Characterizing Orthostatic Tremor Using a Smartphone Application

Arjun Balachandar; Alfonso Fasano

doi:10.7916/D8V12GRJ

Characterizing Orthostatic Tremor Using a Smartphone Application

Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y). 2017 Jul 18:7:488. doi: 10.7916/D8V12GRJ. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Arjun Balachandar¹, Alfonso Fasano^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Centre and the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease, Toronto Western Hospital, UHN, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Orthostatic tremor is one of the few tremor conditions requiring an electromyogram for definitive diagnosis since leg tremor might not be visible to the naked eye.

Phenomenology shown: An iOS application (iSeismometer, ObjectGraph LLC, New York) using an Apple iPhone 5 (Cupertino, CA, USA) inserted into the patient's sock detected a tremor with a frequency of 16.4 Hz on both legs.

Educational value: The rapid and straightforward accelerometer-based recordings accomplished in this patient demonstrate the ease with which quantitative analysis of orthostatic tremor can be conducted and, importantly, demonstrates the potential application of this approach in the assessment of any lower limb tremor.

Keywords: Accelerometer; diagnosis; orthostatic tremor; smartphone; wearable.

Publication types

Case Reports
Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

Accelerometry*
Aged
Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted*
Female
Humans
Lower Extremity / physiopathology*
Mobile Applications*
Smartphone*
Tremor / diagnosis*
Tremor / physiopathology