Article
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Despite their relevance in neurorehabilitation, physical therapy (PT) goals and interventions are poorly described, compromising a proper understanding of PT effectiveness in everyday clinical practice. Thus, this paper aims to describe the prevalence of PT goals and interventions in people with neurological disorders, along with the participants’...
Article
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Background Evidence-based practice (EBP) is being rapidly adopted by the Italian physiotherapy community, although a knowledge gap persists at clinical level with consequent lack of integration of EBP into ground roots practice. Teaching of EBP during the Bachelor of Science (BSc) undergraduate course in physiotherapy likely has a vital role to pla...
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Background Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative neurorehabilitation modality that has been variously examined in systematic reviews. We assessed VR effectiveness and safety after cerebral stroke. Methods In this overview of systematic reviews, we searched eleven databases (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web...
Article
Background: The implementation of regular prolonged, and effective rehabilitation in people with Parkinson's disease is essential for ensuring a good quality of life. However, the continuity of rehabilitation care may find barriers related to economic, geographic, and social issues. In these scenarios, telerehabilitation could be a possible soluti...
Article
Synopsis: Artificial intelligence (AI), specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), which focus on the interaction between computers and human language, can influence musculoskeletal rehabilitation management. AI chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing, Google Bard) are a form of LLMs designed to understand, interpret, and generate text similar to w...
Article
Purpose: To propose a consensus-based definition and framework for motor rehabilitation after stroke. Methods: An expert European working group reviewed the literature, attaining internal consensus after external feedback. Findings: Motor rehabilitation is defined as a process that engages people with stroke to benefit their motor function, ac...
Article
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Background: Stroke is a debilitating disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite the survival rate has significantly increased over the years, many stroke survivors are left with severe impairments impacting their quality of life. Rehabilitation programs have proved to be successful in improving the recovery process. However, a reliable...
Article
Phone Number: +39 049 827 6668 J o u r n a l P r e-p r o o f 0 Abstract: 1 It has been suggested that Gerstmann's syndrome is the result of subcortical disconnection rather than emerging from 2 damage of a multifunctional brain region within the parietal lobe. However, patterns of white matter tract disconnection 3 following parietal damage have be...
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Background and purpose In neurorehabilitation clinical practice, assessment is usually more oriented to evaluate patient’s present status, than to plan interventions according to predicted outcomes. Therefore, we conducted an extensive review of current prognostic models available in the literature for recovery prediction of many functions and cons...
Article
Translating findings from clinical research to hands-on practice is still far from being effective, especially with regard to new treatments. The highest level of evidence (ie, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, meta-analysis, systematic reviews) provide curated, comprehensive, and consistently organized summations and analyses of evidenc...
Article
Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the internal and external responsiveness of the Reaching performance Scale for Stroke (RPSS) in individuals with stroke. Design: Retrospective analysis of data from four randomized controlled trials. Setting: Recruitment locations spanning rehabilitation centers and hospitals in Canada, Ita...
Article
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Background: People with chronic neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), often present postural disorders and a high risk of falling. When difficulties in achieving outpatient rehabilitation services occur, a solution to guarantee the continuity of care may be telerehabilitation. This study intends to ex...
Article
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Background: As the field of sensor-based rehabilitation continues to expand, it is important to gain a comprehensive understanding of its current research landscape. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis to identify the most influential authors, institutions, journals, and research areas in this field. Methods: A search of the Web...
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After stroke, upper limb motor impairment is one of the most common consequences that compromises the level of the autonomy of patients. In a neurorehabilitation setting, the implementation of wearable sensors provides new possibilities for enhancing hand motor recovery. In our study, we tested an innovative wearable (REMO®) that detected the resid...
Article
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The degeneration of lower motoneurons has often been reported in stroke survivors, with possible collateral reinnervation from the surviving motoneurons to the denervated muscle fibers. Under this assumption, a stroke would be expected to increase the size of motor units in paretic muscles. We indirectly address this issue with electrical stimulati...
Article
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After stroke, recovery of upper limb (UL) motor function is enhanced by a high dose of rehabilitation and is supposed to be supported by attentive functions. However, their mutual influence during rehabilitation is not well known yet. The aim of this retrospective observational cohort study was to investigate the association between rehabilitation...
Article
To develop a screening tool for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in female athletes for use by sports medicine clinicians (eg, musculoskeletal/sports physiotherapists, sports and exercise medicine physicians), which guides referral to a PFD specialist (eg, pelvic floor/women’s health physiotherapist, gynaecologist, urogynaecologist, urologist). Betwe...
Article
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Background: Robot-based treatments are developing in neurorehabilitation settings. Recently, the Italian National Health Systems recognized robot-based rehabilitation as a refundable service. Thus, the Italian neurorehabilitation community promoted a national consensus on this topic. Objective: To conceptualize undisclosed perspectives for resea...
