In "unprecedented" advance, paralyzed man takes first steps

[Cindylou]

Did any of you see the news report about the Oregon man who is the first to undergo an experimental treatment that could herald a new era for some patients? Essentially, he was paralyzed from the chest down from a 2006 car accident and was facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Now 25, he was only 20 when the accident occurred. He had done years of intensive therapy with no signs of improvement. Now, he is saying "this procedure has completely changed my life." The treatment he had, which naturally peaked my interest, was implanting his spinal cord with electrodes that provided electrical stimulation of his muscles to produce some movement. He is the first patient ever, of any paralyzed patient, to regain the ability to consciously move parts of his body by directly stimulating the spinal cord. This is absolutely break-through. One doctor responded by saying, this is "unprecedented." And that "we are entering a new era when the time has come for spinal-cord-injured people to move." This treatment, and device, once again is manufactured out of Minnesota by Medtronic (the same company that implanted my temporary spinal cord stimulator) and it involves surgically implanting a small strip of electrodes along the lower spinal cord that sends electrical signals designed to mimic those that had been sent by the brain. The approach was tried on this young gentleman after years of studies in animals indicated such stimulation could reactivate communication between the brain and paralyzed limbs. Absolutely amazing stuff, isn't it? "It was absolutely incredible," this fellow said of the feeling when he stood again for the first time and took his first steps in 5 years. As I await my permanent Spinal Cord Stimulator with my own great anticipation, I totally had goosebumps reading this article. It is filled with hope. And I just had to share it with you all. Life is still full of so much hope for all kinds of spine patients. I hope this article gave you even half the lift it gave me. Never ever give up, Cindylou

[Justin]

Yes, it's a great, ground-breaking case study.

I posted about it here yesterday: Paralyzed Man Stands Thanks to Experimental Spine Implant.