Treatment Helps Spinal-Cord-Injured Patients Walk

A study has shown that the use of partial weight bearing (PWB) therapy and electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can help some patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) to get out of a wheelchair and walk. The ongoing study is being conducted by researchers at the College of Engineering at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ, USA).

The investigators designed a protocol for wheelchair-dependent individuals who have some sensation and some weak motor activity, combining two therapies that have demonstrated some efficacy in past studies. They used special PWB physical therapy treatments to facilitate a more-normal stepping pattern and then surgically implanted an electrical stimulator in the spinal cord on a site below the level of the spinal cord injury.

The first subject in the study, who suffered a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia three years ago, can now move his legs in a coordinated pattern that is relatively smooth, rhythmic, and consistent, taking several walks spanning more than 50 feet. He still needs a walker but no longer requires the physical support of therapists to move his partially paralyzed legs. Also, his walking requires much less effort. The study took place at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix (AZ, USA).

The researchers point out that the form of electrical stimulation used in this research should not be confused with functional electrical stimulation (FES). FES is the direct use of electric current to induce individual muscle contractions when specific nerves and/or muscles are stimulated. In the current study, individual muscles were not excited. It seemed instead that the stimulation facilitated a walking pattern innate to the spinal cord. The device used in the study was the Xtrel neurostimulator from Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN, USA).



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