EES Restores Motor Activity in Three People with Paralysis

Three people whose legs were paralysed for years can stand and take steps again thanks to an electrical implant that zaps the injured spinal cord. During one physical therapy session. 29-year-old Jered Chinnock, who was paralysed in a 2013 snow mobile accident, moved back and forth enough to cover the length of a football field.

Mr Chinnock underwent 43 weeks of stimulator adjustments and intense physical therapy. Trainers positioned his knees and hips, helped him stand, swing his legs and shift his weight. With the help of a mirror, Mr Chinnock learned to move his legs and propel himself forward with a walker.

“”The walking side of it isn’t something where I just leave my wheelchair behind and away I go,” said Mr Chinnock.

“There is the hopeful side of, maybe I’ll gain that — where I can leave the wheelchair behind, even if it is to walk to the refrigerator.”

A report published by Nature Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine on Monday describes how Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) reaches the nerves to activate the muscles, resulting in intentional movement. Applying an electrical current in customized patterns, the implant wakes up some of the nerves below the injury site that are dormant. Combined with rigorous rehabilitation, the implant revives rusty connections – enabling them to receive simple commands.

“The study gives hope to people facing paralysis that functional control may be possible”, said Dr Kendall Lee, a Mayo neurosurgeon who treated Mr Chinnock.

Four other paralysed volunteers tested the approach at the University of Louisville. All four achieved independent standing and trunk stability. Two are now walking with assistance.

It’s not yet clear why the other two participants aren’t able to take independent steps, but one did suffer a hip fracture during training.