Implants and Robotics Can Alleviate Paralysis from Spinal Cord Injuries

A muscle-stimulating implant combined with a robotic exoskeleton can help restore movement in people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, according to a recent study.

The spinal cord implant sends well-synchronized electrical pulses to the muscles, stimulating natural muscle activity coordinated with supporting robotic movements, researchers reported in the March 12 edition of Science Robotics.

Five people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries were able to walk or pedal a stationary bike using the combination of the implant and robotics, the researchers said.

The participants not only regained the ability to engage their muscles during robot-assisted therapy, but some also enjoyed better voluntary movement even after the implant was turned off, according to the results.

“The seamless integration of spinal cord stimulation with rehabilitation or robotic therapy will accelerate the deployment of this therapy into standard care and the spinal cord injury community,” said lead researcher Grégoire Courtine, professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, in a press release.

Because it is adaptable, rehabilitation professionals can incorporate this technology into their existing procedures and protocols worldwide, the researchers explained. The primary authors of the study are from the Swiss research laboratories NeuroRestore and BioRob.

“We visited several rehabilitation centers to test our stimulation technology with the robotic systems they routinely use, and it was incredibly rewarding to witness their enthusiasm,” said Nicolas Hankov of NeuroRestore and Miroslav Caban of BioRob in a press release.

“Seeing firsthand the seamless way our approach integrates with existing rehabilitation protocols reinforces its potential to transform care for people with spinal cord injuries by providing a technological framework that is easy to adopt and implement in multiple rehabilitation settings,” the researchers said.

Spinal cord stimulation strategies must be modulated to match the patient’s movement, which makes integration into rehabilitation robotic systems difficult, the researchers noted.

In this new method, a fully implanted spinal cord stimulation device emits electrical impulses that mimic natural nerve signals.

The implant uses wireless sensors to detect limb movement and automatically adjust stimulation in real-time, ensuring that the stimulation precisely adapts to each phase of movement, the researchers said.

Future clinical trials are needed to better understand how the combination of stimulation and robotics restores mobility and to establish the long-term benefits of this approach, the researchers concluded.

https://spanish.healthday.com/noticias-salud/health-technology/implantes-y-robotica-pueden-aliviar-la-paralisis-de-las-lesiones-de-la-medula-espinal