HOW LONG DO THE EFFECTS OF AMPS (AUTOMATED MECHANICAL PERIPHERAL STIMULATION) TREATMENT LAST? AND FURTHERMORE: DOES REPEATING THE THERAPY DELIVERED WITH THE GONDOLA® DEVICE ALLOW TO MAINTAIN THE BENEFITS?
To answer these questions, Dr. Maria Francesca De Pandis, Head of the Parkinson Center at San Raffaele Hospital in Cassino, designed a clinical study conducted on a group of 18 people with Parkinson’s disease, undergoing a cycle of 6 stimulations, two per week.
The measurements, taken before the start of the treatment cycle, then after the sixth (and last) stimulation, and subsequently after 48 hours and 10 days from the last stimulation, confirmed the positive effects of GONDOLA® treatment on the typical slowness of movement in Parkinson’s patients, showing an improvement in walking speed, step length, and balance.
Repeating the therapy over time allows maintaining these improvements, inducing a more stable gait and restoring rhythm to the step; furthermore, the risk of falls is also reduced, as the double support time during walking is reduced after the therapy delivered by the GONDOLA® medical device; double support is one of the most important indices in the evaluation of balance and postural stability.
The improvements recorded also persist 48 hours after the last stimulation, while after 10 days – in the absence of new stimulations – the motor parameters return to values prior to the stimulation cycle.
In addition to allowing such improvements – thanks also to the reactivation of motor functions – AMPS stimulation remains effective for 3/4 days but needs to be repeated constantly to avoid regression from the benefits.
More information about the publication in the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research can be found at this link.
Watch the video with the interview of the researchers who conducted the study.