There seems to be an increase in the number of papers reporting therapeutic benefits for PwP coming from magnetic stimulation. Most work in this area has reported on its trans-cranial application. However, it can also be used in other areas.
A recent paper by Arii et al. reports the results of repetitive trans-spinal magnetic stimulation (rTSMS) on poor posture.
Wikipedia defines camptocormia as:
"a medical condition that is characterized by forward flexion of the spine, which is noticeable when standing or walking but disappears when lying down. ... It is becoming an increasingly recognized feature of herniation of an intervertebral disc (usually in the thoracic or upper lumbar spine), Parkinson's disease and dystonic disorders." [1]
Arii et al. write [2]:
"[rTSMS] is a non-invasive and safe alternative for stimulation of spinal pathways .... We assessed the benefits of rTSMS on camptocormia, an often treatment-resistant postural abnormality observed in PD patients.... Primary outcome measure was thoracolumbar spine flexion angle in the standing position immediately after the trial.... Of 320 PD patients examined, 37 had concomitant camptocormia and were randomly assigned to either the rTSMS first group (n=19) or sham first group (n=18). Flexion angle in the standing position decreased by a mean of 10.9° (95% CI 8.1 to 13.65) after rTSMS but remained unchanged after sham stimulation (mean, −0.1°; 95% CI −0.95 to 0.71)."
Part of the attraction of this approach is that it could be made available immediately.
References:
[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camptocormia
[2] J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry doi:10.1136/jnnp-2014-307651
"Immediate effect of spinal magnetic stimulation on camptocormia in Parkinson's disease"
Yoshiharu Arii et al.
http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/20...07651.abstract
John