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The above video shows how I often walk these days (left) and how I walked two weekends ago when I put on a pair of Nushu X at a testing event in Manhattan (right). The difference is quite amazing. Not only is my gait much better, but I was able to look at things going on around me, as my feet operated, for the most part, independently.
Here’s how the shoes work: Each Nushu has a sensor in the heel of the shoe. Every time you take a step, the sensor notes the pressure and the amount of time the shoe makes contact with the ground. Then, when you lift your foot to move forward, the shoe creates a tingling sensation that continues until you put that foot back down on the ground. When I was walking on the street in Manhattan (the video on the right), the tingling alternated from the left to the right shoe. The stimulus was sufficient enough that I sallied forth down the block like I used to in my pre-Parkinson’s days.
Nushu X takes care of an exasperating problem I have now, which is that every time I see a doctor about the progression of my PD, I tend to stride perfectly when the doctor observes me walking down the hall in the office we’re in. But when I get back home, I often stumble along when walking.
I still have a lot to learn about these shoes. For example, a computer program records how well I’m doing each time I wear them, and apparently, I can get feedback from the software.
I’ll continue to update this post as I learn more. You can also visit the company’s website: www.magnes.ch.
