US scientists have helped a man intentionally move his paralysed legs, stand and make
steplike
motions for the first time in three years, by using electrical stimulation on
his spinal
cord
and intense physical therapy .
It
marks the first time a patient intentionally controlled previously paralysed
functions within
the
first two weeks of stimulation, researchers said. The results offer evidence
that a
combination
of this technology and rehabilitation may help patients with spinal cord
injuries
regain
control over previously paralysed movements.
“We're
really excited, because our results went beyond our expectations,“ said Kendall
Lee,
director
of Mayo Clinic's Neural Engineering Laboratory in the US.
The
26-year-old patient injured his spinal cord at the sixth thoracic vertebrae in
the middle of
his
back three years back. He was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury
,
meaning
he could not move or feel anything below the middle of his torso.
The
study started with the patient going through 22 weeks of physical therapy . He
had three
training
sessions a week to prepare his muscles for attempting tasks during stimulation.
After
a
three-week recovery period from surgery, the patient resumed physical therapy
with
stimulation
to enable movements.
Source: The
Times of India
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