Electrical implant
A new technology has been able to make paralyzed patients from the waist
down to be able to walk. This technology
comes in from of an electric patch fitted to the spinal cords. According to experts, the device helps to transport
lost signal from the brain to the leg muscles.
Paralysis is a loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. About 1 in 50 people in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of paralysis, transient or permanent.
How it works?
Spinal cord stimulation is a procedure that delivers
low-level electrical signals to the spinal cord or to specific nerves to block
pain signals from reaching the brain.
During spinal cord stimulation, a device that delivers
the electrical signals is implanted in the body through a needles placed in the
back near the spinal cord. A small incision is then made to place the pulse
generator in the upper buttock. The patient may turn the current off and on or
adjust the intensity of the signals. Some devices cause what’s described as a
pleasant, tingling sensation while others do not
This research is based on
two distinct treatments: epidural stimulation of the spinal cord and locomotor
training.
Epidural stimulation is the application of continuous electrical current at varying
frequencies and intensities to specific locations on the spinal cord. This
location corresponds to the dense neural networks that largely control movement
of the hips, knees, ankles and toes.
Locomotor training aims to
ultimately retaing the spinal cord to “remember” the pattern for walking by
repetitively practicing standing and stepping. In a locomotor training therapy
session, the participant’s body weight is supported in a harness while specially
trained staff move his or her legs to simulate walking while on trade mill.
This breakthrough
demonstrates that some brain- to -spine connectivity may be restored year after
a spinal cord injrury as the participants living with complete paralysis will
be able to walk, stand, regain trunk mobility and recover a number of motor
functions without physical assistance when using the epidural stimulator and
maintain focus to take steps.
