Joon Faii Ong – How Can Wearable Technology Help Patients with Essential Tremors

Most people are unaware of essential tremors (common in nerve disorders like Parkinson’s Disease that involves the involuntary shaking of the hands) and the predicament it brings to those that suffer from it. It refers to a movement disorder where the person exhibits persistent, bilateral, postural, or kinetic tremors in the upper limb that is common when the person is at rest in most cases. The amplitude of the tremor increases in patients with the passage of time. The amplitude increases as the patient grow older.

Joon Faii Ong – How can the GyroGlove help patients suffering from essential tremors?

Joon Faii Ong is the Founder of GyroGear, the esteemed company in the field of wearable technology behind the popular GyroGlove. He completed his graduation from the Harvard Medical School- Department of Medicine and has co-authored several publications on healthcare subjects like tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, stem cell tissue culture, biomaterials, etc. When it comes to the proper management of nerve disorders like essential tremors, he says that in most cases, the barrier to effective treatment is the ability to diagnose it early. There is just a minority of patients with essential tremor that approach doctors for medical attention for a diagnosis.

Why does wearable technology have immense value today?

Wearable technology is suddenly becoming popular for its costs and convenience for the patient. Gone are the days when the only solution for a patient way to incur huge costs for brain surgery. Moreover, the above entails invasive in the body and does not guarantee recovery completely.

On the other hand, there are multiple technology platforms like smartphones and associated devices that help you in the diagnosis of essential tremors. Some studies have shown that smartphones and wearable sensors can be deployed to distinguish individuals with essential tremors from people with Parkinson’s Disease.

With greater data and the development of machine learning algorithm platforms, doctors can diagnose essential tremor in the general population with mobile and wearable devices.

He says that wearable technology is becoming widely popular as it bridges the gap between medication and their main area of address- stimulating the brain deeply. However, innovators should be careful when it comes to not developing a technology that is simply just for the sake of introducing a new product in the market. The intention behind a good innovation in the medical industry is to add value to the life of an individual. This should be their ultimate focus, and GyroGear, with its team of qualified medical professionals and engineers, deeply believes in this philosophy as well!

Joon Faii Ong concludes by saying that together with its companion application, GyroGlove offers a wearable solution along with a data platform for its users and patients, assuming that patients spend about an hour every year with their doctor when it comes to consultation. This is where a disproportionate amount of the person’s time is managed in self-care. This is why monitoring the condition is immensely crucial for the patient, and this is where wearable technology proves to be a winner.