The
man, who was paralyzed by a motorcycle accident in 2017, was able to walk again
when doctors implanted electrodes in his spinal cord to stimulate muscles.
After
the accident, Michael Roccati lost the ability to move and feel his legs
because of the damage to his spinal cord, but he is now able to walk and stand
with the help of an electric shock through a tablet.
The
research team said that installing the electrodes helped Michael Roccati and
two other patients, aged between 29 and 41 years old.
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Michel Roccati became paralyzed after a motorcycle accident now walks aided by the implants. Photograph: EPFL/Alain Herzog/PA -theguardian.com |
Now
they are all able to stand, walk, cycle and move their legs in the swimming
pool, which has raised the expectation that paralyzed people will benefit from
such devices.
Michael
Roccati uses the device for daily training and strengthening muscles and says
"now it has become a part of my daily life".
The
device was developed by Gregory Cortini, a professor at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (EPFL), and Jocelyn Block, a professor at Louisiana
University Hospital.
For
this system, a soft and flexible electrode is used which is mounted on the
spinal nerve.
This
electrode transmits electrical vibrations to the spinal nerves that control the
various muscles of the legs and thighs.
This
vibration is controlled by software in a tablet that issues instructions for
various activities such as standing, walking, cycling, or others.
With
this device, all three patients were able to stand within a few hours of the
operation, but their ability to walk was improved with 3 to 4 months of
practice and training.
Professor
Jocelyn said that in the beginning, not everything was perfect, but it can be
used to motivate patients by training early and it is expected that similar
results will be seen in women.
"Thanks
to this technology, we've been able to cure people with the most serious spinal
cord injuries," said Professor Gregory. By controlling the electrolyte, we
can stimulate the spinal cord in the same way that the brain does, and the
patient can naturally stand, walk, or swim.
Once
the device is installed, patients become part of a training program so that
they can rehabilitate muscles and move more autonomously.
The
patient can select the option from the tablet for a specific movement, after
which he contacts the pacemaker device which sends a signal to the electrode.
This
allows different muscles to move at the right time so that the patient can
stand or walk.
The
results of the study were published in the medical journal Nature Medicine.
Source: theguardian
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