Being paralyzed hasn’t stopped many people from living a normal life: get married, have children, get a job and social life. Even so, disabled patients are always looking for ways to regain their mobility and are willing to try anything. Recently, they received some amazing news: a revolutionary technology can help them walk again.
Spinal cord electrical stimulation might be the answer to many people’s prayers
The medical world has evolved a lot during the last decades and brilliant scientists have found solutions for almost every problem. Now, it looks like they figured out a way to restore the senses in paralyzed people so that they can walk again.
According to Nature and Nature Neuroscience, three people agreed to participate in a study that used a new method for healing injuries suffered by the spinal cord. The scientists’ main purpose was to help patients with various degrees of paralysis walk again.
The technique is called spinal cord electrical stimulation and, thanks to it, the volunteers who took part in the study could recover some their walking ability, even if not totally. The progress registered during physical therapy sessions helped them become even more mobile in their everyday lives.
Volunteers are very happy with the results
David Mzee, one of the patients who took part in the study, mentioned that he is very grateful for the results. His left leg has been paralyzed ever since 2010, but now, thanks to the spinal cord stimulation, he can perform operations like extending the knee, moving toes and flexing the hip.
The findings are considered one of the most amazing breakthroughs from the medical field. Every paralyzed patient could use the damaged limb again and this would mean a great progress for the modern society.
Every good thing can be improved, so research about spinal cord electrical stimulation continues. However, scientists think that the treatment will become more and more popular during following years.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.