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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Controlling Parkinson's Disease With Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation
Published on: July 16, 2014
Fear of falling and falls in people with Parkinson's disease treated with deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic
M H Nilsson1, S Rehncrona, G-B Jarnlo
1Department of Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Maria_H.Nilsson@med.lu.se
Background:
No previous study prospectively investigated the effects of subthalamic deep brain stimulation on fear of falling (FOF) and falls.
Aim:
The aim was to prospectively explore whether FOF and fall rate were affected after STN stimulation in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Methods:
Twenty participants (mean age: 65, SD 6.4) were included. Falls and near falls were recorded (fall diary) during 3 months before and 1 year after surgery. FOF was evaluated using the Falls-Efficacy Scale, Swedish version, FES(S), and the modified Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly (SAFFE).
Results:
After surgery, the FES(S) scores of complex activities improved (P=0.026), i.e. median 34 (q1-q3, 26-50) vs 43 (32-55). SAFFE scores also improved (P=0.007): median 25 (22-30) versus 22 (18-27). The rate of near falls decreased (P=0.014). Nine participants reported no near falls. For the remaining ten participants, the median near fall rate decreased from 6 (3-17) to 2 (1-8). The rate of falls showed no significant (P>0.3) difference.
Conclusions:
After surgery, fewer activities were avoided owing to the risk of falling, and fall-related self-efficacy had improved during complex activities. The rate of near falls decreased. The results cannot support any change in fall rate.
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