Background-Freezing of gait (FOG) remains one of the most common debilitating aspects of Parkinson's disease and has been linked to injuries, falls and reduced quality of life. Although commercially available portable cueing devices exist claiming to assist with overcoming freezing; their immediate effectiveness in overcoming gait initiation failure currently unknown. This study investigated the effects of three different types of cueing device in people with Parkinson's disease who experience freezing.

Keywords Background: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a serious gait disorder affecting up to two-thirds of people EMG, gait, kinematics, kinetics, Parkinson's with Parkinson's disease (PO). Cueing has been explored as a method of generating motor disease execution using visual transverse lines on the floor. However, the impact of a laser light visual cue remains unclear. Objective: To determine the biomechanical effect of a laser cane on FOG in History a participant with PO compared to a healthy age-and gender-matched control. Methods: The Received 25 March 2014 participant with PO and healthy control were given a task of initiating gait from standing.Revised 24 January 2015 Electromyography (EMG) data were collected from the tibialis anterior (TA) and the medial Accepted 14 February 2015 gastrocnemius (GS) muscles using an 8-channel system. A 10-camera system (Qualisys)Published online 8 September 2015 recorded movement in 6 degrees of freedom and a calibrated anatomical system technique was used to construct a full body model. Center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) were the main outcome measures. Results: The uncued condition showed that separation of COM and COP took longer and was of smaller magnitude than the cued condition. EMG activity revealed prolonged activation of GS, with little to no TA actiVity. The cued condition showed earlier COM and COP separation. There was reduced fluctuation in GS, with abnormal, early bursts of TA activity.Step length improved in the cued condition compared to the uncued condition. Conclusion: Laserlight visual cueing improved step length beyond a non-cued condition for this patient indicating improved posture and muscle control.

We found no evidence to support the clinical use of these weighted garments for stroke survivors.