In UCLA study, non-surgical approach helps people with paralysis voluntarily move their legs – a first

Edgerton Lab/UCLA A 42-year-old man who was paralyzed following a wrestling injury was able to voluntarily move his legs thanks to the new approach.   In a study conducted at UCLA, five men who had been completely paralyzed were able to move their legs in a rhythmic motion thanks to a new, noninvasive procedure that stimulates the spinal cord. It is believed to be the first time voluntary leg movements have ever been relearned in completely paralyzed patients without surgery. The results are reported in the Journal of Neurotrauma.  “These findings tell us we have to look at spinal cord injury in a new way,” said V. Reggie Edgerton, senior author of the research and a UCLA distinguished professor of integrative biology and physiology, neurobiology and neurosurgery. Edgerton said although it likely will be years before the new approaches are widely available, he now believes that it is possible to significantly improve quality of life for patients with severe spinal cord injuries, and to help them recover multiple body functions. “People who are paralyzed are often told very early on, ‘Don’t have any hope because you’re not going to recover function below the lesion,’” he said. “They have been told that for decades, and still are today. But this was ridiculous before, and it’s even more ridiculous now.” Last year, Edgerton and colleagues, the University of Louisville’s Susan Harkema and Claudia Angeli and UCLA’s Yury Gerasimenko, reported that four ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news