Effect of step-synchronized vibration stimulation of soles on gait in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study | Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation BioMed Central Research Open Access Effect of step-synchronized vibration stimulation of soles on gait in Parkinson s disease a pilot study Peter Novak 1 and Vera Novak2 Address department of Neurology Boston University School of Medicine 715 Albany Street C315 Boston MA 02118 USA and division of Gerontology2 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA Email Peter Novak - novak@ Vera Novak - vnovak@ Corresponding author Published 04 May 2006 Received 07 June 2005 Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation2006 3 9 doi 1743-0003-3-9 Accepted 04 May 2006 This article is available from http content 3 1 9 2006Novak and Novak licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http licenses by which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that impaired proprioceptive processing in the striatum may contribute to abnormal gait in Parkinson s disease PD . Methods This pilot study assessed the effects of enhanced proprioceptive feedback using step-synchronized vibration stimulation of the soles S-VS on gait in PD. S-VS was used in 8 PD subjects 3 women and 5 men age range 44-79 years on medication and 8 age-matched healthy subjects 5 women and 3 men . PD subjects had mild or moderate gait impairment associated with abnormal balance but they did not have gait freezing. Three vibratory devices VDs were embedded in elastic insoles one below the heel and two below the forefoot areas inserted into the shoes. Each VD operates independently and has a pressure switch that activates the underlying vibratory actuator. The VD delivered the 70-Hz suprathreshold vibration pulse upon touch by the heel or forefoot and the .
