An app aimed at improving the walking ability of Parkinson’s disease sufferers has been developed in Australia.
Martin Ostrowski has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for seven years. In the past, he was known as a runner who used to cover tens of kilometers every week. Now, it’s difficult for him to even tie his shoelaces, let alone walk or run.
“In reality, I have to re-learn to walk every day. It’s really hard to explain. When the medicine works well, I look like a normal person on the street. Nobody knows the difference. And other times I really have difficulty walking. “Luckily, now there is this application,” he commented.
The app Ostrowski is referring to is “Walking Tall”, designed by University of New South Wales neuroscientist Matthew A. Brodie.
Dr Matthew A. Brodie
“The first thing this app does is provide a simple metronome beat. Metronome beats are simply beats that imitate the sound of footsteps. “This beat activates the nerves involved in motor actions, thus encouraging the ability to walk,” explained Brodie.
Walking, for Parkinson’s sufferers, is not an easy physical activity, but it is very necessary. Brodie said that the ability to walk will encourage sufferers of the disease to carry out other physical activities to improve their quality.
According to Shake It Up Australia, a non-profit foundation that focuses heavily on Parkinson’s research in Australia, there are around 150,000 to 212,000 people in Australia — and around 10 million people worldwide — who suffer from this disease.
This disease greatly reduces the sufferer’s quality of life. The treatment itself can be very tiring and involves medication, physical, speech therapy and counseling.
Walking Tall, Application for Parkinson’s Sufferers
Ostrowski once took a pill every three hours to replace lost dopamine in his brain. Dopamine is important for many body functions, including memory, movement, motivation, mood, and attention span.
Ostrowski himself was one of 62 people who participated in the clinical trials that led to the development of the app. At the end of the 13-week trial, participants who used the app averaged 150 minutes of weekly exercise.
Brodie said he never asked trial participants to exercise for 150 minutes but they naturally chose to do more than the minimum recommended amount.
Ostrowski, who was only able to run two kilometers a week before the trial, admitted that he could run 30 kilometers again after the trial ended. This distance is still far from what he used to cover before suffering from Parkinson’s, but he feels that the progress he has achieved is very significant.
Since launching in August, Walking Tall has been downloaded more than 10,000 times. This app is free and available worldwide, but only in English. [ab/lt]
2023-09-11 18:28:26
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