Electrical stimulation helps immobilized Parkinson's patients walk again

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Canadian researchers are testing an electric stimulation implant that is offering new freedom to people unable to walk safely on their own due to Parkinson's disease.

Gail Jardine and her husband walk in their neighbourhood in Kitchener, Ont. The effects of Parkinson's disease left Jardine unable to walk safely on her own, but an implanted electrical stimulator is helping her regain that mobility.

Gail Jardine’s condition hadn’t progressed that far, but she knows the problem well. Parkinson’s left the 66-year-old Kitchener, Ont., resident unable to walk steadily without assistance. Several times a day, she would experience what she describes as “freezing” – a sudden inability to move her feet while walking.The “freezing” left her unable to enjoy going for a walk or playing with her grandchildren. She quit her job and relied on her husband to handle most of the housework.

Jardine is among 15 patients who are part of research in London, Ont., testing the potential of electrical signals to override their disease. As Western University neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Parrent, who is part of the study, explains it, a wire is threaded in the dorsal area of the spine, and attached to an stimulator. The patient is given what is essentially a remote control device that can turn the electricity on or off, and dial the strength up or down.

The second study is now underway and has treated 10 patients so far – all of whom are unresponsive to Levodopa, the standard medication for Parkinson’s. Researchers hope to recruit another 10 to test the device.

 

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