Weighted Utensils Research Article Review

Research Article Review

“The Effect of eating utensil weight on functional arm movement in people with Parkinson’s disease: a controlled clinical trial”  Clinical Rehabilitation 2009:  1086-1092

I mentioned this study in a previous Blog.  In this Blog I will do a more complete review of this weighted utensils research study that examines weighted utensils and it’s implications for the recommendation of weighted utensils.  The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of weighted utensils on a simulated self feeding task.  The participants were 18 Parkinson’s patients and 18 age matched controls.  The task involved transferring water from a larger bowl to a smaller bowl using each of three spoons.  One spoon was light (35grams), one was the control (85 grams) and one was heavy (135 grams).  The independent variable in the study was the weight of the spoon.  The dependent variables in the study were total movement time, peak velocity and number of movements. The number of movements represents tremor activity.  The dependent variables were collected using an ultrasonic measuring system.   (CMS-HS Zebris Medical GmbH, Isny).  The sending unit sensor was placed over the dominant hand radial styloid process. 

Results:  The results of the study might surprise many Occupational Therapists but it did not surprise the authors of the study.  The results were that with lightweight utensils the subjects performed the task with significantly smoother movement with less tremors!  The authors indicate that this finding is similar to findings of other studies which they cite in the article. In a study by Meshack, RP and Norman KE “A randomized controlled trial of the effects of weighted utensils on amplitude and frequency of postural hand tremor in people with Parkinson’s Disease”  Clinical Rehabilitation:  2002  it was found that there was no difference in the amplitude and frequency of tremor activity when weighted utensil use was compared to standard weight utensil use.

Limitations of the Study:  The authors state that the weight of the heavier spoon was less than the weight of commercially available weighted spoons.  The authors also state that the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms of the participants was in the mild range. 

Study conclusions:  Early in the article when citing other research the author’s state:  “This suggests there is no support for the clinical recommendation of using weighted utensils t alleviate postural hand tremors in Parkinson’s Disease.”  And in the author’s study it was found that using lighter weight utensils actually resulted in smoother movement.  At the end of the study they include clinical messages one of which is:  “To facilitate high velocity smooth arm movement for people with Parkinson’s disease a lightweight utensil seems to be more appropriate than a weighted one.” 

Study Implications:  Therapists should consider the results of this study when recommending adaptive utensils to help patients with Parkinson’s disease perform the important self care activity of eating independently.  This doesn’t mean that a trial of weighted utensils should not be conducted.  It does mean in my opinion that therapists should continue to explore other equipment options and adaptive strategies to improve performance based on the unique characteristics of each individual.  For more information on this topic please visit our Blog: Weighted Utensils: Are They Effective?

Post Update: Research Matters! We are currently developing an assistive eating device for Parkinson’s or Essential Tremor.

Chill Spill catches any liquids or solid foods that may be spilled from a fork or spoon during plate to mouth movement. Liquid is routed back to the bowl and solids or semi solids remain in the trough section and can be rescooped from there. We hope to have this new assistive aid for Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor available in summer 2023.

Reference: Ma HI, Hwang WJ, Tsai PL, Hsu YW. The effect of eating utensil weight on functional arm movement in people with Parkinson’s disease: a controlled clinical trial. Clin Rehabil. 2009 Dec;23(12):1086-92. doi: 10.1177/0269215509342334. PMID: 19906764. At Canoe Creek products we developed the Stable Slide self feeding aid that can be an option for individuals experiencing tremors at mealtime. The Stable Slide can be used in conjunction with other strategies like weighted utensils or built up utensils …. or lightweight utensils! The Stable Slide is available at: www.performancehealth.com. Thanks again for visiting and we welcome your comments.