Methodological Advances in Exercise-Based Rehabilitation and Physical Activity Research

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Mansour Alotaibi

Department of Rehabilitation, Northern Border University

Dr. Mansour Alotaibi is an assistant professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia, where he also serves as dean of the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences. He holds a PhD and an MBA with a subspecialty in healthcare services from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research focuses on physical activity and exercise as medicine, musculoskeletal health, and neurodevelopmental and cognitive disorders. Dr. Alotaibi has extensive experience in population-based research, secondary data analysis, and clinical research design, with publications in high-impact international journals. He is actively involved in national research initiatives aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and leads multiple academic, clinical, and community-based programs aimed at integrating physical activity into healthcare and public health systems.

Naif Z. Alrashdi

Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, Majmaah University

Dr. Naif Alrashdi is a researcher in rehabilitation sciences with a focus on musculoskeletal health, physical activity measurement, and clinical outcomes in hip-related disorders. He holds a PhD in rehabilitation sciences and has extensive experience assessing pain, function, and device-measured physical activity in individuals with femoroacetabular impingement and acetabular dysplasia, particularly in surgical and post-surgical contexts. His research includes the validation of patient-reported outcome measures, identification of rehabilitation-related predictors of recovery, and population-based studies of physical activity behaviors. Dr. Alrashdi has published in peer-reviewed international journals and actively contributes to advancing evidence-based rehabilitation and culturally relevant clinical assessment tools. As a Guest Editor, his interests include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, physical activity measurement, and outcomes research.

Collection Overview

Exercise-based rehabilitation and physical activity interventions are increasingly central to the prevention, management, and recovery of a wide range of chronic, neurological, and musculoskeletal conditions. Despite a rapidly expanding evidence base, variability in experimental protocols, outcome assessments, and exercise prescription methods continues to limit reproducibility, clinical translation, and cross-study comparability. Standardized, visually demonstrated methodologies are therefore essential to improve methodological rigor and facilitate consistent implementation across research and clinical settings.

The aim of this Topical Collection is to present high-quality, peer-reviewed visual protocols that detail experimental, clinical, and field-based methods used in exercise and rehabilitation research. The collection will include standardized approaches to exercise prescription, physical activity assessment, functional performance testing, physiological measurements, and rehabilitation outcome evaluation across diverse populations. By emphasizing step-by-step procedures, instrumentation, and quality control measures, the collection will serve as a practical reference for researchers, clinicians, and trainees.

This Topical Collection will support the research community by enhancing reproducibility, accelerating knowledge translation, and promoting methodological transparency. It will provide accessible, visually guided resources that facilitate protocol adoption, training, and replication, ultimately strengthening the quality and impact of exercise-based rehabilitation and physical activity research worldwide.