Electrical Nerve Stimulation Can Reverse Nerve Damage from SCI

A new study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology reported that peripheral nerve stimulation can reverse spinal cord injury (SCI)-associated nerve deterioration, potentially improving the benefits of current and emerging rehab treatments. During the study, patients with SCI underwent 30 minutes of electrical nerve-stimulation therapy for five days a week, for six weeks, on one limb, with the other limb remaining untreated. Results of the study showed that the patients with SCI had less excitable nerves with altered responses to electrical stimulation, indicating nerve dysfunction, and after six weeks of therapy, the nerves in the treated limb responded to electrical stimulation more like the nerves in the healthy subjects. Nerve function in the untreated limb did not change over the six-week period. “The present study has clearly demonstrated that an intensive six-week peripheral nerve stimulation program was beneficial in improving nerve excitability parameters toward the normal range,” the researchers wrote. Moreover, the research team noted that the improvements stayed if the patient continued with the stimulation therapy. According to the researchers, short-term peripheral nerve stimulation may be a new approach to preventing long-term changes in nerve and muscle function and improving rehabilitation outcomes. To read more about this study, click here.