The Department of Neurology’s Leslie Cloud, M.D. is collaborating with a team of other VCU researchers to study the effect of a vibrating device worn inside a shoe that could treat “freezing of gait,” the sudden inability to walk experienced by many people with Parkinson’s disease.
Developed by tech startup Resonate Forward, the small, rechargeable device sends gentle vibrations to the foot and ankle to prompt movement. During the two-year randomized controlled clinical trial, funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, researchers will assess the best therapeutic dose and duration of vibration, then evaluate the efficacy of the therapy for patients.