Wrist Band Helps Control Hand Tremors In Essential Tremor Patients
Imagine trying to drink a glass of water on a hot day, only to find that you can’t hold your glass steady; or trying to button a shirt but you’re unable to align the buttonhole.
About Essential Tremor (ET)
Essential tremor (ET) develops as an involuntary, rhythmic movement mostly in the hands or arms, that often goes undiagnosed. In fact, essential tremor is a diagnosable movement disorder that affects at least eight times more people than the more well-known Parkinson’s disease. That’s an estimated 10 million people in the United States.1
A New Therapy for Essential Tremor
In a recent study2 published in the medical journal Tremor & Other Hyperkinetic Movements, a team of movement disorder specialists, including Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Dr. Melita Petrossian had some very good news to share.
“Many patients with ET find medical management is limited by lack of benefit or side effects but may feel they do not have severe enough symptoms to require advanced treatment options such as deep brain stimulation,” said Dr. Petrossian, Director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center at PNI. “Cala Trio offers a non-invasive option that was shown in a multi-center study to reduce tremor and improve quality of life for many patients.”
Dr. Melita Petrossian, Director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center at PNI
The wristband device from Cala Health, called Cala Trio, was given to a large number of patients living with essential tremor, to wear at home, and integrate into their everyday lives. The therapy targets the median and radial nerves in the arm and reduces hand tremor through the action of low-level electrical pulses called neuromodulation. This current study looked at efficacy and safety of the therapy over three months of repeated home use, twice a day.
Essential tremor is a neurodegenerative disease that does not yet have a cure. Specialists use medication and non-pharmacological techniques to help reduce the symptoms of tremor. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly effective treatment option for patients with severe tremor.
“The PROSPECT study publication confirms that Cala Trio therapy is a safe and effective treatment option and, most importantly, shows the improved quality of life for these ET patients,” said Cala Health CEO Renee Ryan in a news release. “These findings, consistent with those demonstrated in previous trials against sham, will be leveraged to support our reimbursement initiatives, leading to improved access for patients living with essential tremor.”3
For people with ET, wearing a wrist band just a couple of times a day to help control tremor appears to be a prospect that patients are excited about.
*** NOTE: Pacific Neuroscience Institute DOES NOT sell the Cala Trio device.
Please contact Cala directly or visit your neurologist for more information.***
About Dr. Melita Petrossian
Melita Petrossian, MD, is Director of Pacific Movement Disorders Center and is a fellowship-trained neurologist with clinical interests and expertise in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, gait disorders, ataxia, myoclonus, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, Meige syndrome, spasticity, tics, and Tourette’s syndrome. She also specializes in Parkinson’s-related conditions such as Dementia with Lewy Bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, primary freezing of gait, and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
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References:
- Isaacson SH, Peckham E, Tse W, Waln O, Way C, Petrossian MT, et al. Prospective Home-use Study on Non-invasive Neuromodulation Therapy for Essential Tremor. Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements. 2020;10:29
About the Author
Last updated: June 6th, 2022