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Spinal Cord Neurostim Implant Lets Paralyzed Patients Walk, Swim, Cycle Again

Spinal Cord Neurostim Implant Lets Paralyzed Patients Walk, Swim, Cycle Again

The device activates brain-spinal cord communication to restore movement.

By Sam Brusco, Associate Editor02.08.22
The latest generation of a spinal cord stimulation device has granted three paralyzed patients the ability to take steps on their own using a treadmill after only a week beginning therapy. After five months of rehabilitation, the patients could stand, walk, swim, and operate pedals on a bicycle.
 
In 2018, an earlier iteration of the system allowed a partial spinal cord injury patient suffering paralysis to rise from his wheelchair. The three patients in the latest study had complete spinal cord injuries and could walk outside of the lab.
 
The device works via implanted leads on the spinal cord. Two small controls in a walker relayed signals to a tablet to a pacemaker implanted in the abdomen, causing implanted leads to stimulate specific neurons. This provoked leg and trunk muscles to move.
 
“Our stimulation algorithms are still based on imitating nature,” device co-developer and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne professor Grégoire Courtine told the press. “And our new, soft implanted leads are designed to be placed underneath the vertebrae, directly on the spinal cord. They can modulate the neurons regulating specific muscle groups. By controlling these implants, we can activate the spinal cord like the brain would do naturally to have the patient stand, walk, swim or ride a bike, for example.”
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