Four patients with spinal-cord injuries have participated in a University of Louisville study that's restored voluntary leg movement
Four patients with paralysis have been making headlines lately for participating in a study that has restored voluntary movement in their legs.
The men were implanted with a spinal stimulator currently on the market for pain management, however Reggie Edgerton, PhD, has found a way to use the same stimulator to awaken the nerves that allow movement. The study was performed at the University of Louisville and funded in part by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. It’s success led to a similar study that will try for the same results with upper-limb movement, a study to create a larger, more effective 27-electrode array and a study to create a spinal stimulator that can be applied through the skin, rather than with an implantation surgery.
Get a glimpse of the results from the original study in the video below featuring participant Kent Stephenson.
