Paralyzed man regains movement
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (UPI) -- An experimental treatment has allowed anOregon man, paralyzed from the waist down, to regain movement and eventake a few steps, doctors said.
Rob Summers of Portland was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2006 andfaced a life in a wheelchair when three years of intensive therapybrought no signs of improvement in his condition, The Washington Postreported Thursday.
Doctors say Summers, 25, is the first patient who has regained theability to consciously move parts of the body as a result of directelectrical stimulation of the spinal cord, which apparentlyreactivates the nerve circuits that remain intact.
In the procedure, a small strip of electrodes is implanted along thelower spinal cord that sends signals meant to mimic those that thebrain sends to stimulate movement.
After the surgery, Summers and the researchers spent two years ofintensive training to identify exactly what combination of stimulationto the spinal cord and body position would enable Summers to move atoe or an ankle, rise to a standing position or take a step inresponse to his brain thinking about making those movements.
"It was absolutely incredible," Summers said of the feeling when hestood again for the first time. "There are not enough words todescribe what I felt. It was an amazing feeling."
Doctors cautioned that much more research will be required before manyother paralyzed patients could attempt the treatment or before theycould predict how much movement might be restored.
Copyright 2011 by United Press International
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