Path Finder for Professionals
Are you a doctor, physiotherapist or other health care professional working with Parkinson’s and festinating gait?
Neurologist Prof. Medical Doctor Bastiaan Bloem explains how Path Finder prevents festinating gait
Watch the video to understand why visual cues prevent freezing episodes and festinating gait. Read more about Path Finder LaserShoes here.
Step Sync cues - more innovative than on demand
Clinical studies compare the different cueing styles; on-demand and continuous. The studies indicate they both work differently in preventing a freezing episode, festinating gait and reducing time spent in a freezing episode. Overall, one is not better than the other.
With Step-Synchronised cueing, it could be considered a better combination of the two. Why? Because, the user does not have to activate the external cue, an often difficult scenario when one is experiencing freezing. In other words, managing additional multi-tasking is not conducive to overcoming freezing. This is why the hands-free solution of Path Finder will help alleviate the number and lengths of freezing episodes
Visual cueing - more efficient than auditory and haptic cues
Several studies have compared types of cueing to establish the most effective: visual, auditory and haptic. Visual cues can be lines on the floor. However, auditory cues can guide movements while haptic cues involve touching.
It appears that it can be personal what works best to prevent festinating gait and freezing. However, visual cues using a laser have been demonstrated to work optimally in several reports in the literature.
In clinical studies when comparing a laser cue with vibrations or auditory cues, the laser device was shown as most effective at both improving the forwards and backward, and side-to-side movements. Above all, it was shown to be the most effective in reducing the most amount of freezing episodes.
Reference: "Effect of Three Cueing device" published by NCBI
Key features
✔ Hands-free
✔ Step-synchronised cueing; no multitasking needed
✔ Can be used at all stages of your mobility journey
✔ Can be used with on it's own, with a cane or with a walker
✔ Lines consistently provided for every step at same position
Publications
"A new ambulatory device to alleviate freezing of gait in Parkinson disease"
Published by Neurology
"Visual cueing using laser shoes reduces freezing of gait in Parkinson’s patients at home"
Published by Movement Disorders
"Path Finder visual cues alleviate freezing"
Published by ACNR
"The laser-shoe: A new form of continuous ambulatory cueing for patients with Parkinson's"
Published by Parkinsonism and Related Disorders
"Visual cueing is the preferred cueing technique to alleviate Freezing of Gait - The Effects of Visual and Auditory Cues on freezing of Gait in Patients with Parkinson's Disease"
Published by American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
"Wearable device use increases the quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease"
Published by World Parkinson Congress, Kyoto 2109 (page 263)
Stroke Rehabilitation
Currently, physiotherapists tend to use treadmill exercises in rehabilitation. These act to increase walking speed and balance as well as confidence when moving.
The literature has shown visual cueing can help to increase stride length and walking speed in those recovering from stroke by >10%.
In addition, the use of visual cues also act to improve walking symmetry, balance and functional mobility in stroke rehabilitation after only one or two sessions of visual cueing.
Our initial tests show that Path Finder can be helpful for stroke patients. Therefore, we are looking for Health Care Professionals to collaborate with to further our research with stroke patients.
Trial this with your client!
Are you working with festinating gait and want to use this for a person with Parkinson's you are treating? Get it delivered directly to your clinic or speak to us about trialling in your clinic.
Submit the form or request a call from our Clinical Lead, Nuala Burke.
Research Pipeline
Therapeutic Area
Stage
Partners
Parkinson's Disease
Stroke
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease
Cerebral Palsy
Parkinson's Disease
Do you have a new clinical area that visual cues can impact?
