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Laser light visual cueing for freezing of gait in Parkinson disease: A pilot study with male participants. Lisette Bunting-Perry, PhD, RN; Meredith Spindler, MD; Keith M. Robinson, MD; Joseph Noorigian, MPH; Heather J. Cianci, PT, MS, GCS; John E. Duda, MD. Aim
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Laser light visual cueing for freezing of gait in Parkinson disease: A pilot study with male participants Lisette Bunting-Perry, PhD, RN; Meredith Spindler, MD; Keith M. Robinson, MD; Joseph Noorigian, MPH; Heather J. Cianci, PT, MS, GCS; John E. Duda, MD
Aim • Assess efficacy of rolling walker with laser beam visual cue to treat freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson disease (PD) patients. • Relevance • FOG is disabling phenomenon that affects 30%-60% of individuals with PD. • Causes impaired mobility and falls. • Compromises activities of daily living and quality of life.
Method • Participants: • 22 subjects with idiopathic PD who experienced on- and off-medication FOG. • Task: • Perform 3 walking tasks with and without laser beam while on medications. • Outcome measures: • Time to complete tasks. • Number of steps. • Number of FOG episodes.
Results & Limitations • No significant differences observed between the 2 walking conditions across the 3 tasks. • Study limitations: • Small sample size. • Only 17/22 subjects demonstrated FOG during tasks, so detecting effects of laser light beam was impossible in nearly 1/4 of cohort. • Subjects’ task performance (with and without laser beam) varied more than expected.
Conclusion • Use of laser beam on rolling walker did not reduce FOG in male PD patients. • Future studies should: • Include duration of FOG episodes among objective outcome measures. • Minimize dual tasking. • Ensure adequate training with cues and devices. • Identify potential patient subgroups more likely to benefit.