Once upon a time most people would have said it was impossible for a completely paralyzed person to receive any form of treatment that would allow them to walk on their own two legs, but that is exactly what happened. Last July, researchers managed to successfully stimulate a completely paralyzed patient’s nerves so that they were able to move their legs in a kind of rhythmic pattern. After that triumph, the team decided to take it one step further ad now they have enabled a full paralyzed patient to take thousands of steps on his own legs during a five-day training session and over the next couple of weeks following it.
The 39-year-old patient in question was paralyzed from the waist down due to a severe fall a few years ago. However, with the help of the bionic suit he has become the world’s first completely paralyzed person to walk again on his own accord. The technique that was used along with the bionic suit was a non-invasive spinal simulation along with the drug buspirone. To help monitor its effects and to establish how much the patient is moving their own legs versus the suit moving it for them, sensors are fitted inside the suit. The suit itself acts a kind of exoskeleton as it adjusts itself to allow the patient’s time to get used to using their own legs again. As the sessions continue, the patient should eventually be able to move their legs on their own accord without the aid of the suit.
This is a fantastic breakthrough for the medical world and gives much hope to paralyzed individuals and it just goes to show that even patients who have been deemed completely paralyzed still nerves that can be stimulated enough to enable to function properly once again. Reggie Edgerton, UCLA physiologist and senior author of the study, said, “This changes the property of the spinal cord so that the person can decide when to move. With this simulation and a little bit of training, dormant cells can regain their function.” Using this treatment had the effect of increasing the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and bladder function too, which are all things that will make a big difference in a paraplegic’s life. So, even if the treatment doesn’t cure the patient completely of their paralysis, there is still a good chance their life will be considerably improved.
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