The effect of mechanical damping loads on disabling action tremor

Patients with severe action tremor have uncontrollable, relatively rapid oscillatory motion super-imposed on otherwise useable slower voluntary motor activity. Because a mechanical damper produces an opposing force proportional to velocity, applying damping loads to tremorous limbs should attenuate the (high-velocity) tremor component of movement while permitting the slower purposeful portion to proceed relatively unopposed. In this study, the effect of upper extremity damping in three degrees of freedom was examined in 10 patients with cerebellar action tremor due to multiple sclerosis or traumatic brain injury. Variable amounts of damping were applied by prototype energy-dissipating orthoses which generated resistive viscous loads by means of computer-controlled magnetic particle brakes. All patients experienced statistically and functionally significant tremor reduction with the application of damping.