Design of a lightweight passive orthosis for tremor suppression.
Nicolas Philip Fromme, Martin Camenzind, Robert Riener and 1 others
PMID 32272964WHAT IT FOUND
A lightweight, inflatable wrist glove reduced tremor power by 74-82% during drinking, pouring, and drawing in one patient with Parkinson's disease.
The device allows users to adjust stiffness manually, offering a potential alternative to medication for specific daily tasks.
Key findings
01In a single patient with Parkinson's disease, the inflated orthosis significantly reduced tremor power by 82% during drinking, 79% during pouring, and 74% during drawing spirals.
02The device weighs 33 grams and uses a textile-based air structure that the user can inflate or deflate to adjust stiffness for specific tasks.
03Voluntary movement power was also significantly reduced by 69% during the drinking task, though the absolute amount of suppressed voluntary movement was lower than the suppressed tremor.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study involved only one patient, so results cannot be generalized to the broader population. The patient was on medication, so the effect of the orthosis alone versus in combination with drugs is not separated. The study did not evaluate rest tremor, only action tremor during specific tasks. Voluntary movement was significantly reduced during some tasks, which may impact functional performance outside of tremor suppression. The mechanical testing was performed on a test bench without a human wearer, so the interaction with soft tissue and biomechanics was not fully captured in the characterization phase.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests. Funding details are not explicitly stated in the provided text snippets.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this device works for all tremor types or patients. The evidence comes from a single case report, and the device reduced voluntary movement power in addition to tremor, which could hinder functional tasks if not carefully managed.