In 1999 at the University of Rochester, a patient with Parkinson’s discovered that the use of a laser pointer actually helped him regain his ability to walk safely. A regular occurrence for those with Parkinson’s Disease is what is known as a “freezing episode”, it happens with no warning, when the legs just don’t want to move anymore. After testing several things, different lights, they came across a laser pointer and soon the patient realized he could continue to walk again by looking down at the light.
Well, we’re not here to attach actual laser pointers to any walkers, but we do provide a mechanism that is similar and can be used on any U-Step Walker. This mechanism is the Laser Light Accessory for U-Step 2 Walker, while it can only be attached to the U-Step series, it still remains as a valuable and helpful product.
What does it do?
This laser light accessory provides visual and auditory cues, providing something to focus on that would naturally initiate the ability to walk again. It isn’t uncommon for those with PD to suffer from reoccurring freezing episodes, they’re random at best and there’s no real warning for when they’ll come on. When the laser light accessory is attached, there are buttons near the handle to initiate the laser, after ten minutes of idle use, the laser will turn off automatically.
The theory behind these laser mechanisms is that the visible cue of the laser will bypass anything the brain might be telling the legs, resulting in the ability to walk towards the light. In some cases, it might not always work as there is no treatment for these freezing episodes, but it does help initiate the process of walking again.
While it’s very possible to simply just tape some laser pointers to your walker, we recommend using the actual product as it has better programming and is more functional to those with disabilities. Although, keeping a pocket laser here and there definitely couldn’t hurt!
