Thanks to a cutting-edge technology that restores motor function in just one day with carefully targeted electrical stimulation, a paralyzed man with a severed spinal cordThis is the first time someone who has had their spinal cord completely severed has been able to walk freely.
Shortly after recovering from the surgery, all three patients were able to stand with support and walk with a walker. Their motor control was not perfect at first; however, for them to pedal or swim is now a possibility. Moreover, the stimulation didn't cause any pain or negative effects in any of the participants.
As of this writing, nine patients have received the implant and have been able to walk again. However, these patients don't use it to help them walk in their daily lives since it's too sophisticated at this point. Instead, they use it to practice walking, which strengthens their muscles and improves their health while also restoring some movement.
A long way remains before this technology can be commonly used to help paralyzed people to walk again since it's invasive and expensive, and there haven't been any large-scale clinical trials."This is not a cure for spinal cord injury. But it is a critical step to improve people's quality of life," Grégoire Courtine, who led the team that developed the technology at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , said."We are going to empower people.
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