This is about new device which has been developed in Israel, which uses the same types of tools found in virtual reality games to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease walk. It basically uses an audio component (the size of a cell phone) to measure body movement, process the information and send it back to the user through earphones. The visual component works by presenting a "virtual" tile floor through a tiny piece that clips onto glasses worn by the user, allowing the person to distinguish between reality and the virtual floor and adjust their movements and stride.
In a study done on the device, it was shown that people with MS had significant improvement in their gait and an average increase of about 13 percent in walking speed and 8 percent improvement in stride while wearing the device.
Even more exciting, the short-term therapeutic effects after removal of the device were even better: 20 percent increase in speed and 10 percent improvement in stride. To me that implies that we might be able to "train" ourselves to compensate for insufficient nerve impulses caused by demyelination.
