Selma Peláez and Rosa Maria Cabanas, researchers and lecturers on the Bachelor's Degree in Physiotherapy at UIC, are developing a telerehabilitation platform designed specifically for people with hereditary ataxia.

Hereditary ataxias are a group of rare neurological disorders that primarily affect coordination and balance and can cause difficulties with walking, moving the arms and legs, carrying out precise movements and, in some cases, speaking and swallowing. According to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology, around 2,500 people in Spain live with some form of hereditary ataxia.

The project arose from two previous studies conducted by the research team on the effects of home-based therapeutic exercise in people with hereditary ataxia. These studies revealed a demand among participants for a tool that would help them maintain a regular therapeutic exercise programme at home.

In response to this need, Peláez and Cabanas have led the development of their own platform, which will combine therapeutic exercise, professional monitoring and, over time, gamification elements.

More personalised rehabilitation

One of the project's main objectives is to develop interventions that are more closely tailored to the characteristics of each neurological condition. Although gamification has already been explored in rehabilitation through commercial devices and video games, the team aims to develop a tool designed from the outset around the needs of people with hereditary ataxia.

"In rehabilitation, we cannot generalise. A therapeutic exercise platform cannot be the same for a person with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or hereditary ataxia. Research is moving towards increasingly specific interventions that are tailored to the needs of each condition," explains Selma Peláez, UIC researcher and project lead.

The inclusion of therapeutic video games seeks not only to make exercise more engaging, but also to improve adherence and help patients maintain the volume of therapeutic work required.

The project is currently in the early stages of development and will place user-centred design at its core. To achieve this, the team will collaborate with the Patient Experience Department at Hospital Clínic Barcelona to ensure that the future platform is tailored to the needs, abilities and expectations of its users.

In addition, this project is one of four initiatives that have received support this year from UIC Innovació, UIC's knowledge transfer and valorisation programme. The funding and mentoring provided will help shape the next phase of the project and support the initial development of the video games that will form part of the platform.