Electro-acupuncture for Gait and Balance in Parkinson's Disease

Gait and balance disorders, key contributors to fall and poor quality of life, represent a major therapeutic challenge in Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the widespread use of acupuncture in recent years in PD, its efficacy remains unclear, largely due to methodological flaws and lack of high quality studies using objective outcome measures. In a patient and assessor-blind pilot study, investigators objectively assess the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) for gait and balance disorders using body-worn sensor technology in patients with PD.

In this study, investigators employee objective innovative body-worn sensor technologies to assess potential mobility-associated outcomes of PD. Investigators compare acute changes in gait and balance that occurred after repeated administration of two interventions: A specific real EA and a sham EA. The design of the experiments uses a control that accounts for both placebo and possible some active components of a generalized needle-insertion-based procedure. By using a sham control, the investigators were able to more fully test whether the specific EA intervention could lead to changes in objective gait and balance parameters, or subjective self-reported improvements that are beyond placebo induced effects and the natural course of the disease.