Laser light visual cueing for freezing of gait in Parkinson disease:A pilot study with male participants

• Published in: Journal of rehabilitation research and development Vol. 50; no. 2; p. 223
• Main Authors: Bunting-Perry, Lisette, Spindler, Meredith, Robinson, Keith M., Noorigian, Joseph, Cianci, Heather J., Duda, John E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Department of Veterans Affairs 01.01.2013; Superintendent of Documents
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Care and treatment; Cross-Over Studies; Cues; Equipment and supplies; Fatigue; Freezing; Gait disorders; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - etiology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - rehabilitation; Humans; Laser beams; Lasers; Male; Medicine, Physical; Methods; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - drug therapy; Parkinson's disease; Patient outcomes; Physiological aspects; Self-Help Devices; Studies; Task Performance and Analysis; Veterans; Walking
• ISSN: 0748-7711; 1938-1352; 1938-1352
• DOI: 10.1682/JRRD.2011.12.0255

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating feature of Parkinson disease (PD). In this pilot study, we sought to assess the efficacy of a rolling walker with a laser beam visual cue to treat FOG in PD patients. We recruited 22 subjects with idiopathic PD who experienced on- and off-medication FOG. Subjects performed three walking tasks both with and without the laser beam while on medications. Outcome measures included time to complete tasks, number of steps, and number of FOG episodes. A crossover design allowed within-group comparisons between the two conditions. No significant differences were observed between the two walking conditions across the three tasks. The laser beam, when applied as a visual cue on a rolling walker, did not diminish FOG in this study.