Thursday 1 November 2018

Paralysed patients able to walk again as 'breakthrough' implant restores nerves in spine

Paralysed patients able to walk again as 'breakthrough' implant restores nerves in spine Patients restricted to wheelchairs for years have been able to walk entirely unaided thanks to implants which help regenerate and remap nerves in their damaged spines.

The treatment, which has been hailed as a “significant breakthrough” for paralysis sufferers, uses a surgically implanted array of electrodes mapped precisely to the spinal cord, in combination with a unit that sends electrical pulses in response to patients’ intended leg movements.

All three paraplegic individuals who took part in the Swiss study recovered voluntary control of their leg muscles and were able to walk with some weight assistance, or a frame, while the electrical stimulation was active. The Independent

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