Total lower limb paralysis caused by spinal cord damage means a lifetime in a wheelchair for many patients. But a new treatment might mean the diagnosis isn’t so permanent: A 29-year-old man paralyzed by a snowmobile accident in 2013 is walking again, according to a new paper, thanks to a device that delivers electrical stimulation to his spine.
“What this is teaching us is that those networks of neurons below a spinal cord injury still can function after paralysis,” said Kendall Lee, a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic’s Neural Engineering Laboratories who worked on the treatment.
Neurosurgery team at the Mayo clinic implanted an electrode, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pain relief, in the man’s back. Using a wireless controller, they could direct the device to provide pulses of electrical current straight to his spine.
During 113 rehabilitation sessions spread out over 43 weeks, the researchers tested various combinations of electrical stimulation and other variables, such as harness supports and treadmill speed. Little by little, he was able to move his legs — though at first he had to view his legs in mirrors to keep track of their placement, since they had no feeling, and trainers had to help him stand and shift his weight.
Eventually, the man was able to take 331 steps using a front-wheeled walker and occasional assistance from trainers. This was the equivalent of 111 yards, or more than the length of a football field. Turning off the device halted the man’s ability to walk, meaning the electrical stimulation was almost certainly the cause of his regained mobility.