Elastic head support for persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) often causes progressive neck muscle weakness.
• This weakness can significantly impact a patient's ability to maintain head posture and perform daily activities.
• Existing assistive devices may be costly or cumbersome.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an inexpensive elastic head support for individuals with ALS and neck weakness.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this head support in a case series of ALS patients.

Main Methods:

• A case series involving seven male patients with ALS was conducted.
• An inexpensive elastic head support was provided for a 2-week trial.
• Patients completed questionnaires assessing communication, swallowing, neck discomfort, upright tolerance, social comfort, and dyspnea before and after the trial.

Main Results:

• The elastic head support provided benefits for some, but not all, participants.
• Patient-reported outcomes related to communication, swallowing, and comfort were assessed.
• The device's utility was evaluated across various stages of ALS and activities (seated, standing, walking).

Conclusions:

• The developed elastic head support is a potentially useful assistive device for managing neck weakness in ALS.
• Individual patient response to the head support can vary.
• Further research may be warranted to optimize device design and patient selection.