Article
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Objective: To investigate the most common physical examination tests (PET) for the screening for referral of patients with back or chest pain caused by serious pathology. Methods: A systematic review was conducted. Searches were performed on seven electronic databases between June 2020 and December 2021. Only studies evaluating patients with back a...
Article
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A high percentage of patients with lateral ankle sprains report poor outcomes and persistent neuromuscular impairment leading to chronic ankle instability and re-injury. Several interventions have been proposed and investigated, but the evidence on manual therapy combined with therapeutic exercise for pain reduction and functional improvement is st...
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A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare whether the continuous visualization of a virtual teacher, during virtual reality rehabilitation, is more effective than the same treatment provided without a virtual teacher visualization, for the recovery of arm motor function after stroke. Teacher and no-teacher groups received...
Article
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Objective This study aimed at exploring the perspectives and experiences of patients with neck pain by synthesizing all available qualitative studies. Methods A systematic, qualitative meta-summary and meta-synthesis was conducted following the 5-step methodology proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso. A systematic search of 9 electronic databases wa...
Article
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It is estimated that over 400 million people worldwide experience some form of urinary incontinence (UI). Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is commonly used in cases of urine loss. Game therapy (GT) has been suggested as a new conservative modality for UI treatments. GT represents a form of virtual reality (VR) that allows users to interact with...
Article
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Objective The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of RMT in internal and central nervous system disorders, on pulmonary function, exercise capacity and quality of life. Methods The inclusion criteria were (1) publications designed as Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), with (2) participants being adult...
Preprint
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Background/aim: Several epidemiological studies have found a high prevalence of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) among female athletes. However, according to several authors, these data could even be underestimated, both in research and clinical practice. Screening for potential PFD is often delayed and risk factors are not often evaluated. As a cons...
Article
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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in China in December 2019 and now is a pandemic all around the world. In Italy, Northern regions were hit the hardest during the first wave. We aim to explore the prevalence and the exposure characteristics of physiotherapists (PTs) working in different Italian regions during the first wave...
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It remains unknown whether variation of scores on the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale for muscle strength is associated with operator-independent techniques: dynamometry and surface electromyography (sEMG). This study aimed to evaluate whether the scores of the MRC strength scale are associated with instrumented measures of torque and muscle a...
Article
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Recent studies have investigated muscle synergies as biomarkers for stroke, but it remains controversial if muscle synergies and clinical observation convey the same information on motor impairment. We aim to identify whether muscle synergies and clinical scales convey the same information or not. Post-stroke patients were administered an upper lim...
Article
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Numerous Virtual Reality (VR) systems address post-stroke functional recovery of the lower extremity (LE), most of them with low early applicability due to the gait autonomy they require. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific VR treatment and its clinical effect on LE functionality, gait, balance, and trunk cont...
Article
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Background and PurposePost-stroke dysphagia affects almost half of the survivors and severely influences quality of life, thus becoming swallowing rehabilitation of paramount importance. However, there is little adequate evidence on which the best rehabilitative strategy can be. Surface electromyography (sEMG) allows for recording swallowing muscle...
Article
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Currently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severely influences physiotherapy education which is based mostly on face-to-face teaching. Thus, educators have been compelled to adapt their pedagogical approaches moving to digital education. In this commentary, we debate on digital education highlighting its effectiveness, the users’ perspectiv...
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Background: The clinical outcome of patients suffering from stroke is dependent on multiple factors. The features of the lesion itself play an important role but clinical recovery is remarkably influenced by the plasticity mechanisms triggered by the stroke and occurring at a distance from the lesion. The latter translate into functional and struct...
Article
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Many researchers have pointed out that decreased sagittal range of motion (ROM) in the affected hip joint is a common consequence of stroke, and it adversely affects walking performance and walking speed. Nevertheless, the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) in hip-related kinematic gait parameters post-stroke have not yet been determin...
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Background During COVID-19 pandemic, physiotherapy lecturers faced the challenge of rapidly shifting from face-to-face to online education. This retrospective case-control study aims to compare students’ satisfaction and performances shown in an online course to a control group of students who underwent the same course delivered face-to-face in the...
Article
Background Mechanical low back pain is commonly treated by a physical therapist and involves the assessment of red flags that may warrant referral. Case Presentation A 42-year-old man presented with acute low back pain that started after strenuous rugby practice. Outcome and Follow-Up Examination revealed restricted active range of motion in right...
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Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence, personal- and work-related exposures, and signs and symptoms among physical therapists during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Italy. Methods This cross-sectional, survey-based study collected demographic and exposure data from physical therapists from Apri...
Article
Objectives : To evaluate effectiveness or non-inferiority of telerehabilitation for people with aphasia when compared to conventional face-to-face speech and language therapy. Materials and Methods : Five electronic databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS and the Cochrane Library) were searched. We extrapolated data from the included stu...