Easy-to-use Parkinson’s gloves automatically reduce tremor

Doctors at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital have developed lightweight, easy-to-use Parkinson’s gloves. The gloves automatically reduce tremors, allowing Parkinson’s patients to enjoy social life and reduce the side effects of medication and the risk of brain surgery.

tremor, dullness, stiffness -; These are the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, especially resting hand tremors, which are seen in 70% of patients. These uncontrolled tremors make patients appear disabled, unable to enjoy their daily lives, and require caregivers.

The current method of treating Parkinson’s disease is to take a cocktail of drugs, but these do not control most tremors. Some patients with particularly severe tremors may require brain surgery. However, this is always an undesirable option due to its high cost and many side effects. Professor Onanon Pokeuvarangkul Ph.D. Since 2014, he has researched and developed a prototype of “Parkinson’s glove that reduces tremor.” Obtained a patent for the device. Supports device efficiency. The team has now developed a “Generation 5 anti-vibration Parkinson’s glove” that is lightweight, easy to put on and effective, yet cheaper than similar imports.

“The tremor-reducing Parkinson’s disease glove is the first medical device to help reduce hand tremor in PD patients through automatic electrical stimulation of hand muscles. It reduces the risk,” said Asst. Professor Onanon in relation to the importance of innovation for Parkinson’s disease.

There are currently over 10 million PD patients worldwide, with approximately 150,000 patients in Thailand. It is estimated that 1 in 100 of her elderly (over 60) have Parkinson’s disease. (Read more about Parkinson’s disease.).

“As our population ages, the number of people with PD is on the rise. Our estimates predict a two- to three-fold increase in the future.”

assist. Professor Onanon added that the increase in PD patients will affect socioeconomic status and treatments in the country’s public health system. When PD patients reach working age, their quality of life and performance are affected, as well as their family’s financial status. Elderly patients with Parkinson’s disease, on the other hand, face many age-related health problems, such as poor balance, difficulty walking, and muscle stiffness. Other health-related problems such as falls also follow, which can lead to injuries and fractures and can leave you bedridden. All of this impacts not only the country’s public health system, but also the treatment methods, budgets, and well-being of both patients and families.

How do tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves stimulate hand muscles to reduce tremors?

In 2014, a research team led by Asst. Professor Onanon has successfully developed a prototype model of a Parkinson’s glove that can detect tremor in a patient’s hand and automatically use electrical current to stimulate hand muscles to reduce tremor.

assist. Professor Onanon explained that the Automatic Tremor Reduction Parkinson’s Glove works by combining the two systems as follows.

1. Parkinson’s disease tremor detection and measurement Use accelerometers and gyroscopes with high accuracy and low risk of error. Parkinson’s tremor is measured at 4-7 Hz.
2. Suppression of tremor by electrical stimulation of hand muscles -; When the sensor detects Parkinson’s disease-specific tremor, it sends a signal via Bluetooth to a muscle stimulator that releases a tremor-reducing current from a small battery. The muscle stimulator uses physiotherapy standard resistances, frequencies, and currents that are safe for use with patients.

assist. One set of Parkinson’s gloves, Professor Onanon said, includes (1) a glove with a muscle stimulator attached, (2) a control panel to detect tremors and release electrical currents, and (3) a cell phone He explained that it contains three main components. Use an application that controls your device and saves your tremors and stimuli. Device usage is stored in your phone’s memory or in a computer with a program that analyzes your tremors in detail. All three components of the Parkinson’s glove work together automatically via Bluetooth.

6 highlights of Parkinson’s gloves that reduce tremor

From the significantly larger glove prototype, today’s 5^th Generational tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves have evolved into great looking, small and lightweight devices. It resembles a palm strap and doesn’t look like a medical device. Professor Onanong summarizes the benefits of modern Parkinson’s gloves:

1. They are safe for detecting and significantly reducing hand tremors.
2. Lightweight and easy to wear.
3. Cheaper to manufacture than medication or surgery.
4. The device is an alternative treatment that can reduce the side effects of using multiple medications and the need for additional treatments to reduce tremor.
5. The device automatically records a patient’s tremors and can be immediately sent online to a doctor for routine treatment evaluation.
6. Gloves can also be used to reduce hand tremors caused by other conditions.

Patients should always wear gloves to stimulate the hand muscles with electrical current. When I turn off the device, the tremor comes back. Most PD patients usually have other abnormalities, such as slowness and stiffness, and are forced to take Parkinson’s drugs. However, tremors are only seen when patients have a negative reaction to medication. Therefore, by using tremor-reducing gloves, patients do not need to take more drugs to control their tremors and risk brain surgery. “

assist.Professor Onanong Phokaewvarangkul, Ph.D., Chulalongkorn University

Support research, reduce production costs and improve quality of life for PD patients

Devices to reduce hand tremor in PD patients are available in other countries, but are often very expensive. And while there is no similar device backed by medical research, Chulalongkorn Parkinson’s gloves are accompanied by clinical studies published in international medical journals. The production cost of gloves is also lower than imported ones. Currently, the production cost is about 30,000 to 40,000 baht per set.

“The team would like to thank the many organizations for their continued support for research that has enabled the development of tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves. We are grateful to Chulalongkorn University, the government, and the private sector for their We are funded by: other benefactors who donated money to sponsor the development of this device for their patients, as well as providing more access to treatment with these gloves,” Ast said. Said Professor Onanon.

Tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves have now been administered to more than 50 Parkinson’s disease patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and have proven effective (Figure 3).

Plans for Next Generation Parkinson’s Gloves

Chula’s Parkinson’s gloves awarded National Innovation Award in Society and Environment (Private Sector) 2022 From the National Innovation Agency, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. Still, the research team remains committed to developing more useful and practical innovations for patients.

“In the future, the team plans to make the gloves smaller and more flattering. They don’t look like medical devices, but more like an accessory or part of a costume.” Still, the efficiency of mitigating tremors is maintained, the stability of the current, and the ease of uploading data. It includes the detection and reduction of tremor caused by

Find a co-investor to manufacture gloves for PD patients

Parkinson’s gloves that reduce tremors are currently limited to patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. The Center for Excellence in Parkinson’s and Related Disorders is accepting patients to test the device. If the device works well for the patient, the center will be happy to sponsor the device for continued use by the patient.

assist. Professor Onanong said the tremor-reducing Parkinson’s glove innovation is ready to be introduced to the general public. They welcome potential entrepreneurs to help develop the device prior to commercial production so that PD patients can get the most out of their medical device.

Contact information for organizations and individuals interested in tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves

• Patients with Parkinson’s disease in Thailand and abroad have hand tremors and need to use tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves
• General practitioners including hospitals, clinics, and medical and nursing schools in Thailand and abroad who need the device as a teaching tool to use with real patients