In a country where costly rehabilitation technologies remain out of reach for many patients, accessible tools such as gaming consoles could help reshape care for Filipinos with neurological conditions.
UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences Acting Dean Donald Manlapaz is pushing for the use of “exergaming,” robotics, and sensor-based systems to improve neurorehabilitation, especially for stroke patients and those with Parkinson’s disease.
Manlapaz recently authored “Integrating Technology in Neurological Rehabilitation,” a chapter in Elsevier’s Umphred’s Neurological Rehabilitation, 8th Edition, which examines emerging technologies that may improve diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes.
Exergaming, a combination of “exercise” and “gaming,” refers to physically engaging video games that may be used to prevent disease and support rehabilitation.
“Gaming was intended for entertainment purposes, but if we are really serious about using this kind of technology, then we should have, of course, literature to back up its evidence,” Manlapaz told the Varsitarian.
“This involves activities that will help them gain their balance, strength, range of motion, and most especially their functional activities.”
Manlapaz said his expertise and research on exergaming, the focus of his Ph.D. studies from 2015 to 2018, led to an invitation to contribute to the book.
Technology can help make rehabilitation more precise by helping clinicians monitor movement, evaluate outcomes, and determine which interventions work best for specific patients, Manlapaz said.
He added that technology can support both diagnosis and treatment, allowing for earlier and more effective interventions.
Despite these advances, affordability remains a challenge, particularly for local and rural hospitals with limited resources, Manlapaz said.
He said lower-cost tools such as gaming consoles could serve as a practical entry point for rehabilitation.
“We can create our own Filipino games, tailored,” he said. “Instead of boxing, maybe Arnis. At the same time, money-wise, budget-wise, we can survive.”
The chapter also highlights the intergenerational aspect of rehabilitation, in which younger people may help older adults become more familiar with technology.
“There’s what we call fear of technology, lalo na ’yong mga older generations. They don’t know how to use it,” Manlapaz said. “Puwedeng turuan ng mga bata ’yong matanda to exercise using this device so that interconnectedness, particularly with generation, is also achieved.”
Manlapaz said technology should be further explored in research and the academe.
“Currently, [in CRS] we have assistive technology in our curriculum. We are trying to formulate a course on health innovations,” he said.
The proposed course will focus on design thinking and prototype development, with the goal of producing health innovations suited to local communities, he added.
Amid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, Manlapaz urged rehabilitation professionals and students to use technology without losing the human side of care.
“I think researchers and clinicians should strike a balance, using their expertise and using the expertise of technology, plus the AI and robotic things,” he said.
Umphred’s Neurological Rehabilitation, 8th Edition was published by Elsevier on Sept. 11, 2025. Regis Avalo Jophiel L. Lim
