Artificial intelligence applied to medicine can mean a qualitative leap in adherence to treatment for patients with various pathologies, while improving their physical conditions, well-being and quality of life. In this sense,Grünenthal, as an innovative company and leader in pain management in our country, has incorporated into its Dolor.com platform the Trak tele-rehabilitation tool, developed by the San Sebastian startup TRAK Health Solution. This digital physiotherapy application uses the camera of a mobile device, tablet or laptop to analyse patients’ movements, guide them during exercise sessions and analyse their movement in real time.
TRAK is presented as a telerehabilitation solution to the problems of adherence and telecare in the sector. “Our goal as a company has always been to create an effective tool for healthcare professionals while helping to universalise the rehabilitation service, making it accessible to all patients who need this type of assistance,” says Jon Vital, CEO and co-founder of the company. “Physical exercise is fundamental in any rehabilitation process, but we have observed that it is difficult for patients to comply with the routines and adhere to the treatment,” insists Vital.
The tool has already been tested in several hospitals in Spain, such as Hospital Universitario de Torrejón (Madrid); Hospital Universitario del Vinapoló (Elche); and Hospital Ribera Povisa (Vigo), with the participation of physiotherapists and medical specialists in its development and design
Reducing pain with therapeutic exercise and telerehabilitation
Access to the platform will be very simple from Dolor.com: the patient will be able to do so directly, without the need for wereables or the registration of personal data, but always with the recommendation and approval of their healthcare professional to ensure that the exercises available for each pain condition are, in any case, a reinforcement of the prescribed treatment.
In order to determine the efficacy and adherence of Trak, a first study was launched involving 60 patients with shoulder pathology. The study found that “98.5% of those surveyed felt the same or better than in previous sessions after completing the exercise plan. This figure is linked to greater adherence, rising from 24% in the current evidence to 278%,” says Jon Vital. “In this sense, the study also found that 75% of people over 65 were willing to complete the treatment compared to the general average, and an average 28% improvement in joint balance was recorded.
By implementing the telerehabilitation platform in its project,, Grünenthal provides users of its pain website, Dolor.com, with five protocols aimed at alleviating pain and maintaining joint function. For each of these, sessions of between 20 and 25 minutes are established, structured in a maximum of seven exercises for each speciality. During their execution, the tool identifies twenty of the patient’s body points, thanks to a pose estimation algorithm, which facilitates assistance during the rehabilitation process and the immediate correction of incorrect postures and movements.
At the end of each session, the patient will be provided with data related to each completed exercise and a brief questionnaire that will determine, depending on the ailments or lack thereof, the continuity of the proposed rehabilitation plan or the suggestion of consultation with their specialist doctor to analyse the suitability of the available exercises.
This guided experience is also endorsed by the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF). For its part, Trak is classified by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) as a Class I Medical Device and is therefore CE marked, with a prior operating licence attached. This means compliance with the legal and technical safety requirements of the member states of the European Union.
AboutTrak:
TRAK Health Solutions is a company founded in 2020 dedicated to the creation of technological solutions for health. Its product, TRAK, is tele-rehabilitation software for the prescription of therapeutic exercise sessions. It includes an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of identifying up to 20 joint points on the human body and only needs the camera of a laptop or smartphone to analyse the movement and correct the patient in real time. In addition, the session is recorded and the mobility, range and strength data is sent to the professional for personalised patient monitoring. Its 3 founding partners are aware of the need for modernisation in the sector and launched the platform to make healthcare and physiotherapy more accessible to patients.
About Grünenthaler:
Grünenthal is a global leader in addressing pain and related diseases. As a science-based, family-owned pharmaceutical company, we have a long history of bringing innovative treatments and cutting-edge technology to patients around the world. Our purpose is to improve lives – innovation is our passion. We focus all our activities and efforts on achieving our vision of a world without pain. Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, with subsidiaries in 29 countries in Europe, Latin America and the United States, and our products are sold in more than 100 countries. Around 4,500 professionals work at Grünenthal and in 2020 it achieved revenues of approximately EUR 1.3 billion.
