Study Shows Paralyzed Men Moving Legs With Spinal Cord Stimulation

In a study recently published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements via a new strategy that non-invasively delivered electrical stimulation to their spinal cords. The strategy, called transcutaneous stimulation, delivers electrical current to the spinal cord by way of electrodes strategically placed on the skin of the lower back — previously, this method was delivered with an electrical stimulation device surgically implanted on the spinal cord. During the study, the men’s movements occurred while their legs were suspended in braces that hung from the ceiling, allowing them to move freely without resistance from gravity. Movement in this environment is not comparable to walking; however, the results signal significant progress towards the eventual goal of developing a therapy for a wide range of individuals with spinal cord injury. “These encouraging results provide continued evidence that spinal cord injury may no longer mean a life-long sentence of paralysis and support the need for more research,” said the director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health. To read more about this study, click here.