Parkinson’s disease: A vibration device may aid resting tremors

David Putrino, a physiotherapist, was working on a vibration device to assist deaf people to experience live music when a friend suggested that the same technology may help patients with Parkinson’s disease stop tremors.

Putrino, the head of rehabilitation innovation at New YorkCity’s Mount Sinai Health System, was interested.

The new gadget was placed on the wrist of a friend’s father, who had Parkinson’s disease, and the tremors halted in their tracks.

As Putrino stated, “He was a former pianist and sat down and started playing. It was quite dramatic.”

That’s when Putrino and his colleagues switched gears and started looking into the new gadget for Parkinson’s tremors.

They’re on to something, according to recent research. The gadget, which is worn on the wrist or ankle and is about the size and weight of a smartwatch, might be a safe and effective solution for patients with Parkinson’s disease to minimize resting tremors.

Resting tremors are caused by irregular rhythms in the brain, which can be disrupted by this technique.

Putrino indicated that this is for Parkinson’s sufferers, “Drugs and even some of the more invasive interventions like deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy aim to break up the abnormal synchrony between brain regions to improve symptoms.”

To ensure that the gadget was safe, 44 persons with Parkinson’s disease used it on their wrists or ankles using two vibration patterns and the reactions are positive.

According to Putrino, “Patients did not report any serious adverse events.”

He added, “Some people turned the intensity down, while others said it was pleasant.”

The purpose of the study was not to determine whether or not the gadget works, although most participants reported a decrease in tremors while getting the vibrating pulses.

As per Putrino, “Sending competing messages to the brain to disrupt abnormal synchronicity through the wrist or ankles can help stop tremors.”

According to him, the next step is to conduct bigger research comparing the gadget to a placebo device in regular usage.

If the outcomes of follow-up tests are comparable, the gadget might be here sooner than you think.

Putrino stated, “There is no reason why this can’t be made within five years as long as studies continue to be encouraging, and we continue to see no adverse reactions.”

Other sorts of tremors with distinct neurologic origins will not be helped by the device. According to him, researchers intend to investigate the vibrating gadget in the context of spinal cord damage, stroke, and other forms of neurologic disorders. It’s currently being utilized to provide deaf individuals the opportunity to listen to live music.

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