By Julia Vann
Recently there has been new developments in the research of paralysis and, amazingly, ways to fix it. According to Science Daily, in 2016 Mayo Clinic assisted a paralyzed man through a number of rehabilitation visits and actually made it possible for him to walk with some assistance.
How did they do this? By placing an electrode on his spine and using it to activate the nerve endings from where he was paralyzed. While he still couldn’t feel his legs, movement was possible. During his many rehabilitation sessions, he was able to go from unable to walk on his own without a harness or additional help, to learning how to balance his weight and walk without much assistance.
While there is still a long road ahead, this research is important for a number of reasons. For starters, it presents a possibility of walking in the future for the paralyzed. In addition, it also proves that paralyzed nerve endings may not be permanent. Finally, if they can be activated through an electrode, maybe there’s a way to reverse the paralysis. If not, at least there’s a way to make them functional on some level.
For the number of people facing nerve paralysis, these new results are revolutionary. Let’s wait and see where the research progresses from here.
To learn more about recent healthcare news, visit the American Medical Compliance website.
