Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne’s Neuro X Institute in Switzerland have made a groundbreaking stride in rehabilitation technology, developing a stimulus implant which enables people with paraplegia to walk.
The implant is surgically planted in the patient’s spinal cord, sending nerve-signal-mimicking impulses through motor neurons to create movement.
According to the EPFL, all five subjects in the proof-of-concepts tests regained muscle engagement during robotic-assisted therapy and improved voluntary movement post stimulation.
Australian Paralympic Basketballer Phil Evans lost the use of both of his legs in a car crash when he was 22 years old.
Mr Evans says initially he looked at various trials around the world to regain the use of his legs. He decided not to go through with the trials due to the potential for ongoing pain, but says other people with paraplegia may feel differently.
“I am definitely someone who has made the most out of what has happened, though I know some would absolutely take the chance to walk again, and this technology may allow that.”
He says while the initial stages of learning to be in a wheelchair were challenging, it has become a part of his life and not something he would look to change at this stage.
“I get asked a lot whether I was happier before my accident, and the truth is, I don’t know. I have created a fantastic life for myself post-accident, and I am not sure whether or not I would changed what happened if I got the chance,” he says.
Postdoctoral research associate Dr Brittney Lins says this technology is a large step forward in rehabilitation sciences.
“This product is groundbreaking in the way that it not only provides epidural electrical impulse but does so at a frequency and patten which better replicates the natural impulses sent by the brain, as opposed to earlier versions. This ensures the motor neurons and electrical stimulation are ‘speaking the same language’ to better receive the information and be able to react better to rehabilitation,” she says.
She says while it is a significant leap forward, there’s a long way to go.
“It is important not to hold out too much hope when it comes to these things, as while the technology has passed early tests, the focus groups are only comprised of four or five people. This means that although the results look positive, it needs to work for a much larger number of people before it can receive any real medical approval and can be implemented as a legitimate and legal treatment here in Australia.”
As a result of this, Dr Lins suggests the product may not hit the Australian medical market for another five years.
“This is a great and promising technology, but we have other products that are currently being used as rehabilitation aids for the same purpose. So, this will need to not only need to reach a bar where it’s effective use is obvious beyond current best practice, and also justifies the risk of associated surgical procedures, and that is going to take time,” she says.
While this product is not currently being trialled in Australia, researchers at Griffith University are currently conducting trials in which nerves from the nose are planted into the injury site of the spinal cord – allowing patients to regain function and feeling.
Dr Lins says this is built on similar fundamental science to the research being carried out by the Swiss, and the collaboration and comparison from the results of this technology will provide a more accurate recipe for solution.