Spinal cord injuries can severely
reduce a person’s range of motion or lead to complete leg paralysis. Recently,
researchers describe implanting electrical stimulators into the damaged spinal
cords of three men who all had partial or complete lower-leg paralysis. The
stimulators then delivered targeted electric pulses in time with the patients’
walking gait.
The patients wore a series of
sensors on their legs and feet that wirelessly communicated to the stimulators
as they began to walk. Within a week, the men were able to leave the treadmill
and walk on the ground with continued electrical stimulation. After a few
months, they regained the ability to walk without any electrical stimulation at
all.
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