They warn about the use of AI for musculoskeletal tolerances

The Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF) has warned that, due to waiting lists in the health system, many patients with musculoskeletal ailments -such as lower back pain, neck pain or knee problems- They turn to artificial intelligence tools generative like ‘ChatGPT’ to find exercises to treat symptoms on your own.

Faced with this situation, rehabilitation doctors remember that Therapeutic exercise is part of medical treatment and must always be indicated and supervised by a rehabilitation doctor.

The president of the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF), Helena Bascuñana, has pointed out that “the average wait in the National Health System to be treated in the Rehabilitation Services for ordinary common pathologies, such as osteoarticular pathologies and osteoarthritis, is around four months”, and added that “Given these waiting times, many patients choose to look for solutions on their own.”

In this sense, he explained that “some people resort to AI tools to start therapeutic exercises without medical supervision”, and has insisted that “exercise in physical medicine and rehabilitation is not a general recommendation, but rather a therapeutic intervention which requires prior assessment, defined objectives and adaptation to the clinical situation of each patient.

Bascuñana has explained that “the main potential benefit of artificial intelligence tools is to improve understanding: explain diagnoses, tests and treatments in more accessible language. And, in addition, help prepare the consultation.” In this regard, the president of SERMEF added that these tools “can offer extensive information, although with variability in accuracy and always need human validation.”

However, he warned that “The main risk of AI is hallucination: plausible but incorrect or invented answers, which in health can lead to delaying an emergency or starting harmful behaviorslike an exercise that instead of healing aggravates the injury.” Likewise, the specialist has warned of the “lack of clinical contextualization of artificial intelligence, by not collecting all the information necessary for an adequate assessment or identifying potentially serious situations.”

Furthermore, he stressed that AI tools “do not diagnose or prescribe; rather, they offer information and conversational support“, so “its use should always be understood as a complement and never as a substitute for the medical act.” In this sense, he has defended that “the rehabilitation doctor is the one who guarantees safety, the clinical context and the correct indication of the treatment.”

Therapeutic exercise tools without AI

Likewise, Bascuñana has highlighted that SERMEF has a specific tool to therapeutic exercise prescription based on scientific evidencecreated by professionals who are experts in therapeutic exercise, which is their digital exercise platform. “It is freely accessible and is organized by anatomical regions such as cervical, lumbar, shoulder, elbow, hip or knee. “It allows us to select programs that have proven effective or design personalized programs adapted to each patient,” he detailed.

In this context, the president of the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine has emphasized that therapeutic exercise “is part of medical treatment and must always be indicated and supervised by a specialistwithin a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach aimed at improving the functionality, autonomy and quality of life of patients.”

Finally, the president of SERMEF has stated that AI tools can be useful as “support between visits for health education or reminders of healthy habits, always under the principle of complementing, not substituting”, and has concluded that “a well-written response does not necessarily equate to a correct answer, which is why validation by health professionals is essential.”