Laser Shoes Prevent 'Freezing' in Parkinson Patients

Lines on the floor

Parkinson patient experience a unique phenomenon. By consciously looking at objects on the floor, such as the lines from a zebra crossing (‘visual cues’), and stepping over them, they are able to overcome their blockages during walking. This activates other circuits in the brain, hereby releasing the blockages and allowing the person to continue walking. This is why patients often make use of floor tiles at home. With the laser shoes, these useful cues can be continuously applied in everyday life, to walk better and safer. The principle behind the laser shoes is simple: upon foot contact, the left shoe projects a line on the floor in front of the right foot. The patient steps over or towards the line, which activates the laser on the right shoe, and so on (see videos below the text).

Beneficial effect

The present research study shows a beneficial effect in a large group of patients. The number of ‘freezing’ episodes was reduced by 46% with the use of the shoes. The duration of these episodes was also divided by two. Both effects were strongest in patients while they had not taken their medication yet. This is typically when patients experience the most problems with walking. But an improvement was also seen after the patients had been taking their medication.

Daily environment

“Our tests were administered in a controlled lab setting with and without medication,” says researcher Murielle Ferraye. ” Further research in their everyday environment is necessary. We plan on testing this using laser shoes that in the meantime came on the market.”

Of the nineteen patients who tested the shoes, the majority would be happy to use them. The patients did not seem to mind that the laser was activated for each single step. “Ideally, the laser should only be activated once the blockage is detected, but we’re not quite there yet,” says Ferraye. “Freezing is a very complex phenomenon.”

Murielle Ferraye, who developed the laser shoes, conducted her study at the Donders Institute at Radboud university medical center and the MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technological Medicine at the University of Twente.

Contacts and sources:
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center

Citation: Claudia Barthel, Jorik Nonnekes, Milou van Helvert, Renée Haan, Arno Janssen, Arnaud Delval, Vivian Weerdesteyn, Bettina Debû, Richard van Wezel, Bastiaan R. Bloem, Murielle U. Ferraye
Neurology Dec 2017, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004795; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004795