Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Updated : May 22, 2014 11:28 AM IST
If you are one of those people who suffers from trembling hands you might have been told you suffer from tremors. A very embarrassing condition, hand tremors are more common than you think. So if you have been grappling with the condition for a while and want some relief, here is some good news for you. An Indian-origin entrepreneur has developed a new hand-held electronic devise that can help patients overcome the handshakes caused due to essential tremors (the most common movement disorder worldwide)
Developed by San Francisco-based start-up firm Lift Labs, the devise is the brainchild of Anupam Pathak, and has been clinically tested at University of Michigan's health centre. In a clinical trial involving 15 adults with moderate essential tremor, the device - called LiftWare - improved patients' ability to hold a spoon still enough to eat with it.
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The researchers measured the effect using a standard tremor rating, the patients' own ratings and digital readings of the spoon's movement. 'The data shows this device has very good potential to assist those who have tremor and aren't candidates for surgery. Compared with other devices designed to limit tremor by weighting or constraining limbs, this approach allows movement and is easier to use,' explained essential tremor specialist Kelvin Chou from University of Michigan. If you've been noticing tremors lately? Here are 8 causes of tremors you should know about!
'The concept is called ACT, or active cancellation of tremor. It relies on tiny electronic devices that work together to sense movement in different directions in real time, and then make a quick and precise counter-motion,' said Anupam Pathak, CEO, Lift Labs. The device resembles an extra-large electronic toothbrush base and can adjust rapidly to the shaking of the user's hand, keeping a detachable spoon or other utensil steady. In other words, it shakes the spoon in exactly the opposite way that the person's hand shakes.
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'Only about 70 percent of patients respond to medication, and only about 10 percent qualify for surgery, which has a high and lasting success rate,' added Chou. Though the trial did not include patients with hand tremors caused by other movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, the device may be useful to such patients too, said the study that appeared in the journal Movement Disorders.
Want to know more about tremors? Here is a quick guide for you:
What are tremors?
Mostly affecting the hands, a tremor is a type of neurological disorder where a person experiences unintentional, shaking movement. Besides hands, it can affect other body parts like the head and voice too.
There are many types of tremors depending upon the nature of the involuntary movements and their sources. They are categorized as follows:
Common treatment for tremors:
Conventional forms of treatment include medication and physiotherapy to help the patient strengthen their muscles and reduce the intensity of the tremors. But now there might just be a ray of hope for these patients who might be able to go back to normal life with the help of this device.
Also read:
With inputs from ANI
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