Study Shows Electrical Stimulation Therapy Can Help Spinal Cord Injuries

posted on Mar 22 by Snow in the Disability News, Health, Healthcare, Spinal Cord Injury, Technology, Wheelchair Technology category

Toronto researchers have developed a new kind of therapy for patients with partial spinal cord injuries that uses small bursts of electricity. These bursts of electricity “awaken” paralyzed muscles with low intensity electrical impulses so that the muscles can perform small movements with the electricity. Eventually, researchers believe, the muscles will learn these movements and be able to function without the electrical impulses.

In the journal Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Toronto researchers report that this new electrical stimulation therapy helps patients with spinal cord injuries recover function in paralyzed muscles. The electrical stimulation therapy can improve muscle function, allowing patients to better move around, grasp objects and hold objects. This therapy may be able to improve the quality of life for spinal cord injury patients and foster independence in the long run if functions can be improved.

Unlike other electrical therapies for paralyzed muscles, this new electrical stimulation therapy features a small electric stimulator that, once connected to paralyzed muscles, will allow patients to perform rehabilitation therapy at home and control their progress.

The study of the new electrical stimulation therapy was conducted by Dr. Popovic in Toronto, and it used 21 spinal cord injury patients. Every patient in the group received traditional rehabilitation therapy, and a smaller group received the electrical therapy. The group that received the electrical therapy showed up to three times greater improvement in grasping ability than the others in the study. Follow up studies showed that this improvement remained, even after the study.

Dr. Popovic and his team of researchers are still developing their new electrical stimulator, and hope that one day their therapy can become an integral part of rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injuries. Studies are ongoing, but the doctors involved in the study are still seeking financial support to continue developing the prototype electrical stimulator.

Sources:

http://www.torontorehab.com/News—Media/First-of-its-kind-study-shows-benefits-of-electric.aspx

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110217125113.htm